Gold Note
Gold Note Machiavelli MkII
Gold Note Machiavelli MkII
In stock
Gold Note Machiavelli MkII
The Gold Note Machiavelli MkII is a low-output moving coil cartridge of exceptional refinement — a design that has been comprehensively re-engineered from its predecessor to reach new levels of output, impedance precision, and musical authority. It occupies a pivotal position in Gold Note's cartridge hierarchy, sitting above the Donatello and below the flagship Tuscany, and it represents a genuinely extraordinary proposition for the serious analogue enthusiast who demands the finest possible retrieval of musical information from every groove of every record in their collection.
Duraluminium Body and Extra-Rigid Cantilever
The Machiavelli MkII is housed in an elegantly machined duraluminium alloy body — a material chosen for its exceptional combination of rigidity, low resonance, and precisely controlled mass. The extra-rigid cantilever is engineered to transmit stylus movement to the generator assembly with minimum distortion and maximum speed, ensuring that the finest groove modulations — the low-level details that lesser cartridges lose entirely — are recovered with completeness and accuracy. Together, the body and cantilever create a mechanical platform of extraordinary stability, one in which the generator assembly can operate under conditions of near-ideal isolation from external vibration and resonance.
Ogura Diamond Stylus — Line Contact and Micro-Elliptical
The Machiavelli MkII is available in two variants, each defined by its diamond stylus profile — both developed in direct collaboration with Ogura in Japan, one of the world's foremost manufacturers of precision diamond styli. The Machiavelli Gold is fitted with a Line Contact diamond — a stylus profile of exceptional groove-wall contact accuracy, tracing the recorded signal with a fidelity that recovers high-frequency detail and stereo imaging cues that elliptical profiles cannot reach. The Machiavelli Red is fitted with a Micro-Elliptical diamond, offering a complementary character — a profile that combines outstanding tracking ability with a musical presentation of remarkable warmth and body. Both diamonds are bespoke components, developed to Gold Note's own exacting specifications and manufactured by Ogura to tolerances that are simply unavailable in off-the-shelf stylus assemblies.
Impressive Output Levels
The Machiavelli MkII has been re-engineered to reach output levels that transform its practical versatility without any compromise to its sonic integrity. The Machiavelli Gold delivers 0.4 mV; the Machiavelli Red delivers 0.5 mV — figures that represent a significant advance over the previous generation and that ensure the Machiavelli MkII can be driven with authority by any high-quality MC phono stage. The natural partners within the Gold Note ecosystem are the Gold Note PH-10 and the flagship Gold Note PH1000 — both of which offer the gain, loading flexibility, and circuit quality that the Machiavelli MkII demands and rewards.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Moving Coil (MC) — Low Output |
| Body | Duraluminium alloy |
| Cantilever | Extra-rigid |
| Stylus (Gold) | Line Contact diamond — developed with Ogura, Japan |
| Stylus (Red) | Micro-Elliptical diamond — developed with Ogura, Japan |
| Output (Gold) | 0.4 mV |
| Output (Red) | 0.5 mV |
Who Is It For?
The Machiavelli MkII is for the committed vinyl enthusiast who has moved beyond the entry point of moving coil replay and is ready to invest in a cartridge of genuine world-class capability. It pairs naturally with Gold Note's own tonearms — the Gold Note B-5.1 and the Gold Note B-7 Ceramic — and rewards a high-quality turntable such as the Gold Note Pianosa or the Gold Note Mediterraneo. Those ready to explore the absolute pinnacle of Gold Note's cartridge range will find the ultimate expression of this engineering philosophy in the Gold Note Tuscany.
Buying from Martins Hi-Fi
Martins Hi-Fi has been in Norwich since 1968. Elizabeth Gould runs the business today, and we stock only brands we have heard properly and stand behind. We can demonstrate the Machiavelli MkII in our Norwich showroom, properly mounted and matched to a phono stage of appropriate quality, so you can hear exactly what this cartridge is capable of at its best. When you get in touch, you'll be speaking with Dave, Chris and Tim — experienced specialists who can advise on this product and your whole system.
Contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp on 07554 687137. You can read more about how we work on our Why Martins Hi-Fi page. We are at 85–91 Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3EY.
