Funk Houdini - Cartridge Isolation

Funk Houdini - Cartridge Isolation

Do you believe your arm is rigid and that the sound your cartridge is a true rendition of the groove, and that it can’t be improved?
You’d be wrong. Here’s what’s really happening.

You’ve been listening to damaging arm vibrations that have been adding themselves to the wanted music signal. These muddled vibrations have robbed your records of their true musical potential.
It all happens because of the energy released by the stylus. It’s scanning the groove at over 20,000G, and it spreads out going up into the arm and down into the disc.

It’s now easy to see how this junk robs music’s subtle nuances and which distinguish mid-fi sound from high-end audio.
Vibrations don’t care whether the system is so-called high end or entry level. The stylus is scanning 20-20kHz, so if something can vibrate, it DOES!
Now it’s easy to see why this has been happening to over 99% of turntable systems.
It has caused the cartridge to masking musical detail and reduce clarity.
If you want a simple analogy, just look at standard TV v an OLED showing a 4K signal.

Houdini is a barrier to stop these destructive forces in their tracks.
You look at Houdini and think, “High-end systems”.
That’s fair enough. But does fitting Houdini to a budget deck make any sense at all? Surely a new deck is money better spent? Wrong. Budget systems benefit even more.
Why? Budget decks have even more problems, and, typically, a new deck won’t solve it! But the budget deck can actually be improved, and the improvements are even more easily heard! For its modest outlay, you’re giving your budget deck a much bigger helping hand than spending more on a new deck. Crazy but true.

Houdini comprises a top shell and a bottom shell separated by a complex, three-spring assembly. In effect, it is a mini sub-chassis for the cartridge.
Two years of development resulted in Funk's patented, precision-engineered cartridge decoupling device.

By stripping away the problems, more music is heard. Houdini helps recreate the true musical potential by an order of magnitude.
It sets you on the course to approach master tape. The results speak for themselves.

“Today I installed the Houdini on one of my decks. As I had to re-setup the decking arm to accommodate this, things are not perfectly set up but I’d say they are close. I’m not going to go into a long description of the experience in this text but I have to say I’m absolutely astonished. Teh detail, presence precision balance and I would add soundstage but that is not really the exact description are on a different level to that which they were with everything else remaining as it was. This alone validates everything you’ve been saying on your recent videos and I cannot yet even think about what’s possible with one of your arms and fully optimising the deck set up."

And one totally unexpected benefit using Houdini can actually extend the life of your stylus! To learn more please check out the video on fitting Houdini.

Combine Houdini’s benefits with APM, Funk’s Advanced Platter Mat, and you have the essential Isolation Bubble protecting your cartridge.

You have the reassurance of all the people who are only too happy to talk about their positive experiences, which is why we are happy to leave it to them to be our evangelists.
Since day one, Funk’s has offered a no-quibble money-back guarantee.
How can you not afford to try them?

Our ultimate message? Enjoy.

The final obstacle is when people say, “Houdini is thick and my deck doesn’t have VTA adjustment. For budget decks with “S” arms and detachable headshells but without VTA, please see the "Cobra" headshell listing.

Technical information:
Mounting systems for cartridges.
One has threaded holes for screws to fit the cartridge to the headshell – This is the “Threaded” type.
The second is where a bolt goes through the cartridge and is fixed with nut. This is the “Bolt-Thru” type. Select the correct Houdini for your cartridge. Ask us if you’re not sure.

Houdini weighs just 1.1g and that includes the four mounting screws. Four? Two hold the top main shell and the other two mount to the cartridge.

Key Features
[Liste]
Eliminates arm vibrations that mask musical detail and reduce clarity
Universal design: works with virtually any cartridge setup
Simple, reversible installation - most customers complete it in minutes
Particularly powerful on budget decks with fixed S-shaped arms
6mm thick - pair with the Funk Cobra headshell for built-in VTA adjustment
Compatible with Rega, Technics, Audio Technica and many more
Many customers report greater improvement than cartridge upgrades costing significantly more
Developed by audio physicists with 40+ years of experience