Soundsmith The Voice
"Since repair of my cartridge [Clearaudio Concerto] wasn’t possible, my search led to Soundsmith’s The Voice. It's probably my last cartridge. Dynamics, imaging and scale are all important, but transparency is my personal holy grail and that is one of many places where The Voice shines. It’s a wonderful cartridge.
The Voice also has a v-shaped extension over the cantilever and stylus that makes it tough to damage. Having knocked off the cantilever of my previous cartridge twice because it protruded well beyond the front, that’s a big deal for me.
Almost as important is the man behind Soundsmith, Peter Ledermann. Considering the breadth and artistry embodied in the design of his cartridges, he’s remarkably responsive and accessible. I have talked with Peter on several occasions and he is not only there to help and advise but he is truly a gentleman. One of the perks of our audiophile obsession is the opportunity to talk personally with some of its best designers."
-- Chris Bennion
"The Voice will wring every last drop of performance from it at a price that, in a world where most competitors go for two, three and four grand (up to ten large), is extremely reasonable and probably a great bargain. It is easily a reference quality cartridge with the added edge of being supremely musical, which is why Peter is going to have to pry this thing from my cold, bloody hand to get it back!"- James Darby, StereoMojo
Kudos, accolades and many “Product of the Year” awards. The pinnacle of High Output designs – from Soundsmith – of course.
Since its introduction in 2009, The Voice has won numerous "product-of-the-year" awards and is – in Peter Ledermann’s words –"probably the best High Output cartridge in production today." Our design goal was to produce the lowest moving mass high output design possible using novel and advanced technology. Featuring a single crystal Ruby Cantilever and our Optimized Contour Line Contact Stylus, we developed a specialized metallurgy for the low mass moving iron system.
A cartridge that disappears. After all, if it sounds like a “record" it’s wrong. The cartridge should bring your directly to the performance; not stand between you and the music.
The Voice
SpecificationsOutput
High
Additional Specifications
Type:
• Fixed Coil / Moving Iron
Mount:
• Standard ½”
Stylus:
• Contact Line, Nude, 0.10 mm square Selected
Radius of Curvature:
• Optimized Contour Contact Line
Cantilever:
• Ruby
Recommended Tracking Force:
• 1.3 - 1.6 g Standard (Medium Compliance)
• 1.0 - 1.2 g (Special Order High Compliance)
Effective Tip Mass:
• 0.30 mg
Compliance:
• 22 µm/mN (Medium Compliance)
• 28 µm/mN (High Compliance)
Frequence Response:
• 20 - 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB
Channel Separation @ 1000 Hz:
• > 30 dB
• N/A (Mono version)
Channel Separation @ 50 - 15,000 Hz:
• > 20 dB
• N/A (Mono version)
Channel Difference:
• < 1.0 dB
• < 0.5 dB (Mono version)
Output Voltage @ 5cm/sec:
• > 2.12 mV (HIGH)
DC Resistance (DCR):
• 680Ω
Coil Inductance per channel:
• 190 mH
Suggested Preamp Gain:
• 38 - 44 dB
Cartridge Weight:
• 9.20 g (ES series)
Recommended Load Resistance:
• ≥ 47kΩ
Recommended Load Capacitance:
• n/a