There was a knock at the door just a moment ago, and it was the man in the Big Brown Truck dropping off a package from Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith fame.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I get quite a few emails asking for a recommendation of a relatively affordable phonograph cartridge that is warm, dimensional, musical, and has relatively high output so you don’t have to use an expensive step-up transformer with it.

I haven't really known how to answer those sort of inquiries, but I thought I’d do a bit of research on the topic, which led me to Peter Ledermann and his Soundsmith phonograph cartridges.

I asked Peter if he could recommend a cartridge from his line that matched the above criteria, and in fact Peter recommended two, the new Zephyr MK III ($1500 USD), and the new Carmen Mk II ($1000 USD), neither of which have been reviewed in their latest versions.

First let me say that I wish my photos did justice to these cartridges, as they're beautifully made and exude quality, which is a little hard to tell from my accompanying photos.

A little bit of information about the new Soundsmith Carmen Mk II phonograph cartridge from the Soundsmith web site:

"The stylus used is a large part of what makes it special; an ultra-low mass occlusion free nude diamond cut and polished into a true hyper-elliptical shape. The combination of low tip mass and theFixed Coil design gives the Carmen a tremendous resolution advantage over MC designs selling for more than twice the price. Housed in a handmade solid Ebony case, the Carmen delivers."

Specifications

• Cartridge Type - Fixed Coil
• Available As Dual Coil Mono
• Stylus: Nude Elliptical, 0.120mm SQ
• Radius of curvature: 6 x 17 μm
• Cantilever: Aluminum Alloy
• Recommended tracking force: 1.3 - 1.6 gm (standard medium Compliance); 1.0 - 1.2 grams for special order High Compliance
• Effective tip mass: 0.35 mg
• Compliance: 28 μm/mN (high), 22 μm/mN (medium)
• Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz ± 2.5 dB
• Channel separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >26 dB, 50-15,000 >20 dB
• Channel difference: <1.6 dB (Stereo), <1.0 dB (Mono)
• Output voltage: 2.12 mV
• Cartridge weight: 6.8 grams
• Stylus to Mounting Hole Offset: ≈ 10mm (0.4")
• Loading: ≥ 47 kΩ

A little bit of information about the new Soundsmith Zephyr Mk III phonograph cartridge from the Soundsmith web site:

"It features a newly developed aluminum alloy - the same one we are now using in the Paua MKII, just released. This new metal alloy has unique dualistic properties, providing stiffness in the ranges required as well as damping exactly where its needed - and by the proper amount - in the most critical parts of the sonic spectrum. The result  is a cartridge that will slam your Rock and Roll while providing a new level of linearity and clarity for the most complex classical and jazz passages.

Attached to our new cantilever material is a tiny new super low mass "High Profile" Contact Line diamond we have developed for the new Zephyr MKIII. This stylus traces more of the groove walls than a standard contact line, but avoids some of the alignment pitfalls that can occur with a high profile contact line design, allowing more azimuth alignment forgiveness than is normally possible with such designs.

These improvements are paired with technology borrowed from our higher end line;  "Trickle Down" technology from a unique Dynamic Energy Management System  (DEMS) developed by Soundsmith that moves the damped energy and propagates it properly within the cartridge body. This is a similar system we employ in the Soundsmith's well received and reviewed high end Sussurro Cartridge.

The new Zephyr MKIII is capable of truly remarkable separation and sound stage imaging at a level not previously achievable in a modestly priced design. The composite body and unique DEMS design work in tandem to contribute to the Zephyr MkIII's ability to produce high-end performance from a moderately priced cartridge. Be prepared to sit back and realize ... you may have never really  heard your record collection before."

Specifications

• Cartridge Type - Fixed Coil
• Stylus Type - Contact Line
• Output - High
• Available As Dual Coil Mono
• Stylus: Ultra Low Mass Nude High-Profile Contact Line
• Radius of curvature: 6 x 17 μm
• Cantilever: New Soundsmith Aluminum Alloy
• Recommended Tracking force: 1.8 to 2.2 grams
• Effective tip mass: 0.28 mg
• Compliance: 10μm/mN (low compliance)
• Frequency response: 15-45,000 Hz ± 2.0 dB
• Channel Separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >28 dB, 50-15,000 >25 dB
• Channel difference: <1.0 dB (Stereo), <0.5 dB (Dual Mono operation- w/optimal VTF setting)
• Output voltage: 2.4 mV
• Cartridge weight: 10.27 grams
• Stylus to Mounting Hole Offset: ≈ 10mm (0.4")
• Loading: ≥ 47 kΩ

Peter also sent along his entry level Soundsmith MMP3 phono preamplifier for me to try, and I'll look forward to comparing it to my Leben RS-30EQ phono pre and the phono pre in my vintage McIntosh MX110Z tuner-preamplifier.

Here's what Peter's web site says about the Soundsmith MMP3 Phono Preamp:

"An upgrade in quality does not have to deplete your wallet. The Soundsmith MMP & MCP preamps are revolutionary designs for their price - and the comments we get at each hi-fi show prove it. These preamps are what we use to demo our cartridges at all our shows even our high end cartridge designs -

Each hand-made preamp circuit is housed in a high quality aluminum case, powered by an external DC power supply, with easy to set up instructions. All amplifiers have extremely accurate RIAA equalization response.

Specifications

• Model #: MMP3
• Type: moving magnet
• Input/load: 47k/100pF
• Gain: 43dB standard ** or 34dB special order
• Noise: -93 dB down
• Features: ultra low noise, constructed with very high end audio grade components
• Price: $799.95 + shipping

I will have a lot more to say about these in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for some real-time impressions as I work towards the review for Positive Feedback.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!