Audio Note IQ 2 | Testina MM

The IQ II features a rigid yet lightweight body made from Pocon, which is equipped with integral threaded inserts for easy installation in the tonearm head-shell. This mounting system greatly improves mechanical coupling between the cartridge body and head-shell in comparison to the traditional nut & bolt fixing.

The internal coils are made from extremely fine copper wire, and the cantilever is formed from a specific grade of hardened aluminium tube. You may also notice that the suspension is more stiff than usually seen in Moving Magnet cartridges of this type.

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The stylus is an Audio Note Type II, and the complete assembly is removable, making replacement or upgrade a very simple and cost effective process. In fact, all of the IQ stylus assemblies are interchangeable, meaning that you could start with an IQ-I, and eventually replace the stylus assembly with the vastly superior version used in the IQ-III.

It has been designed to be used with a Moving Magnet compatible phono stage, with an input impedance of 47K Ohms. Total capacitance in parallel (including arm lead and amplifier capacitance) should not exceed 200pF. If other values of load resistance and capacitance are used, the frequency response of the cartridge may depart from the specified values.