Skyanalog is a phono cartridge brand from Jiangmen, in southern China. It built cartridges for other brands for more than 20 years before launching its own line in 2019, and today it offers seven moving coil (MC) cartridges between €399 and €2,949. What changes from one to the next is the cantilever, the stylus and the manufacturing tolerances. This guide explains those differences and says which one makes sense for each turntable and budget.
Who Skyanalog is and what the Yan suspension does
For two decades, the Jiangmen factory produced cartridges that reached the market with other names on the box. In 2019 it started signing its own work, and the P-1G put it on the map outside China. The company also makes hi-fi racks, the Simplexity line, but that is a subject for another article.
The element shared across the whole range is the Yan suspension, which the brand spent a decade developing. The cantilever has to move freely to follow the groove and always return to the same point. Yan uses a new tension wire and a polymer damping block that hold it with more control. It debuted in the G series MKII and is now in the entire range, including the P-1M.
Cantilever and stylus: what really changes
The cantilever is the thin rod that connects the stylus to the coils. The stiffer and lighter it is, the more faithfully it passes on what the stylus reads. Aluminum is the most common and cheapest, and it does the job well in entry-level systems. Boron is far stiffer for the same weight and usually shows up in cartridges from €1,000 upward; Skyanalog puts it in the €599 P-1G. Ruby and sapphire, used in the G-2 MKII, G-3 MKII and REF, are stiffer still and refine the top end. The P-1GC uses zirconia, a ceramic that combines stiffness with internal damping.
The stylus is the diamond that touches the record. A conical stylus has a rounded tip, with a 20 µm radius on the P-1M. It is less sensitive to alignment errors and forgives worn records. An elliptical stylus, with 15 µm on the major axis and 5 µm on the minor, is narrower along the groove and reads the highs better, especially in the inner tracks of a side, but it demands more careful alignment. The REF goes further with a micro-ridge profile, which reads deeper into the groove and wears more slowly.
What you need to run an MC cartridge
A low-output MC puts out about 0.3 mV, against the 4 to 5 mV of an MM, and the phono input of an ordinary amplifier is not enough. You need a phono preamp with an MC input, or a step-up transformer feeding an MM input. The preamp should let you adjust loading, between 100 and 470 Ω depending on the model. All seven weigh around 10 g and are meant for medium-mass tonearms.
For anyone who does not yet own an MC phono stage, there is an introductory offer: with the purchase of the Aurorasound VIDA Prima (€1,390) we include the P-1M, and with the Aurorasound VIDA MKII (€4,970) we include the G-1 MKII. Details are in the MC Starter collection.
Which cartridge for whom
The P-1M, at €399, is the first step, with an aluminum cantilever and a conical stylus. It suits anyone coming from a €150 to €250 MM who wants the firmer bass of an MC on an entry-level turntable, with some second-hand records in the mix.
The P-1G, at €599, is the one we recommend most. For €200 more you get a boron cantilever and an elliptical stylus, a combination that usually costs twice as much. If the tonearm is well aligned, this is where most people should start. The P-1GC, at €799, is the 2026 newcomer: it starts from the P-1G, swaps the cantilever for zirconia and the stylus for the brand's own Skyliptical profile. It sits beside the P-1G, for anyone who wants a denser sound without stepping up to the G series.
The G series is the flattest-response line, with a ±1 dB tolerance instead of ±2 dB, and a one-piece aluminum body. The G-1 MKII, at €1,149, has a boron cantilever and an elliptical stylus and makes sense on turntables from €1,500 upward. The G-2 MKII, at €1,649, moves to ruby and tightens channel balance to 0.5 dB. The G-3 MKII, at €2,199, uses sapphire, reaches 30 kHz and accepts loading from 100 to 470 Ω, the easiest to pair with any MC preamp.
The REF, at €2,949, is the brand's reference, with a gold body, sapphire, a micro-ridge stylus and channel separation above 35 dB. It is for anyone who already owns a turntable and phono stage at the level of a €10,000 system or more.
| Model | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|
| P-1M | MC, aluminum, conical | €399 |
| P-1G | MC, boron, elliptical | €599 |
| P-1GC | MC, zirconia, Skyliptical | €799 |
| G-1 MKII | MC, boron, elliptical | €1,149 |
| G-2 MKII | MC, ruby, elliptical | €1,649 |
| G-3 MKII | MC, sapphire, elliptical | €2,199 |
| REF | MC, sapphire, micro-ridge | €2,949 |
Why we chose Skyanalog
We choose brands that invest in the product rather than in advertising, and Skyanalog is a clear case. Twenty years of building for others gave it a mechanical quality that many European and Japanese brands only offer from €1,000 upward. At my HI-FI HOUSE, in Lisbon, we keep the range in the listening room so you can compare the P-1M, the P-1G and the G-1 MKII on the same turntable.
Frequently asked questions
Will an MC cartridge work with my amplifier?
Only if it has an MC phono input or with an external MC phono preamp. An MM input does not have enough gain for the 0.3 mV of a Skyanalog. The alternative is a step-up transformer between the cartridge and the MM input.
What is the difference between a conical and an elliptical stylus?
The conical has a rounded tip and tolerates alignment errors and worn records better. The elliptical is narrower along the groove and reads the highs better, but it calls for more rigorous alignment. In the Skyanalog range, the P-1M is conical and all the others are elliptical or micro-ridge.
Is it worth moving from the P-1G to the G-1 MKII?
It depends on the turntable. Both have boron and an elliptical stylus, but the G-1 MKII has a one-piece aluminum body and a flatter response, ±1 dB instead of ±2 dB. On a tonearm from a €1,500-plus turntable the difference is audible; on an entry-level deck the P-1G is the better use of the money.
Read also Your first turntable: how to choose (and what to avoid) and Aurorasound: handcrafted Japanese high fidelity.