Stay in Constant Contact with Your Vinyl Grooves: Soundsmith Sussurro mk II ES Gold Moving-Iron Phono Cartridge Features Extremely Low Internal Mass and Innovative Damping System

Lowest internal mass, superlative damping, minimal stored energy, and a distribution path the transfers mechanical vibrations away from the cantilever through the cartridge body and into the tonearm, and a two-year manufacturer's warranty to the original owner: The Soundsmith Sussurro mk II ES Gold is more than a low-output moving-iron phono cartridge. It's a musical instrument and reference-setting analog component in and of itself – a handmade jewel carved out of perfectionist-minded engineering and uncompromising solutions to deliver wondrous performance and to stay in absolute constant contact with the grooves of your vinyl LPs at all times.

Inspired by tonearm maven Frank Schröder, the second generation of Sussurro claims a newly designed moving-iron element to reduce moving mass by 70% and an enhanced damping system. Equally significantly, it also features exceedingly low jitter. That's correct – not the exclusive domain of digital, jitter also applies to styli, and loss of detail. Sussurro mk II ES Gold ensures you hear all the important information and even the subtlest nuances recording engineers intended to be embedded in the LP grooves. Transcending descriptiveness, Sussurro mk II ES Gold will awaken you to an array of insightful details, lively dynamics, three-dimensional imaging, and realistic tones.

The U.S.A.-built Sussurro mk II ES Gold offers further benefits in the form of a significant evolution of Soundsmith's DEMS (Dynamic Energy Management System) design. In short, Sussurro mk II ES directs internal vibrational forces without reflection and disperse them properly to the tonearm. Such absence of reflections enables the stylus to stay in far greater statistical contact with the groove walls, leading to increased liquidity, reduced "grain," and preservation of valuable detail. Azimuth adjustment is also built into each model, along with the option for electrical isolation for hum-prone systems.

"No cartridge can be all things to even one audiophile, but [Sussurro mk II is] extremely revealing rather than romanticizing some aspect of the music."
—Anthony H. Cordesman, The Absolute Sound, 2019 Golden Ear Award

Advantages of Moving-Iron Designs
A moving-iron cartridge has both the magnets and the coils fixed in place. A very low-mass and extremely precisely wound iron cross is affixed to the cantilever/stylus assembly and placed between the magnets and coils. As the iron cross moves in the magnetic field, it generates signal voltage. Since only the iron cross moves, more coil windings (higher output) and heavier magnets (more powerful) may be used without penalty. Other advantages to MI designs are very low moving mass (greater resolution) and superior channel separation (better imaging).

Sussurro mk II ES Gold Can Be Rebuilt for About 20% of Original Cost
Sussurro mk II ES Gold benefits from excellent customer support and a wonderful safety net. Soundsmith is the only high-end cartridge company that rebuilds its own products at a fraction of the original price – no matter what the issue. Equally important, moving-iron cartridges can always be rebuilt, unlike MC designs sometimes damaged beyond possible repair.

Soundsmith Moving-Iron Cartridges Offer Best of Both Worlds
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.