The Aidas Tru Stone Gold Web is as understated as it is beautiful.
You catch the odd flash of the gold strands running through the jet-black body, just enough to make it look tastefully expensive. From a distance, it positively glows.
This is a serious case of buying with your eyes.
However, looks are only one part of the equation.
How does it perform, and how does it compare with its Malachite and Mammoth stablemates?
The Tru Stone bodies are, in effect, made from the same material, but underneath those beautiful finishes are some subtle differences.
One of the most interesting is in the coils.
The Malachite uses silver-plated pure copper coils, while the Gold Web moves to gold-plated pure copper coils. Move further up the range to the Mammoth Gold and Aidas takes another step, replacing the plated copper altogether with coils made from pure 999 gold.
So, although these cartridges share much of the same Aidas DNA, there is a fascinating progression through the range:
Malachite — silver-plated copper coils
Gold Web — gold-plated copper coils
Mammoth Gold — pure gold coils
The differences may sound relatively small on paper, but in practice they contribute to subtly different presentations.
The Gold Web gives an ever-so-slightly fuller mid and high-frequency response than the Malachite.
Please don’t take that to suggest the Malachite is lacking anything. In my setup, the Malachite is beautifully poised and probably the most linear of the Tru Stone range I have heard.
That balance should work particularly well in a system that is already on the warmer side, where additional resolution and neutrality are required.
The Gold Web takes things in a subtly different direction.
It adds an ever-so-slightly rounded edge without compromising detail. I can see this appealing enormously to listeners who enjoy extended listening sessions but don’t want to sacrifice any of the microdetail and information contained within the recording.
And these really are small differences.
We’re not talking about one cartridge being dramatically better than another. They share an obvious family resemblance, but each shifts the balance just enough to give it its own character.
I will continue my quest to put more hours on these fantastic cartridges. I suspect the Gold Web needs a little more playing time before it reaches its ultimate performance, but based on the time I’ve had with it so far, it is developing into a real gem.
In Conclusion
Both the Tru Stone Malachite and Gold Web cartridges share the same fundamental Tru Stone character, but their different coil materials give them subtly distinct voices. The Malachite is the more neutral and linear of the two, while the Gold Web adds a touch of warmth and richness without giving up the detail, openness or low-level information that make these cartridges so compelling. Neither is better in any absolute sense; the choice comes down to whether your system and listening preferences favour the Malachite’s balance or the Gold Web’s slightly more relaxed presentation.
The Tru Stone Violet, which I have heard in a different setup, bridges the gap to the Mammoth Gold, combining its Tru Stone body with pure gold coils.
The Mammoth Gold takes you somewhere different altogether.
Here Aidas combines its pure gold coils with a Mammoth Tusk body, and the result puts you firmly into that dangerous territory where you’re encouraged to play just one more record.
And then another.
And another.
Aidas, what have you done?
These cartridges are all truly exceptional. They are remarkably close in outright performance, yet each offers a subtly different listening experience without seeming to compromise anything, regardless of the model chosen.
In isolation, each cartridge is magnificent.
Each has the ability to make your feet tap, your head nod, or simply blow your mind with a deep, luxurious, three-dimensional soundstage.
Perhaps that is the real achievement here.
Choosing between them isn’t necessarily about deciding which cartridge is best. It’s about deciding which balance works best with your system, your records and, ultimately, the way you like to listen to music.
Which leaves only one real question.
What do I play next?
