IO Gold

About the IO Gold

The Audio Note UK IO Gold is the top permanent magnet moving coil cartridge in the IO range, surpassed only by the field coil powered IO Ltd. It features a distinctive solid polished copper housing that provides excellent vibrational characteristics but results in a relatively heavy 20g weight. The generator uses Alnico magnets combined with Permadure and bar magnets, considered the best sounding magnetic sources. The coils are hand-wound from very fine 99.99% pure silver wire, resulting in a very low output voltage of 0.04mV. These coils are mounted on a long, extra thick-walled, slightly tapered titanium cantilever, which is lightweight and stiff, ensuring precise transmission of stylus movements. The stylus is an ultra-fine AN Type 1 diamond, cut and polished to a natural octagon shape with surgical precision, mechanically crimped and bonded to the cantilever. This design yields superb tracking, high frequency resolution, long stylus life (around 2,000 hours), and low record wear. The cartridge body is engineered for high rigidity and minimal resonant energy to avoid colorations and signal degradation. It requires a stylus pressure of 2-3g (optimal 2.5g) and weighs 20 grams, which may necessitate a heavier counterweight on some tonearms. The frequency response ranges from 10Hz to 50kHz with ±2dB variation, channel separation exceeds 30dB at 1kHz, and the internal impedance is 1 Ohm with a recommended matching impedance of 3-4 Ohms. The IO Gold is handmade to order with an approximate build time of 8 weeks and is not available for mail order. It is