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Benz Micro · Ruby Z
$4,800
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 · Ruby Z
The higher-output version of Benz Micro's Ruby Z, with the same warm, textured sound and an easier match to tube phono stages.
Medium-output (0.7 mV) version of the Ruby Z.
Authorized Benz Micro dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
The Ruby ZH uses the same construction as the Ruby Z, the fourth generation of Benz Micro's Ruby series. Its coils are wound on a small square ruby plate rather than an iron core. Ruby is light and non-magnetic, which keeps moving mass low and lets the cartridge pick up very fine detail from the groove. The generator sits in a vented, machined zebra wood body. A 0.28 mm solid boron cantilever carries a mirror-polished nude line-contact diamond. The ZH is wound for 0.7 mV, about twice the output of the standard Ruby Z.
Reviews of the Ruby Z describe a warm, natural sound with rich texture, sweet strings and good dynamic snap, and that character carries over to the ZH. The higher output is the reason to choose it. Benz Micro North America recommends the ZH for tube phono stages in the 50–60 dB gain range, where the low-output Ruby Z would be short on gain. Like the Z, it works best in a medium- to high-mass tonearm. It is a good choice if you love the Benz sound but your phono stage isn't built for very low-output cartridges.
The Ruby ZH is the Ruby Z for systems with moderate phono gain, and it sits one step below the LP-S in the Benz range. On a trade-in, Sierra Sound takes 10% off for any working cartridge, 20% for a Benz ACE, Glider, Wood or Ruby, and 30% for a worn Ruby Z.
| Type | Medium-output moving coil (MC), ruby-plate generator |
| Output | 0.7 mV (3.54 cm/s) |
| Recommended load | 400 Ω or higher |
| Recommended phono gain | 50–60 dB |
| Tracking force | 1.8–2.0 g |
| Weight | 10.7 g |
| Stylus | Nude line-contact diamond, mirror polished |
| Cantilever | Solid boron rod, 0.28 mm |
| Body | Vented machined zebra wood |
| Recommended tonearm | Medium to high mass |
| Also available | Ruby Z (0.34 mV) |
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 or Ruby; 30% off with a Ruby Z. One trade per cartridge purchase; the trade-in must be a working cartridge.
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby ZL | $3,360 after trade-in (credit $1,440) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby ZH | $3,360 after trade-in (credit $1,440) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ruby Z / Ruby 3 | $3,360 after trade-in (credit $1,440) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Ref-S Wood | $3,840 after trade-in (credit $960) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Zebra Wood L | $3,840 after trade-in (credit $960) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Zebra Wood M | $3,840 after trade-in (credit $960) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Zebra Wood H | $3,840 after trade-in (credit $960) |
| Trade in your Benz Micro Wood SL / SM / SH (older Wood) | $3,840 after trade-in (credit $960) |
| 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 or Ruby; 30% off with a Ruby Z. 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 or Ruby at 20%; a Ruby Z 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 Ruby ZH 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.
