Turntables > Turntable Tools > Aesthetix Cartridge Demagnetizer

TAS Recommended Component

The first American designed and manufactured cartridge demagnetizer, the ABCD-1, keeps your analog front-end sounding its best. Once a week, simply plug in your turntable leads to the ABCD-1, then activate the gently ramped, up-and-down cycle of the ultra-pure demagnetizing signal.

The Aesthetix ABCD-1 was designed to meet a specific need in today's marketplace: an affordable MC cartridge demagnetizer which restores your cartridge's potential without residual sonic signature. Periodically demagnetizing a moving coil cartridge removes the "veils" which creep up as you enjoy your record collection. Simply put, these veils are the result of compromised electromagnetic performance of your phono cartridge. The Aesthetix ABCD-1 eliminates these veils, recovering the dynamics, nuance and emotion of your favorite LPs. The Aesthetix ABCD-1 is battery powered for ease of use and worldwide operation.

To better understand how the ABCD-1 works, remember that a moving coil phono cartridge is basically a coil of wire wound around a piece of iron (or ferrous material) suspended within a magnetic field. This electrical generator is activated by the phono stylus in the record groove, moving the wire coil and thus generating a signal to be amplified and reproduced by your loudspeakers. Think back to a simple science experiment placing a pin against a strong magnet for a few minutes. Afterwards, the pin, which is made of ferrous material, becomes magnetized enough to attract another pin.

Today's best moving coil phono cartridges use very strong magnets such as neodymium and samarium cobalt. When the moving coil absorbs some of the magnet's charge, the sound becomes murky and less defined. This is because the magnetized coil does not generate as great a variation as it moves within the magnetic field of the phono cartridge.

The ABCD-1 neutralizes the unwanted magnetic charge of the moving coil, restoring full performance in a matter of minutes. Demagnetizing your moving coil cartridge with the Aesthetix ABCD-1 every 1 - 2 weeks will prolong the life of your phono cartridge, increasing your enjoyment and appreciation of the music.

"Everyone who's into analog is sure to want one of the cute battery-powered cartridge demagnetizers from Aesthetix"
- Las Vegas '96 WCES show report, Richard J. Rosen and Lonnie Brownell, Stereophile, April 1996, Vol. 19, No. 4

"The effects...were not subtle...transient attacks are better articulated...instruments display greater air and focus, resulting in a greater sense of space."
- Myles Astor, The Audio Adventure, July 1996, Vol. 3, No. 6

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