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AVID Hifi Reference Ruby
Within the world of expensive esoteric cartridges, the Reference Ruby is not inexpensive but nowhere near inaccessible. Not designed to be second best, it will sit happily on any premium turntable, offering a fresh insight into your record collection. Music always sparkles with a jewell.
"One cartridge for the rest of my days spinning vinyl"
-Jeff Dorgay
Key Features
- Solid Ruby Cantilever
- Micro Ridge Diamond Stylus
- Excellent Tracking Ability
- Breathtaking Transparancy
jewel of sound
Acquiring its name by harnessing the immense rigidity of a Ruby cantilever, musically this cartridge offers unparalleled resolution, dynamics and an openness to the sound that totally captivates.
Subtle details are a revelation of breath-taking transparency with lower frequencies formidably tight showing no loss of control and thanks to the micro ridge stylus surface noise is vanishingly low.
Design Masterpiece
By virtue of its construction, precise alignment for optimal sound reproduction is painless, the extending cantilever allowing accurate track selection and the purpose designed stylus guard offering protection when you are absent.
Exceeding our own design expectations, Reference Ruby will enrich your musical experience, abandoning the constraints of time to vividly discover your most cherished records with this design masterpiece.
"For me, the Reference Ruby joins this select group of cartridges"
- Ken Kessler
Dealers selling AVID Hifi near you
Authorized dealers for AVID Hifi Reference Ruby
- Holt Hill — online and in-store — Andover, Massachusetts, United States (website)
- à la carte productions — in-store — Palm Coast, Florida, United States (website)
- Akalın Muzik Ltd. — in-store — İstanbul, Turkey (website)
- Alen Audio — in-store — Extramurs, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Anagram Audio — online and in-store — Bury St Edmunds, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Andertons — online and in-store — Guildford, England, United Kingdom (website)
- ARK Audio — online and in-store — Borensberg, Östergötlands län, Sweden (website)
- Audio Centrum — Hungary (website)
- Audio Domain — in-store — Stadtbezirke I, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (website)
and 52 more verified dealers
The holographic soundstage, sweet treble, and richly resonant midrange make this moving-coil cartridge feel luxuriously alive. In HiFi News, Ken Kessler praised its superb tracking, deep controlled bass, and fine detail retrieval, while noting a cooler balance than a classic Koetsu. It is a flagship for listeners who want precision, scale, and long-session musicality.
Pros
- Exceptionally spacious, three-dimensional imaging with precise placement and strong coherence.
- Sweet treble and a rich, resonant midband deliver an engaging, non-fatiguing presentation.
- Excellent tracking and detail retrieval, with authoritative bass and convincing slam when needed.
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Cons
- Its low-output moving-coil design demands careful phono-stage and loading setup.
- The presentation can lean cooler than a classic Koetsu, so those wanting a lush warmth-first sound may prefer another voicing.
Sound Quality
94/100
Overall reviewer consensus is strongly enthusiastic: the Reference Ruby is described as declaring its excellence quickly, with a sweet top end, rich/resonant midband, and deep controlled bass. The sound is portrayed as musically compelling and highly resolved, with enough slam and scale to handle hard rock convincingly.
Overall Sound
95/100
The cartridge is praised for a sweet treble, a midband with sheen and added resonance, and deep controlled bass with sharp transient attack. Review language such as "one of those components that, within a few bars, declares its excellence" and "encourages all-night sessions" supports an elite musical presentation.
Tracking Retrieval
91/100
Reviewers explicitly call it "certainly the better tracker" and note that the revised design improves response and tracking. Detail retrieval is also singled out, with harmonics and instrumental texture rendered clearly, though the language is not quite at the most extreme superlative level.
Soundstage Imaging
95/100
Imaging is described as "positively cavernous," with each sound located in its own three-dimensional zone and a convincing holographic quality. The presentation is spacious yet coherent, avoiding flat layered images and giving a highly enveloping, almost walk-around-the-players effect.
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Build Quality
88/100
The ruby cantilever and micro-ridge diamond stylus point to a very serious, high-spec design, and the review context treats the cartridge as a flagship component. That said, the score is based on the reported execution and reviewer response rather than materials alone, so it sits in the very good but not automatic-maximum range.
Features Usability
81/100
Tonearm matching is reasonably demanding because this is a 0.32 mV low-output moving coil, so it will reward careful arm and phono-stage setup. It is not a universal plug-and-play cartridge, but the standard 2.0 g tracking force and conventional mounting make it manageable for experienced users.
The low output and MC loading requirements mean it is best suited to arms and phono stages that can be matched carefully, rather than casual drop-in use. Still, the design appears cooperative once properly matched, and the tracking praise suggests it is not especially fussy in practice.
Value for Money
84/100
At roughly £6000-£7500, this is unambiguously a premium product, but the reviews frame it as a justified flagship rather than an outrageous ask. The language supports strong but not bargain-level value: expensive, yes, but competitive within its elite class and meaningfully rewarding enough to justify the outlay.
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