Cartridges

The Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star has been talked about a lot in circles I move in. Yes these are Turntable fanatic circles! This is a Moving Iron, low output cartridge so it does require a pre-amp that is MC (Moving Coil) capable.

I think I will simply let this quote speak for this cartridge...

'The Zephyr Star smoothly handled the toughest vocal sibilants and overall produced liquidity not compromised by a soft finish'...

Michael Fremer (acclaimed reviewer)

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Cadenza Bronze is a true high-end reference cartridge, conveying music with supreme precision, impact and dynamics.

The Cadenza Bronze model is using a Replicant 100 stylus and a conical aluminium cantilever. The coil wire is the famous Ortofon Aucurum wire, which is a gold plated 6NX copper wire. Field Stabilizing Element/FSE, is used for optimal linearity especially during complex crescendo passages. Cadenza Bronze stereo imaging capabilities illuminate the farthest corners of the soundstage in all three dimensions.

You may notice we are not always necessarily the cheapest retailer of cartridges but we will ALWAYS include a free professional fitting with all our cartridges. Along with any routine check-ups on your turntable.

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If you love a sense of space, lightness and refinement in your music, you can't go past the Starling cartridge from Sumiko. 

With the Starling, you get a naked cartridge body like the slightly cheaper Songbird. But here the cantilever is upgraded to Boron for faster transmission of the vibrations through the cantilever.

The micro ridge stylus of the Starling is also a step up from the Songbird rendering even more precision and detail with transparency and musicality.

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In a range that includes models costing thousands of pounds, the MC One Special is a relatively affordable example. It's a 'selected' version of the MC10 Special, a hand-built cartridge using silver wire coils and a boron cantilever (the tube that connects the stylus to the coils). Because of the relatively wide sample variations with cartridges, it's not unusual for makers to charge a bit more for selected samples of a particular model - ones that are found to perform better than the rest. Grado is another manufacturer that does this - the Prestige Gold on page 46 is a 'selected' version of the Prestige Silver, for which an additional £20 is charged

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This is Rega's new version of the acclaimed Apheta Moving Coil Cartridge and it builds on Rega's decades long obsession with perfecting the Moving Coil cart.

Like its predecessor, it utilises micro-mass generation systems with super strong yet jointless bodies to minimise resonance transferance. It also uses a super high powered rare earth metal neodymium for its magnets. These were all upgrades that set the Apheta 2 apart and elevated the sophisticstion, separation and musicality from the original Apheta.

Now Rega has taken another look at the Apheta and has introduced the same 'fine line' diamond technique that's been on the reference Aphelion on to the Apheta. This technique involves pushing the actual cut diamond through the counterlever at a perfect 90 degrees.

  

This is capable of getting even more detail out of the groove of you Vinyl and means an even better listening experience.

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A custom handbuilt moving coil cartridge with VDH-type 1 tip, boron cantilever, matched crystal silver-wire coils and 0.65 mV/channel. The designation “Special” in this cartridge’s name indicates important improvements over its previous version: The cartridge is equipped with a thicker frontpole and an extra small magnet, both further enhancing its resolution capabilities and output voltage. Production time: The production time for a MC - 10 Special cartridge after ordering is about two weeks. Please call your authorized distributor for delivery time. Learn More

he Soundsmith Zephyr MkIII enjoys a great history, starting with the well loved VPI Zephyr  original, which evolved into the well known Zephyr MKII. In our effort to bring you even higher definition without increase in cost, we introduce the NEW Zephyr MKIII. 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. 

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Cadenza Blue is true to the music with a tremendous clarity. The Cadenza Blue model is using a Nude FG 70 stylus with a very thin ruby cantilever. The coils are made from 6NX (99.9999 %) pure silver wire. An improved winding process on the armature allows a better channel balance. The soundstage of Cadenza Blue is wide open and grandiose straight out of the box. Micro dynamic and ambience will be evident when listening to complex compositions. It reaches a very high degree of definition in the perspective, which is very present.

You may notice we are not always necessarily the cheapest retailer of cartridges but we will ALWAYS include a free professional fitting with all our cartridges. Along with any routine check-ups on your turntable.

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The sound picture of Cadenza Red is relaxed, homogeneous and moderately dynamic and have great space and depth in the stereo image. The Cadenza Red model is using a Nude Fine Line stylus with a cylindrical aluminium cantilever. The stylus tip radius is r/R 8/40 µm. The coils are made from 6NX (99.9999 %) pure silver wire. An improved winding process on the armature allows a better channel balance.

You may notice we are not always necessarily the cheapest retailer of cartridges but we will ALWAYS include a free professional fitting with all our cartridges. Along with any routine check-ups on your turntable.

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A suberp cartridge with the class and refinement of a Moving Coil but the ability to go straight into a Moving Magnet Phono stage.

Created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price, the Carmen was crafted to have unparalleled purity of tone and ultra-smooth presentation. Just slightly lush with a well-developed midrange, the Carmen is surprisingly pleasing and will seduce you into long, late listening sessions.

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 the Fixed 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.

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The new Ania Pro Moving Coil cartridge is a variation on Rega's existing Ania cart. The difference being a Vital Profile nude diamond instead of the Eliptical. An Eliptical diamond has a rounded surface that's shaped so it's longer front-to-back than it is side-to-side. It has its advantages but it means that alot of the high frequency and the smaller details are missed from being picked up within the groove.

The Vital Profile has some specifically designed sharper edges that get the diamond further into the groove producing a more nuanced, detailed sound.

It retains all the nice things of the original Ania as well: Neodymium magnets, handwound loss mass coils, aluminium catilever, one-piece rigid body and the CAD designed cover of the internals which is made in red to distinguish it from its little brother.

This is great upgrade that's well worth the money. It's a great upgrade option on a Rega Planar 3 and can come factory fitted to the Planar 6 or 8. It is also a fantastic choice for other brands of Turntable. We do recommend we fit this cartridge to your deck as tracking and alignment become more crucial when the diamond is cut in this way.

Don't fret though, Carlton Audio Visual will fit your Ania Pro free of charge and offer you a tea, coffee or beer while you wait!

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This is fantastic value for a 'naked' body cartridge and is the perfect choice if you like an airy, spacious sound. It doesn't have as much life, dynamics and detail as the Starling and if you have a flexible phono stage, I would recommend the Low Output version of the Songbird.

For those who want an incredible cartridge with a transparency in the sound and don't have a fancy phono stage to match the low output models, this is a beauty.

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The Sumiko Songbird is a fantastic value 'naked' Moving Coil Cartridge. This is their low output version which has a bit more sensitivity and well worth it if you have a capable Moving Coil Phono Stage.

The sound of the Songbirds is of space and transparency. They are illuminating cartridges and frequently hailed as the perfect first real cartridge for those part-time audiophiles. But beware, the quality of this cartridge will turn any part-timers into raging full-timers!

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The Quintet Black S is the best example of Quintet’s overall excellence

The Quintet Black S is graced with a Nude Shibata diamond, considered one of the best stylus profiles available, mounted on a high-performance Sapphire cantilever.

The Shibata’s slim, highly polished profile allows an exceedingly wide contact area to the walls of the groove and ensures detailed and pure reproduction thoughout the spectrum, including even the most high frequency groove information.

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The newest member of the Rega MC cartridge range the Ania was inspired by the success of the Apheta 2 and Aphelion MC cartridges. Using the same exceptionally complex hand wound micro coil found in the rest of the range, the Ania is housed in a unique PPS highly rigid body, ensuring accurate construction and Rega's three point fixing method ensuring optimum connection to the headshell and automatic setting for overhang. The new body is protected by a CAD designed, clear rigid cover to protect the internal fine wires, making handling whilst fitting, safe and risk free.The Ania features a super high-powered, neodymium magnet and a coil meticulously hand wound on to an iron cross. This miniature assembly allows us greater freedom to track the vinyl groove ensuring even more detail is extracted from the vinyl. All of these features combine to deliver a balanced and dynamic performance that will engage you with your vinyl like never before.The Ania is the perfect partner for the Planar 3, Planar 6 or RP8 turntables. Factory fitted options for some models are available Please ask your retailer for details. Learn More

Easily our most ambitious moving magnet cartridge to date, the Amethyst features a nude Line-Contact stylus and an upgraded generator assembly providing ultra-low noise, hair-raising dynamics, and superior tracking. This unique setup benefits from the same physically-generated electromotive forces fundamental to MM designs which accurately recreate the original sound of any recording. The Amethyst is an easy choice when looking for the most performance possible along with the versatility to pair well with nearly any phono stage on the market.

For some Turntables including Regas, we will need to fit a 2mm spacer on you tonearm for this cartridge. Like the HiFi Guru Spacer

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Garrott Brothers cartridges were founded in the 1970s by the Australian twins John and Brian Garrott. They operated their business out of Australia but drew the most renowned from the American and European markets. For those in the know, however, Garrott Brothers cartridges have also represented the best cartridges at their price points.

Garrott Brothers apply some fundamental principles that always make their cartridges better. Diamond quality and orientation is one of those. You can have a conical diamond but choose a good quality one without those microscopic gouges and it will sound infinetely better. Orientation along the diamond grain is also essential to extracting the best out of a groove.

THe Optim S-2 FGS goes beyond their basic principles offering a specifically tuned cartridge that's neither too dampening nor too exentuating leaving simply the music as it's meant to be.

The FGS or Fritz Geiger Signature is a stylus design based on one by the dutch cartridge manufacturer, AJ Van del Hul to replicate the cutting device used to make the vinyl. The cartridge body has been made to exactly match this particular cut of diamond.

This is a beauty of a cartridge that delivers real depth and musicality to a recording.

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Our entry level design captures more than its share of recorded beauty —by design. Big soundstage, detail and resolution at an affordable price.

The Otello is Soundsmith’s entry level Fixed Coil design, realizing an affordable pathway into the world of high-performance cartridges. Built by hand like all Soundsmith cartridges, the Otello provides a perfect balance of tone and resolution at a great price. The result is a cartridge that is at ease with any type of music. Just slightly warmer than other Soundsmith designs, Otello yields a richness of timbre that is utterly beguiling with a level of speed and dynamic range that no other cartridge in this price. The result? A wonderful design that gives the warmth of MM and the light-footedness of Moving Iron design.

Also available in dual-coil mono

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The Quintet Bronze moves into the higher league of the Quintets.

The slim profile of its Nude Fine Line diamond stylus will track even the highest frequency information, making it a must for discerning listeners.

Additionally its larger footprint ensures reduced distortion and record wear.

The sound will be very evenhanded with respect to all aspects. Classical music will be reproduced with power and open space around each of the instruments.

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