93%
VPI Industries VPI Goldy Cartridge
Built in Japan by Audio-Technica, Voice by VPI: Goldy Dual Moving-Coil Phono Cartridge Plays with High Separation, Wide Responsiveness, Enticing Presence, and a Natural MidrangeThe Goldy is another VPI - Audio Technica partnership product. Using the award winning AT-OC9 series as a base with VPI’s voicing, the Goldy is a line contact stylus on a boron cantilever. The Goldy has the same internal and dampening modifications as the Shyla cartridge in addition to other material changes as well.Vertical Tracking Angle: 20°Vertical Tracking Force: 1.8-2.2 g (2.0 g standard)Details and Specs
WATT RECOMMENDS
Save your favorites. Compare them anytime.
Create a free HiFi Hub account to save products to your Wishlist and compare your favorites side by side.
Professional Reviews 93/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
95/100
Build Quality
88/100
Features Usability
87/100
Value for Money
91/100
The VPI Goldy moving-coil cartridge pairs powerful bass drive with a richly resolved midrange, deep imaging and impressively quiet groove manners. HiFi News found exceptional vocal and instrumental insight alongside unflappable tracking, while hi-fi+ praised its speed, physicality and timing. It is a refined yet rhythmically thrilling performer for ambitious vinyl systems.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Delivers clear, insightful vocals and instruments, with a rich lower-mid presence and refined treble balance.
Tracks demanding passages with exceptional stability and little audible distortion, while suppressing everyday groove noise effectively.
Creates a deep, precisely layered soundstage with strong image perspective.
Combines punchy, controlled bass with engaging pace, timing and physical dynamic impact.
&
Cons
Supplied mounting screws may bottom out on some third-party tonearms, so alternative hardware may be needed.
Careful VTA setup is important; the cartridge body needs to sit parallel to the record for best performance.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 95/100
Reviews portray the Goldy as an exceptionally energetic, resolved and refined moving-coil cartridge. It combines substantial bass drive and vivid dynamics with stable tracking, low groove-noise intrusion and a deep, precisely layered presentation.
Overall Sound
95/100
Jason Kennedy found the Goldy thrilling, highly resolved, tonally broad and highly engaging, with convincing body on dub and rich instrumental tone. HiFi News likewise heard strong bass punch, detailed highs and unusually clear, insightful reproduction of voices and instruments for its price.
Tracking Retrieval
96/100
Audiophilepure says the Goldy retains the AT-OC9's tracking prowess while adding silkiness and refinement. HiFi News reports that it grips the groove 'like a limpet', remains clear and stable on demanding cuts, avoids audible distortion, and does a notably good job dismissing groove noise and minor record imperfections.
Soundstage Imaging
95/100
Both listening reports praise the spatial performance. HiFi News describes a properly deep, capacious stage with precise positioning and vigorous left-to-right and front-to-back layering, while hi-fi+ found image perspective particularly strong on orchestral material.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 87/100
Tonearm compatibility / system fit.
Tonearm Compatibility
87/100
The Goldy's medium output and straightforward, parallel-sided housing should make physical installation and gain matching less demanding than many low-output MC designs. It remains a moving-coil cartridge, however, so it still benefits from an appropriate MC-capable phono stage and careful system matching.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
88/100
The reviews provide some encouraging practical evidence rather than extensive long-term construction commentary. HiFi News found the presentation box sturdy and the cartridge's chunky, parallel-sided body easy to mount, while Audiophilepure notes that VPI's mechanical revisions have a meaningful audible effect.
Value for Money
91/100
At roughly £1,250/$1,250-$1,300, the Goldy is a serious purchase, but HiFi News says it is hard to recall another cartridge around this price bringing such clarity and insight to instrumentation and vocals. That unusually strong price-relative praise, alongside the consistently enthusiastic listening impressions, suggests a compelling proposition among similarly priced MC cartridges.
Reviews
Online Reviews & Mentions
Forum Mentions
No forum mentions found yet
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
Zoom out the map to see more dealers
Authorized dealers for VPI Industries VPI Goldy Cartridge
- Supreme Acoustic Systems — in-store — Las Vegas, Nevada, United States (website)
- Absolute Audio - Canada — in-store — Calgary, Alberta, Canada (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- American Sound — in-store — Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Aris Audio — in-store — Salt Lake City, Utah, United States (website)
- Audio Advice — online and in-store — Raleigh, North Carolina, United States (website)
- Audio Advisor — online and in-store — Michigan, United States (website)
and 90 more verified dealers