Soundsmith is a specialty audio manufacturer located about an hour north of New York City. Founded in 1972, Soundsmith has achieved an enviable reputation in the audiophile world for outstanding sonic quality and extremely high-value products.
Perhaps best known now for their work restoring cartridges and for their Strain Gauge and Fixed Coil cartridges, every Soundsmith product is hand-crafted in Soundsmith’s Peekskill, NY factory by a carefully selected team of artisans and engineers.
Please click here to learn more about Soundsmith and all of their fixed coil cartridges and other products.
Hyperion MKII-MR Cartridge and Hyperion Cartridge
Peter Ledermann‘s radical design utilizes an actual “cactus spine” for the cantilever. The naturally tapered shape, stacked columnar fibers and desiccated resin damping fit the exact parameters of the perfect cantilever: Low mass, extreme rigidity, internal damping, and tremendous strength. The Hyperion ES-MR is complimented with their select ultra low mass Micro Ridge stylus; a stylus design that maintains constant performance throughout its full lifetime, unlike all other stylus designs made.
Among the Hyperion’s attributes and stand-out characteristics are its neutral and precise presentation. Neutral, but not in the sense of bland, emotionless and uninvolving. Neutral in the Hyperion’s case is an instrument that does not accentuated any aspect of the frequency range or cause coloration. There is no loss of information, attack or dynamics – it is all there. The music is lifted from the grooves in an effortless manner enveloping the listener in a massive three dimensional soundstage. Precision. Following sufficient break-in (not long) it is apparent the Hyperion reproduces music as intended. There is a realism to the presentation that other cartridges cannot approach. When you listen via the Hyperion you are playing the music, not the cartridge – it is a perfect reflection of the musicians and their art.
Sussurro gold Limited edition CARTRIDGE
The Sussurro Gold used the lower internal moving mass and suspension used in the fabled Hyperion MKII, adding a stiffer, lighter Boron cantilever and ultra-low mass Contact Line stylus. The Sussurro Gold ES sets new standards in speed & detail with a warm analog glow. – Made in the USA….by Peter Ledermann…..by hand.
SUSSURRO MK II CARTRIDGE
Inspired by Frank Schröder, designed and individually hand made by Peter Ledermann, Soundsmith's Sussurro is a cartridge designed to specifically address the most intricate and critical issues of cartridge design. The new MKII Sussurro has a newly designed moving iron element to reduce moving mass by 70%; extremely low stored energy, the new MKII damping system and an innovative energy distribution path to effectively transfer mechanical energy away from the cantilever through the cartridge body into the tone arm. So what does all this mean??
Low jitter. Jitter? You probably thought that was a term reserved for digital systems. Not so. Stylus jitter is responsible for loss of detail, and making a cartridge sound, well, like a cartridge. The Sussurro stays in constant contact with the record groove. If you are not in constant contact, you can’t hear what has truly been recorded.
Paua MKII Cartridge
The Paua is one of Soundsmith's most highly regarded top of the line low output cartridges. It has won numerous accolades and praise from users and reviewers around the word, including an “Editor’s Choice Award” in 2015 from TAS. Now we introduce the new Paua MKII, employing a newly developed Aluminum alloy used to fashion the MKII's cantilever into a precision acoustic and mechanical lever. It features stiffness in the ranges required, while providing critical damping in other sections of the acoustic spectrum. Featuring ultra-low internal moving mass, a specialized telescoping newly developed alloy cantilever and highly polished low mass nude Contact Line stylus, the Paua MKII will add a unique quality of warmth and smoothness to any analog system without leaving behind all the delicate musical details you want and need to hear. The Paua MKII reaches new heights of stylus control and performance, as is confirmed by its incredibly high channel separation figures.