About London Decca

London DECCA is a respected name in the high-end audio industry, continuing the legacy of DECCA cartridges after the original brand was sold in 1989. Following the closure of DECCA's Radio & TV and Special Products division, the DECCA name was acquired by Tatung, a multinational corporation. Fortunately, DECCA engineer, John Wright, ensured that the excellence in cartridge manufacturing continued under the London brand name. With worldwide distribution and service repair coordination managed by Brian Smith of Presence Audio.

In 2023, John Wright retired, and we purchased all the assembly jigs, tooling, test equipment, and intellectual property rights from him to continue servicing and producing new cartridges. Furthermore, we purchased NOS Decca components, body moldings, body screening cans, mounting brackets, etc., from Brian Smith at Presence Audio…

Engineers Bayliff and Cowie created the DECCA FFSS (Full Frequency Stereo Sound) playback head and tonearm. The early MK1, MK2, and MK3 models were designed to fit onto the arm as a head unit. In 1965, DECCA released the MK IV cartridge, featuring an elliptical stylus and lighter weight, along with a matching uni-pivot tonearm. The MK IV was the first DECCA cartridge to use the standard ½ inch mounting. There is an SME adaptor that allows older MK1, 2, and 3 models to connect to the newer 4-pin standard.

In 1965, the company launched the MK IV cartridge featuring an elliptical stylus and lighter weight. A compatible uni-pivot tonearm was released soon after. The MK IV was the first DECCA cartridge to use the standard ½ inch mounting.

In 1974, DECCA created the London Blue (also called MK V) and its export version, the grey, to further reduce cartridge weight. Both featured spherical styluses. Two years later, they introduced the Maroon (spherical) and Gold (elliptical). All these models included a new mounting bracket for the standard 1/2-inch mounting holes (with 6BA threads). A new tonearm, the London International, was designed to fit the lighter cartridge.

In the photos below, you can see the mounting bracket that the cartridge slides onto. Note the three-pin connections. Again the fixing threads are 6BA, so do not use M2.5 to mount these! 

In 1989 DECCA’s owner Racal decided to close Decca Radio & TV and its special Products division ( HiFi division ). The DECCA name was sold to Tatung ( a multinational corporation based in Taiwan ). However, DECCA granted a license to continue to manufacture the cartridges under the London brand name to DECCA engineer John Wright. Worldwide distribution and service repair coordination were moved over to Brian Smith of Presence Audio. 

In 1990 the DECCA pod mounting bracket was introduced and offered as a factory upgrade to the MK V body and could be factory retrofitted.

John Wright launched his first product, the Jubilee, in 1992. It had a two-piece aluminum body, a 4-pin connection, and a threaded mount. The Jubilee modernized the DECCA cartridge with a new line contact stylus, inspired by the MK4 C4E. In 1995, the Super Gold featured the Jubilee’s stylus.

The Reference model followed in 2004, showcasing a square body, hard anodized finish, 4-pin connection, and standard threaded mount, alongside a new UK-designed Paratrace stylus profile. The London Reference greatly improved DECCA cartridge performance, allowing the armature to generate electrical signals effectively, enhancing speed and response. In 2022, John Wright decided to retire due to challenges in sourcing parts, marking the end of his career at seventy.

We are continuing John Wright’s legacy and remain committed to delivering exceptional audio performance cartridges and service excellence to audiophiles and music enthusiasts around the globe. We have a continuing dialogue with John Wright where he is available to us for any specialist input that we may require.

Thankfully, discussions began to find a manufacturer to continue the business and support the loyal customer base built over seventy years of audio innovation.

We were saddened to learn of Brian Smith’s passing in 2024. We owe him a great debt and are grateful for his commitment to Decca cartridges over the last four decades!

See the pictures below.