Noriyuki Miyajima has had a love of music forever, first as a hobby, then as a specialist dealer and more recently as a manufacturer.  Using real wood, diamonds and delicate coils, Noriyuki prides himself on honesty.

With several patents and a passion that is most clear, Miyajima cartridges have had rave reviews all over the world and deservedly so.  Unlike some cartridge brands Miyajima are made in-house with six dedicated full-time people.  You can see the three Roland Camm-3 CNC milling machines that make the bodies on the right, microscopic inspection and full electrical test are carried out to ensure every cartridge meets or exceeds its published specification. 

African blackwood is also known as mpingo and made famous by Shun Mook.  According to the BBC “The wood from Tanzania's mpingo tree is used to make flutes, clarinets, oboes and even bagpipes, making it one of the most valuable plants in the world” and “musicians and musical instrument makers value the timber for its unique tonal qualities”  Miyajima use mpingo in their top-of-the-range cartridges because they believe it is the best wood available.

Miyajima are one of only a very few manufactures to fully embrace mono cartridges. Rarer still, they make true single coil designs for optimum playback.  The Beatles are re-releasing their early LPs in true mono directly from the original master tapes.  Using a Miyajima cartridge is surely the best way to listen.