Soundsmith Carmen mkII Hand-Built High-Output Ebony-body Phono Cartridge
Created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price, the Carmen mk II 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. Rebuild Price? ~ $150 ~ Less Than 20% of MSRP, as always ! - The Carmen features a 1 year warranty to the original owner.
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.
Cartridge Type: Fixed Coil, Stylus Type: Elliptical, Output: High
Stylus: Nude Elliptical, 0.120mm SQ; Radius of curvature: 6 x 17 μm; Cantilever: Aluminum Alloy; Recommended tracking force: 1.3 - 1.6 gm (standard medium Compliance); 1.0 - 1.2 grams for special order High Compliance; Effective tip mass: 0.35 mg; Compliance: 28 μm/mN (high), 22 μm/mN (medium)
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz ± 2.5 dB; Channel separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >26 dB, 50-15,000 >20 dB; Channel difference: <1.6 dB (Stereo), <1.0 dB (Mono); Output voltage: 2.12 mV; Cartridge weight: 6.8 grams; Loading: ≥ 47 kΩ