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You Won’t Believe How Much This Phono Cartridge Costs – But How Does It Sound?

*What Does a $16,500 Phono Cartridge Sound Like?* When it comes to dropping the needle on that black gold that fuels your audiophile addiction, you've got more cartridge options than you can shake a tonearm at. Moving magnet, moving coil, high-output moving coil—pick your poison. But some of those choices? Locked behind velvet ropes unless you’ve got Oprah money. Today, we don’t have Oprah money. But we did (hypothetically) sneak into her mansion and snag a cartridge that costs... *$16,500.* Yeah. Let’s find out if it was worth the heist. *A Quick Shoutout & Ethics Statement* Before we dive in, I owe a massive thank-you (and an apology) to Josh from **I Believe in HiFi**. Ages ago, he sent me this TopWing Red Sparrow to check out, and after far too many delays, here we are. No strings attached—no check, no script, just an honest listen and review. Josh runs **I Believe in HiFi**, a killer shop in Austin, Texas, where you can audition some of the finest gear in the game, including Aries Cerat, Origin Live, Pink Faun, and more. If you’re in the area, hit him up—info is in the description below. *The Gear Setup* To put the *TopWing Red Sparrow* through its paces, I paired it with: 🔹 *Turntable* – Harmony MKII 🔹 *Phono Stage* – Manley Labs Oasis & Excel Sound MC Step-Up Transformer 🔹 *Preamp* – Ultra-rare Dodd Audio Phono Preamp 🔹 *Amp* – Gallion TS120SE 🔹 *Speakers* – My prototype design, XLS Encores, and Radiant Acoustics Clarity 6.2 *How Does It Sound?* Right out of the gate, the Red Sparrow surprised me. Compared to the Pure Fidelity Stratos, it wasn’t night and day different, but there were some key takeaways: 🎵 *Top End:* The Red Sparrow extends the highs beautifully, with a little more air and detail in cymbals and upper harmonics. 🎵 *Midrange & Bass:* While neutral and accurate, it doesn’t add much weight—whereas the Stratos has a slightly richer, punchier midbass. 🎵 *Detail Retrieval:* If you crave **absolute transparency**, this thing extracts every last nuance from the groove. But hey, don't take my word for it—I've included needle drops so you can judge for yourself. Toss on your best headphones and let me know what you hear in the comments. *Final Verdict* Does a $16,500 phono cartridge part the clouds and bring enlightenment? Not quite. But does it deliver pinpoint accuracy and some of the most refined tracking I’ve ever heard? *Absolutely.* At this level, it’s less about “better” and more about preference. Do you want *meticulous detail retrieval* or a **little more muscle in the mids**? The Red Sparrow walks a straight line, while the Stratos throws a few heavier punches. Big thanks again to Josh at **I Believe in HiFi**—check out his store for some drool-worthy gear. See you top-flight audiophiles in the next video! 🎵🔥 💎💎💎 Speakers reviewed and recommend! 💎💎💎 Bookshelf: Elac Unifi 2.0: https://amzn.to/2OrL5RW Elac UB5: https://amzn.to/3qo2msU Elac Debut 2.0: https://amzn.to/3uVfWar Elac Debut Reference: https://amzn.to/2OnQU2W SVS Ultra: https://amzn.to/3uXIkZJ JBL Studio 530: https://amzn.to/3uVagNL Floorstanding: Q Acoustics Concept 500: https://amzn.to/3ddGkEx SVS Ultra: https://amzn.to/3qo2msU SVS Prime Pinnacle: https://amzn.to/2MMYt2J Elac Debut 2.0: https://amzn.to/3ruZRX7 Elac Unifi 2.0 UF52: https://amzn.to/3uXJa8P Elac UF5: https://amzn.to/3e9ri4F Triangle Borea Bro 8: https://adorama.rfvk.net/Ygg9oO PSB Alpha T20: https://amzn.to/3uS2swa ⭐️ Follow NRD ⭐️   / ​     / ​     / nrdreviews​   💪🏻 Support NRD 💪🏻   / newrecordday​   Donate via Paypal: [email protected] Disclaimer: The links provided are amazon affiliate links: I earn a small commission on purchases at no additional cost to you! I use the funds to help grow the channel, investing in better equipment for the reviews and video production! Thank you!