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Soundsmith's Carmen MKII cartridge will seduce you into long, late listening sessions. This cartridge is highly resolving, with a free flowing design, unparalleled purity of tone, ultra-smooth presentation, slightly lush and has a well-developed midrange. At 9.2g, this cartridge is compatible with a broad variety of tonearms and thanks to its 2.12 mV output, Carmen Mk II works well with most MM phono preamps. Carmen MKII is a special cartridge and the stylus is a large part of what makes it so special. Starting with a very high-purity stone, the diamond is a 50x occlusion free diamond. A true elliptical design, Soundsmith grinds the entire diamond not just the front and rear, giving Carmen MKII a huge resolution advantage over other elliptical designs and a smoothness of tone that is unique in this price range. All Soundsmith cartridges are Made in the USA.
The ES line features not only a dramatic new look, but is a significant evolution of the DEMS system design (Dynamic Energy Management System). The new Soundsmith ES cartridge designs are a significant advancement in cartridge performance due to their ability to direct internal vibrational forces without reflection and disperse them properly to the tone arm. The absence of reflections enables the stylus to stay in far greater statistical contact with the groove walls — a critically important technical refinement. Increased liquidity and reduced “grain,” without loss of detail are some of the immediately discernible advantages of Soundsmith’s new ES models.
The new line also features Azimuth adjustment built-in to each cartridge, as well as the option for electrical isolation for hum-prone systems. Every cartridge in Soundsmith’s lineup will now feature our sleek new ES body design. The upgrade is far more than cosmetic; the new shape is a departure from the reflective and “boxy” design of many cartridges whose internal construction contribute to uncontrolled vibrational issues adversely effecting performance. Soundsmith has always challenged conventions, looking deeper into nuances of cartridge design that dramatically affect immediate and long term performance. These have included extreme reductions of moving mass and the use of novel materials and designs. The new ES lineup is a continuation of that research and development.
Specifications:
| Type: |
Fixed Coil / Moving Iron |
| Mount: |
Standard ½” |
| Stylus: |
Elliptical Nude, 0.12 mm square
|
| Radius of Curvature: |
6 x 17 µm |
| Cantilever: |
Aluminum Alloy |
| Recommended Tracking Force: |
1.3 - 1.6 g Standard (Medium Compliance)
1.0 - 1.2 g (Special Order High Compliance) |
| Effective Tip Mass: |
0.35 mg |
| Compliance: |
22 µm/mN (Medium Compliance)
28 µm/mN (High Compliance) |
| Frequence Response: |
15 - 45,000 Hz ± 2.0 dB |
Channel Separation
@ 1000 Hz: |
> 26 dB
N/A (Mono version) |
Channel Separation
@ 50 - 15,000 Hz: |
> 20 dB
N/A (Mono version) |
| Channel Difference: |
< 1.6 dB
< 1.0 dB (Mono version) |
Output Voltage
@ 5cm/sec: |
> 2.12 mV (HIGH) |
| DC Resistance (DCR): |
680Ω |
| Coil Inductance per channel: |
190 mH |
| Suggested Preamp Gain: |
38 - 44 dB |
| Cartridge Weight: |
9.20 g (ES series) |
| Recommended Load Resistance: |
≥ 47kΩ |
| Recommended Load Capacitance: |
n/a |
