Usually Ships Within 1-2 weeks.
Soundsmith's Hyperion moving-iron phono cartridge delivers vibrant, colorful, and outright masterful playback limited only by the restraints on the rest of your system. 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. 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 is proud that the Hyperion is the cartridge of choice for the most esteemed audio equipment manufacturers, especially when they want their systems sounding their best at audio shows. Built here in the U.S., and outfitted with either aluminum or ruby cantilevers, we guarantee you'll love your new Soundsmith the moment it hits your favorite records' grooves.
Hyperion features a patent-pending cactus-needle cantilever that supplies stiffness and damping, properties that until this invention were exclusive of one another. Hum-free operation, RF shielding, and extreme stability accompany Hyperion's low-effective moving mass to yield breathtaking transient, microdetail, and soundstaging. With loading of 1k or greater, Hyperion is compatible with MC preamplifiers and does everything but pull up your chair and give you the best seat in the house for unforgettable musical performances. Superior cantilever designs have always employed tapered cantilevers. They must also have mutually exclusive dualistic qualities: both stiffness and damping are required. Soundsmith's custom-formed cactus needle cantilever system on the Hyperion cartridge represents an apex for moving-iron cartridge designs, and drastically reduces the moving-mass in the generating system, yielding reference-level performance tailored to pair with the world's finest sound systems.
Enjoy the best of both worlds: Soundsmith's moving-iron cartridges encompass the advantages of moving-coil and moving-magnet designs while simultaneously lessening or eliminating the respective approaches' deficiencies. Boasting extraordinary tracking abilities that let them effortlessly sail through complex musical passages, a warm and detailed character, exceptional transient response, and a full sound that completes entire notes and finishes instrumental structures, Soundsmith models exude natural musicality and high-end design.
MKII-ES Specifications:
| Type: |
Fixed Coil / Moving Iron |
| Mount: |
Standard ½” |
| Stylus: |
Contact Line, Nude, 0.10 mm Square |
| Radius of Curvature: |
Selected Optimized Contour Contact Line |
| Cantilever: |
Hand formed/treated selected Cactus "Spine" |
| Recommended Tracking Force: |
1.8 - 2.2 g |
| Effective Tip Mass: |
0.30 mg |
| Compliance: |
10 µm/mN |
| Frequence Response: |
20 - 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB |
Channel Separation
@ 1000 Hz: |
> 36 dB
N/A (Mono version) |
Channel Separation
@ 50 - 15,000 Hz: |
> 25 dB
N/A (Mono version) |
| Channel Difference: |
< 1.0 dB (Mono Version) |
Output Voltage
@ 5cm/sec: |
> 0.40 mV |
| DC Resistance (DCR): |
10Ω |
| Coil Inductance per channel: |
2.75 mH |
| Suggested Preamp Gain: |
58 - 64 dB |
| Cartridge Weight: |
12.2 g (ES series) |
| Recommended Load Resistance: |
≥ 470Ω |
| Recommended Load Capacitance: |
n/a |
MKII-ES-MR Specifications:
Type: Fixed Coil / Moving Iron
Mount: Standard ½”
Stylus: Micro-Ridge, 0.08 mm square, selected optimized contour contact line
Cantilever: Hand-formed/treated selected cactus spine
Recommended Tracking Force: 1.8 - 2.2 g
Effective Tip Mass: 0.30 mg
Compliance: 10 μm/mN
Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB
Channel Separation (1,000 Hz, 50 Hz): > 36 dB, > 25 dB
Channel Difference: < 0.5 dB
Output Voltage (5 cm/sec): > 0.40 mV
DC Resistance: 10 Ω
Coil Inductance per channel: 2.75 mH
Suggested Preamp Gain: 58 - 64 dB
Recommended Load Resistance: ≥ 470 Ω
Cartridge Weight: 12.2 g
MKII-ES-TI (Trans-Impedance Only) Specifications:
| Type: |
• Fixed Coil / Moving Iron |
| Mount: |
• Standard ½” |
| Stylus: |
• Micro-Ridge, 0.08 mm square |
| Radius of Curvature: |
• Selected Optimized Contour Contact Line |
| Cantilever: |
• Hand formed/treated selected Cactus "Spine" |
| Recommended Tracking Force: |
• 1.8 - 2.2 g |
| Effective Tip Mass: |
• 0.30 mg |
| Compliance: |
• 10 μm/mN |
| Frequence Response: |
• 20 - 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB |
| Channel Separation @ 1000 Hz: |
• > 36 dB
• N/A (Mono version) |
| Channel Separation @ 50 - 15,000 Hz: |
• > 25 dB
• N/A (Mono version) |
| Channel Difference: |
• < 0.5 dB
• < 1.0 dB (Mono version) |
| Output Voltage @ 5cm/sec: |
• > 0.40 mV |
| DC Resistance (DCR): |
• 10Ω |
| Coil Inductance per channel: |
• 2.75 mH |
| Suggested Preamp Gain: |
• 58 - 64 dB |
| Cartridge Weight: |
• 12.2 g (ES series) |
| Recommended Load Resistance: |
• ≥ 470Ω |
| Recommended Load Capacitance: |
• n/a |
