Soundsmith The Voice


Just curious what the word on the street was like for this cartridge. Apparently it created quite a buzz at CES. Frank Schroder was so impressed that he is designing a tonearm just for this cartridge.

I have a bit of a technical question if anybody knows,...as a moving iron design is this a voltage generator like MM or a current generator like MC?
ducatirider
The Voice is a moving magnet. It has .9mv output and loads at 47k like a normal MM. I'm a dealer for them and have 15 other cartridges on demo starting at $900 up to $6000 here (12 tables, 14 tonearms) and can say it is more than competitive - depending on your taste of course. Not quite the detail of say a Dynavector XX2, or color of a Shelter 500/7000 but very dynamic, big soundstage and tracks great. It tends towards neutral, not warm and romantic but big hearted and full bodied non-the-less.
I'm using the newer lower compliance versions now which are better suited to most of the arms I sell. I've also had the high compliance version.
I have the 'normal' clear bodied one on demo and also have the new ebony wood version available that is $2200 instead of $1600 retail. The premium version in addition to the ebony body is simple the top of heap spec wise of production runs. Not any different in construction other than the body. I haven't mounted one yet, so no idea how much better it sounds.
Don't hold your breath for Frank to make an arm, he's about two years backordered and has carpel tunnel syndrome.
Best,
Jay
Thank you Jay for the comments - I must correct your typo - The Voice is a MOVING IRON, compatible with MM INPUTs.... the proper load is 47K. In all magnetic cartridges, the coil genereated current is converted to a voltage by its own internal resistance according to Ohms Law. The real truth about those who argue about magnetic cartridges being either current sources or votlage sources is that they are both half wrong and half right.

All the best -

Peter Ledermann/President/Soundsmith
thank you. it is not my intent to create controversy. i just wanted to make sure my phonostage is compatible with what appears to be a ground breaking design.