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Benz Micro · LP-S
$6,000
Not currently in our rooms. For a serious buyer we will often bring a piece in from the manufacturer for a private session — tell us about your system and what you are weighing it against, and we will advise.
Benz Micro · LP-S
Benz Micro's flagship moving coil: an ebony-bodied, ruby-plate design known for sweet, natural treble and deep, focused bass.
Benz Micro's flagship; Swiss hand built.
Authorized Benz Micro dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
The LP-S sits at the top of the Benz Micro line and is hand-built in Switzerland. Its generator winds the coils on a small square plate of ruby instead of the usual iron core. Ruby is light and non-magnetic, so the moving system has very little mass and none of the magnetic drag an iron core adds. Benz pairs that low-mass generator with a heavy brass frame inside a vented, machined ebony body. The idea is a lively moving system on a solid, well-damped base. A 0.28 mm solid boron cantilever carries a mirror-polished nude line-contact diamond. At about 16 grams, it is one of the heavier cartridges you can buy.
Reviewers describe the LP-S as high in resolution and very quiet, with a sweet, lifelike top end and a composed upper midrange that doesn't glare. Big orchestral climaxes stay clear rather than compressed, and bass is weighty and well defined. Its weight is the main setup consideration. It needs a medium- to high-mass tonearm that can balance a 16 g cartridge, so check your arm's counterweight range before you buy. At 0.34 mV it also needs an MC phono stage with plenty of gain (about 60 dB or more) or a step-up transformer. It is for listeners with a serious turntable and arm who want a warm, full-bodied sound without giving up detail.
The LP-S is the top of the Benz line, and the Ruby Z and Gullwing below it use the same ruby-plate generator in lighter bodies. Benz Micro's trade-in program is at its most generous here: Sierra Sound takes 10% off for any working cartridge, 20% for most Benz models and 30% for an LP-S or Ruby Z.
| Type | Low-output moving coil (MC), ruby-plate generator |
| Output | 0.34 mV (3.54 cm/s) |
| Internal impedance | 38 Ω |
| Recommended load | 500–47,000 Ω |
| Tracking force | 1.8–2.2 g (1.8–2.0 g optimum) |
| Dynamic compliance | 15 µm/mN |
| Tracking ability | 80 µm at 315 Hz, 2 g |
| Weight | 16.4 g |
| Stylus | Nude line-contact diamond, mirror polished (3 × 60 µm) |
| Cantilever | Solid boron rod, 0.28 mm |
| Body | Vented machined ebony with brass frame |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz – 50 kHz ±1 dB |
| Channel separation / balance | >35 dB at 1 kHz / <0.5 dB |
| Recommended tonearm | Medium to high mass |
| Break-in | About 40 hours |
Benz Micro trade-in (Sierra Sound). Sierra Sound, Benz Micro's US distributor, takes a trade-in on every new Benz: 10% off with any working cartridge of any brand; 20% off with any ACE, Glider, Wood, Gullwing, Ruby or LP; 30% off with an LP-S. One trade per cartridge purchase; the trade-in must be a working cartridge.
| Trade in your Benz Micro LP-S | $4,200 after trade-in (credit $1,800) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro LP | $4,200 after trade-in (credit $1,800) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby ZL | $4,200 after trade-in (credit $1,800) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby ZH | $4,200 after trade-in (credit $1,800) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby Z / Ruby 3 | $4,200 after trade-in (credit $1,800) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Gullwing SLR | $4,800 after trade-in (credit $1,200) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Gullwing SHR | $4,800 after trade-in (credit $1,200) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ref-S Wood | $4,800 after trade-in (credit $1,200) |
| Other Benz Micro cartridges | 11 more models qualify; use the trade-in selector on this page or ask us |
Benz Micro does not retip customer cartridges; trade-ins go back to Switzerland for factory refurbishment, and Sierra Sound sometimes has factory-refurbished units to exchange against a worn cartridge for about the cost of a repair (availability varies). The 10% tier also applies to working cartridges of other brands. Verified 2026-10-28. Source: Benz Micro official US dealer price list, August 2026 (Sierra Sound) and sierrasound.net.
The Benz Micro cartridges Pearl Audio stocks, from least to most expensive:
Plan your Benz Micro system with Pearl Audio
Pearl Audio is an authorized Benz Micro dealer. Arrange an audition in our Portland showroom, and bring your current cartridge into the trade-in conversation. Call (503) 222-2599 or email sales@pearlaudio.com.
Ownership
Sierra Sound, Benz Micro's US distributor, takes a trade-in on every new Benz: 10% off with any working cartridge of any brand; 20% off with any ACE, Glider, Wood, Gullwing, Ruby or LP; 30% off with an LP-S. One trade per cartridge purchase; the trade-in must be a working cartridge.
Credit is 20% of the new cartridge’s price for any working cartridge of any brand at 10%; any ACE, Glider, Wood, Gullwing, Ruby or LP at 20%; an LP-S at 30%. Benz Micro does not retip customer cartridges; trade-ins go back to Switzerland for factory refurbishment, and Sierra Sound sometimes has factory-refurbished units to exchange against a worn cartridge for about the cost of a repair (availability varies). The 10% tier also applies to working cartridges of other brands. Verified 2026-10-28.
Ask us about this trade-inPricing per Benz Micro - 2026-08 - Dealer Price Sheet (Sierra Sound, August 1, 2026) and sierrasound.net/benzfaq. Programs are set by the manufacturer and may change.
The Pearl Audio experience
A system at this level should be heard, thoughtfully matched, and properly set up. From the first audition to long-term ownership, you work with the same people, in person.
The Benz LP-S Moving Coil Cartridge is not in our rooms at present. When it is the right piece for a client we arrange a demonstration unit from the manufacturer and set it up for a private session.
We deliver and install throughout the Portland area, taking care of placement, connections, ventilation and system configuration ourselves.
We support everything we sell for as long as you own it, whether the answer comes by phone, in your home, or through factory service.
Trade-in assistance and qualifying 100% Trade-Up options give you flexibility when your listening priorities or your system change.
