A company spokesperson told StereoNET:

Deciding to manufacture phono cartridges is no small undertaking, knowing exactly how we want them to perform mean it's taken many hours, weeks and years to get things just right.

Michell set out from the start to produce a phono cartridge “to reproduce your beloved music as accurately as possible, without colouration.”

Officially launched at The Bristol Hi-Fi Show, the Cusis range includes three models, all of the Moving Coil variety and sharing the same design philosophy of “simple and elegant design, high-quality materials and superior engineering to achieve the best possible sound quality.” What differs between the models at various price points is the cantilever material and stylus profile.

Michell tells us that at the heart of the cartridge is a samarium-cobalt magnet which is combined with pure iron to create a very stable magnetic field within the cartridge. 30μ pure copper wire is used to precision wind the cartridge coils onto an ultra-lightweight armature, which is mounted onto a specially designed damper. It says that damper has been specifically designed to give the stylus assembly the perfect support, which ensures the stylus tracks the groove precisely. Michell said when it came to the construction, it paid careful attention to eliminating unwanted vibration and resonance, which it says has been achieved and has resulted in “truly unrivalled levels of detail and neutrality.”

The range starts with the Cusis E which utilises an Elliptical stylus, Aluminium cantilever, Large aluminium chassis, and High-density Acetyl body. According to Michell, the Cusis E “gives great detail and musicality, which never detracts from the music.”

Moving up the ladder, the Cusis S takes advantages of a Shibata stylus, Boron cantilever, Extended frequency response, Large aluminium chassis, and High-density Acetyl body, all combined to offer “greater frequency response and detail retrieval”.

Completing the lineup is the Cusis M flagship cartridge which Michell boasts “combines truly unrivalled levels of detail with a completely neutral presentation, so all you hear is the music!”. It uses an Ultra-precise Microline stylus, Boron Cantilever, Reduced coil mass, “offers Class-leading frequency response”, Large aluminium chassis, and a Carbon loaded, resonance dampening body.

Michell Engineering's first phono cartridge range, Cusis, will be available soon and priced as follows (Inc VAT):

Cusis E £675

Cusis S £1,275

Cusis M £2,300