ELAC STS-244-17
The STS-244-17 is a stereo phono cartridge, listed in period U.S. publications as the Benjamin Elac STS-244-17 — the Benjamin prefix being the U.S.-market branding for Elac cartridges at the time. The surviving record is thin but consistent, placing the model in Elac's late-1960s cartridge lineup alongside the STS-344-17 and the STS-444-E.
HiFi/Stereo Review (July 1968, p.58) included all three Elac models in its laboratory test of eleven current stereo cartridges, conducted by Julian D. Hirsch and Gladden B. Houck. A few months later, High Fidelity (February 1969, p.57) listed the Benjamin Elac STS-244-17 in a roundup of the newest cartridge models at $25, specifying a .7-mil stylus, 7.5 mV output, a weight of 7¾ grams, and a rated tracking force of 1½ grams.
Beyond that listing, little specific to the 244-17 is documented in the sources at hand — no isolated verdict from the group lab test, no confirmed production dates. If you have a copy of that July 1968 HiFi/Stereo Review report, the full measurements are in there; this page records what the period record confirms.
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