Terrific Resolution, Remarkable Imaging, Sumptuous Detail, Absorbing Warmth: Soundsmith Zephyr mk III ES Moving-Iron Phono Cartridge Pays Huge Dividends for Your Vinyl Investment

Featuring a sleek new body that resists uncontrolled vibrations as well as built-in azimuth adjustment, the Soundsmith Zephyr mk III ES moving-iron phono cartridge touts a newly developed aluminum alloy that provides requisite stiffness and damping exactly where its needed—and by the proper amount—in the most critical parts of the sonic spectrum. As a result, the all-rounder Zephyr mk III ES delivers lively slam on aggressive rock n' roll while providing engrossing linearity and clarity on the most complex classical and jazz passages. Zephyr mk III ES also has a selected low-mass contact line diamond stylus mounted on a Boron cantilever capable of remarkable separation, soundstaging, and imaging. The hand-built, U.S.A.-made design 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 normally possible.

Zephyr mk III ES further benefits from a significant evolution of Soundsmith's DEMS (Dynamic Energy Management System) design. ES cartridges direct 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. With Zephyr mk III ES, you'll be pulling record after record out of your stacks, and relishing degrees of smoothness, detail, clarity, and tonality that will convince you the "ES" in the model name stands for "extra special."

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).

Buy With Confidence: Zephyr mk III ES Can Be Rebuilt for 20% of the Original Cost

Zephyr mk III ES benefits from infallible 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.