As I eventually opened up the cartridge case, a fascinating scenery of microcosm appeared before my very eyes. Especially, the view of the tiny magnet and the tinier diamond stunned me because I was then, at the very least, familiar with the fact that the interplay between them is where the music results from. Guided by unrestrained curiosity, I had bought 12 microscopes and hundreds of broken cartridges before I successfully managed to build a "sounding" cartridge. Even though it had taken me more than a decade by then, my earliest fascination hadn't ever faded away.

However, it was far enough away from my goal. As the short-lived joy of success slipped away, I quickly realized that I was not at the final destination, but at the point of departure because making sound is necessary but not sufficient to being a cartridge. A cartridge, I thought, was supposed to make "beautiful sounds". So I had spent the subsequent decade seeking materials and techniques for beautiful sounds.

One day, after I had completed with two modifications for the generator of my cartridge, I was listening to music quite happily. I was happy because the sound of the prototype seemed to be upgraded with the modifications I had made. I had changed a mere elastomer and had added some more turns of wire within the coil. But to be a bit more honest, it were actually small but not minor modifications, which is why I was even more excited about the outcome. A while after, I asked my wife how it sounded to her. My wife, who had studied music with me, said without any hesitation "It sounds just like you!"

What is a beautiful sound? There are some well-known criteria to meet to be a high-quality cartridge. Transparency for example? or balance? I appreciate those aspects. However, "If a cartridge could meet the highest standards of all aspects, is it a perfect cartridge?" If I were asked this question, I'd rather say "No" First of all, a cartridge can never make sound alone. Furthermore, after all is said and done, why we need a cartridge is to listen to music. I think, the only things able to listen to MUSIC are our ears. Since it always has been my ears that are in command of my work, I know how fully they are aware of their preferences and whether a sound was beautiful or not? They decide.

As I mentioned in my biography, I have been longer a musician than a cartridge maker so far. I don't know whether the fact is fully answerable for my current reflection but in recent times, I often think that the ideal Tedeska cartridge that I am aiming for might be like a guitar that I am dreaming of. Even masterpieces, for example guitars by Antonio de Torres or Rene Lacote, don't sound masterful in all circumstances. They need a right musician, a right composition, even a right audience perhaps. But when the moment is right, they unfold their full potential and leave us completely paralyzed. It would be a great honor if I could share such experiences with my customer.

Thanks for reading TEDESKA