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Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC

Cartridge

Relative price

below typical

Among the 89 cartridges in the catalogue, this one is below typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

What it is

Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low — low-output MC → MC stage.

Competition record

Assessed against 16 rivals across the sixty systems: 2 head-to-heads won, 59 lost.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • bass control ×34
  • quietness at rest ×19
  • low-level clarity ×7
  • speed stability ×3
  • rhythmic grip ×2

Who it comes up against

van den Hul The Frog

20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus

van den Hul The Crimson

15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.

With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

dynamicSumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus

Goldring Eroica HX MC

4 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.

With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Hana EL MC

4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic

Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on speed stability.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

van den Hul The Colibri

3 lost · Artisan, Reference

Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot clearly.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Kendo MC

2 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Gold MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC

2 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

van den Hul MC One Special

2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms

Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot clearly.

With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Koetsu Azule Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC

1 lost · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Ortofon MC Quintet Black S

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

Rega Nd3 MM

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.

Linn Koil MC

1 lost · BBC Sound

Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot by a whisker.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.

rounded bassPROXY: AT-OC9 platform

Goldring Eroica LX MC

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC takes the slot decisively.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge — yet it wins here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

Goldring 1042 MM

0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms

Against the Twin Arms brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC takes the slot clearly.

On its own merits the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC is the weaker cartridge — yet it wins here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.

Systems it is part of

What the reviewers said

dynamic Sumiko Blue Point No.3 / Amethyst owner+press consensus· Transient attack
detailed Sumiko MC-series consensus· Spatial resolution
neutral Sumiko house DNA· Tonal body
30dB channel separation at 1kHz SPEC: channel separation 30dB @1kHz (manufacturer)· Spatial naturalness
warm-neutral, textured, non-edgy Sumiko No.3 house sound· Harmonic texture
low-output airier and faster than high StereoNET high-vs-low principle· Spatial resolution

How it scores

Clarity

  • Spatial resolution 73 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Tonal body 70 from listening evidence
  • Harmonic texture 71 from listening evidence
  • Spatial naturalness 72 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Transient attack 71 from listening evidence

Specifications

cartridge typeMC
output mv0.5
internal impedance ohm28.0
recommended load ohm100
tracking force g1.8/2.2
compliance dynamic um per mn20.4
weight g6.1
stylus profileelliptical
cantilever materialaluminium
frequency response hz13/30000
channel separation db30.0
notes