Soundsmith Moving Iron

[blindmullet]

Finally took the plunge and bought the Soundsmith Aida. Never thought I'd like anything as well as MC but I was wrong. The Aida is a fantastic cartridge that truly performs above its price range. Been using Ortofon Rondos Red and Bronze and was about to switch to Cadenza Black but was a bit short of funds. Aida isn't cheap but less than the Cadenza Black and after reading Fremers review I gave it a shot. Very detailed with great low end and midrange. Can be a bit on the bright side on some records but still in breakin so that may even out. Fortunately my new TT has adjustable VTA on the fly which can tame high frequencies.

[spencem]

I have been using a Clearaudio Aurum beta S for a few (too many?) years and decided to also take the plunge on a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC star after speaking with Peter Ledermann. I had to wait two months for delivery and it finally came today. Will install tonight or tomorrow. The packaging is superb, very Asian in manner with mother of pearl marquetry in the lid. There is a "golden key" included a la Willy Wonka for a free gift to enhance registration. I'm a newbie so I can't post pictures yet. I'll post more when it's broken in a little bit.

[gadawg]

Love my Zephyr MIMC! Had it for almost a year now on a VPI Prime and after about 100 hours it was amazing for the price!

[theophile]

As a Soundsmith 'The Voice(ebony)' owner of 6 or so years there's a few things to keep in mind:

Given correct cartridge alignment(overhang/azimuth/VTA/VTF), more than likely the turntable will essentially be the limiting factor. Many good tables are let down by poor siting. Not just with regard to acoustic feedback or acoustic impingement but more specifically with issues relating to resonances feeding into the turntable from the surface it is placed upon.

By way of illustration my listening room(well the entire house) is set on a concrete slab, The turntable stand is welded square section steel with a 850mm square 150 lb synthetic stone top. I have been experimenting with a diy isolation platform. This has progressed to the point where the level of detail and insight from records is astonishing.

Cartridges by their very nature bear the burden of picking up all of the vibrational environment. Everything we want to hear, along with everything else which comes along for the ride. The better the cartridge, the more that its ultimate capabilities are limited by the real world vibrational environment.

I have found that The Voice has been able to rise to greater and greater heights of ability as my isolation efforts have progressed, and they are far far from being fully realised.

By all means devote sufficient time to getting the cartridge alignment optimised. It is the bedrock of achieving great results. Look into proper turntable isolation if you want to hear a great cartridge at its best.

[VicsVinyls]

Thanks for the post, I have been eyeing SoundSmith as well.
They seems like an attractive option, especially due to their rebuild program.