Gold Note Machiavelli MKII – Moving Coil Phono Cartridge (Gold / Red)
High-precision MC performance with the musical elegance of Gold Note. The Gold Note Machiavelli MKII series is engineered to reveal deeper detail, wider soundstaging and cleaner tracking from your vinyl collection. Choose Machiavelli MKII Gold for maximum refinement with a boron cantilever and Line Contact stylus, or Machiavelli MKII Red for a dynamic, highly engaging presentation with an aluminium cantilever and Micro Elliptical stylus.
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Two versions: MKII Gold (0.4mV, Boron cantilever, Line Contact) or MKII Red (0.5mV, Aluminium cantilever, Micro Elliptical)
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Wide bandwidth: 10Hz–40kHz for open, extended and airy playback
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Excellent tracking window: 1.8g to 2.1g recommended tracking force
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Rigid Duralumin 7000 body: lower resonance, sharper focus, cleaner transients
Product Overview
The Gold Note Machiavelli MKII is a low-output moving coil cartridge designed to extract more nuance and realism from your records while remaining compatible with a broad range of tonearms. Both Gold and Red versions share key engineering elements: a rigid Duralumin 7000 alloy body, copper coil wire and a samarium-cobalt magnet, creating a controlled, low-resonance platform for accurate groove tracing.
The series is offered in two distinct voicings and stylus/cantilever configurations:
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Machiavelli MKII Gold – Boron cantilever and Line Contact stylus (5×20µm) for the highest resolution, refinement and inner-groove precision.
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Machiavelli MKII Red – Aluminium cantilever and Micro Elliptical stylus (7.5×15.5µm) for an energetic, vivid sound with excellent tracking and value.
Listening Experience
The Machiavelli MKII family delivers a fast, spacious and highly resolved listening experience. Bass is tight and articulate with strong pitch definition, keeping rhythms locked in and avoiding bloom. The midrange is open and textured, giving vocals and acoustic instruments natural body and expressive presence.
Treble is extended and refined, with excellent retrieval of ambience and micro-detail. Complex passages remain composed, and imaging is stable and layered thanks to strong channel separation. The Gold version pushes refinement further with a more delicate top end and superior inner-groove clarity, while the Red offers a slightly more immediate, lively character that remains smooth and controlled.
Recommended System Level & Room Context
As a cartridge upgrade, Machiavelli MKII is ideal for mid to advanced analogue systems where improvements in tracking and resolution are clearly audible. It performs best in dedicated listening setups where your turntable and phono stage can reveal subtle changes in timbre, dynamics and soundstage depth. Room size is not the limiting factor here; setup quality is—alignment and phono-stage matching matter most.
Phono Stage Matching
Both Machiavelli MKII versions are low-output MC designs and require a phono stage with MC gain (or a step-up solution). For best results:
- Use a low-noise phono stage with proper MC gain and loading options
- Start with the recommended load of 470Ω and fine-tune to taste
- Set tracking force precisely within the 1.8g to 2.1g range
Within the Gold Note ecosystem, these cartridges pair naturally with MC-capable phono stages such as the PH-5, PH-10 or PH-1000, where careful loading and gain adjustment can fully unlock their resolution and control.
Ideal Applications
- Upgrading from MM or entry-level MC cartridges to higher resolution and better tracking
- Improving inner-groove clarity and reducing distortion on demanding pressings
- Jazz, classical and vocals where tone, ambience and imaging matter most
- Rock and electronic music where timing, dynamics and bass control are essential
Technical Specifications
Machiavelli MKII Gold
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Type: MC Low Output phono cartridge
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Output level: 0.4mV
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Frequency response: 10Hz – 40,000Hz
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Impedance: 30Ω
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Suggested load: 470Ω
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Compliance: 10 × 10−6 cm/dyne
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Channel separation: > 28dB
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Suggested tracking weight: 1.8g to 2.1g
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Cantilever: Boron
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Diamond: Line Contact
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Diamond size: 5 × 20µm
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Coil wire: Copper
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Magnet: Samarium-Cobalt
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Mounting hole / diamond distance: 9mm
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Weight: 10g
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Body: Duralumin 7000 alloy, black with golden logo
Machiavelli MKII Red
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Type: MC Low Output phono cartridge
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Output level: 0.5mV
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Frequency response: 10Hz – 40,000Hz
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Impedance: 40Ω
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Suggested load: 470Ω
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Compliance: 10 × 10−6 cm/dyne
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Channel separation: > 28dB
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Suggested tracking weight: 1.8g to 2.1g
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Cantilever: Aluminium
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Diamond: Micro Elliptical
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Diamond size: 7.5 × 15.5µm
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Coil wire: Copper
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Magnet: Samarium-Cobalt
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Mounting hole / diamond distance: 9mm
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Weight: 10g
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Body: Duralumin 7000 alloy, black with red logo
Why Choose the Gold Note Machiavelli MKII?
The Machiavelli MKII series is a standout upgrade for vinyl enthusiasts who want a clearer window into their recordings: better tracking, cleaner inner grooves, richer micro-detail and a larger, more three-dimensional soundstage. Choose the Gold for the highest refinement and precision, or the Red for a lively, engaging character that still delivers true MC resolution—either way, it’s a serious step up in analogue performance.
