Custom-Made Cocobolo Wood Headshell for Clearaudio Concept Turntables / Tonearms

Custom-Made Cocobolo Wood Headshell for Clearaudio Concept Turntables / Tonearms

A headshell made of Cocobolo wood for a Clearaudio turntable and tonearm introduces a distinctive sonic character that enhances warmth, richness, and tonal depth, especially when paired with cartridges known for neutrality or analytic precision (like many Clearaudio moving magnet or moving coil models).

🎵 Cocobolo Headshell Sound Characteristics (Clearaudio context)

🪵 Why Cocobolo Sounds This Way

• Very dense exotic hardwood (≈1.0–1.2 g/cm³)
  → Helps control resonance, but adds warmth and smoothness

• Oily and resonant grain
  → Naturally dampens high-frequency hash

• Musical tonewood
  → Widely used in high-end guitars and woodwinds for its richness and harmonic content

🧠 In a Clearaudio System Context:

• Clearaudio arms (like Satisfy or Tracer) are precise, low-resonance, and fast — Cocobolo balances that neutrality by adding musicality and warmth.

• Works especially well if the turntable and arm combo is perceived as clinical or too fast/lightweight.

• On the other hand, overly warm cartridges (like certain Grado wood bodies or overly soft MCs) might become too rich.

✅ Best For:

• Classical, jazz, acoustic, vocals, analog-era rock

• Adding human warmth to sterile digital recordings

• Reducing sibilance or fatigue in bright systems

⚠️ Considerations:

• Cocobolo headshells are typically heavier — check tonearm compatibility and VTF range

• May slightly soften transients, especially with already warm cartridges

• The resonance control is excellent, but not surgical like metal or carbon designs — it's meant to color musically, not disappear

🔚 Verdict:

A Cocobolo headshell on a Clearaudio tonearm delivers a beautifully organic and warm character, with a touch of romanticism. It rounds off digital edges and adds emotional depth to analog playback. Ideal for listeners who want musicality and tonal beauty over sterile precision.