Mea Culpa - I didn't know Ivan was a dealer for Soundsmith at the time I ordered a Paua Mk II. (Sorry Ivan, if I had known, I certainly would have come to you
)
But..., why did Soundsmith elect to stop shipping these cartridges with mounting screws, washers, etc.?
Some of us around here have pretty little tonearms, and some of said arms run into the high dollar category. I for one object to mounting metal directly to my carbon fiber arm. A nylon washer (or two) sure would be nice. Additionally, this cartridge is drilled and tapped for a specific thread pattern. Am I to assume all my other cartridges mounting screws are complaint?
Fortunately the dealer is sending along a full set of Soundsmith screws and washers via overnight (at no charge), but I'm still shaking my head on this one.
I'm 61 years old and have had a TT in my life since I was 12. Over these many years I've come to own a number of cartridges and in EVERY case, the box contained a set of various screws, nuts, washers, etc.
I emailed Soundsmith to ask about this curiousness only to not receive a reply.
I do like the USB key though. That's a nice touch!
I hope to report some impression of the Paua Mk II once I finally get it mounted, but that seems to be scheduled for the weekend now.