I have recently purchased this cartridge and thought I'd give a quick rundown on it. I installed it into the JMW 9 inch uni-pivot arm on my VPI Scout. I use the mini-TNT feet in place of the spike type feet the Scout came with. I replaced the standard record clamp with the TTWeights Mega Clamp (2.33 lbs!) and also use the TTWeights Super Ring. The turntable sits on an Amarra stand. Prior to the Voice Ebony, I had a Clearaudio Virtuoso MM cartridge installed, which I liked very much.
The installation was fairly easy, though I must admit that the ruby cantilever is very thin and was difficult for my sixty year old eyes to see! I had to have a lot of bright lighting! The ruby cantilever is pretty long, but I am used to that, as the Clearaudios I've owned also have long cantilevers. A nice benefit of the Soundsmith design is that I didn't have to alter my phono amplifier settings to accommodate the new cartridge - a big plus to me, as I would have had to remove about a dozen screws in order to get to the dip switches or gain settings!
Now, the cartridge. I am absolutely loving the sound I'm getting from this setup. I am getting more musical information (detail) from my records. There is a more 3-D like effect for each instrument or voice and each instrument's sound just seems to launch from its own space, rather than being pushed out via the speakers. Dynamics seem more lifelike; it was very apparent listening to Ben Webster's "Soulville" when he moved towards and away from the microphone. I have been even playing very old, well used records with this cartridge and it makes them sound fresh and vibrant. If I could just use one word to describe what I'm hearing with this cartridge, the word would be "coherent".
I should probably stop now, before I gush too much. In closing, I feel this cartridge sounds fantastic and is a bargain at its price.
The installation was fairly easy, though I must admit that the ruby cantilever is very thin and was difficult for my sixty year old eyes to see! I had to have a lot of bright lighting! The ruby cantilever is pretty long, but I am used to that, as the Clearaudios I've owned also have long cantilevers. A nice benefit of the Soundsmith design is that I didn't have to alter my phono amplifier settings to accommodate the new cartridge - a big plus to me, as I would have had to remove about a dozen screws in order to get to the dip switches or gain settings!
Now, the cartridge. I am absolutely loving the sound I'm getting from this setup. I am getting more musical information (detail) from my records. There is a more 3-D like effect for each instrument or voice and each instrument's sound just seems to launch from its own space, rather than being pushed out via the speakers. Dynamics seem more lifelike; it was very apparent listening to Ben Webster's "Soulville" when he moved towards and away from the microphone. I have been even playing very old, well used records with this cartridge and it makes them sound fresh and vibrant. If I could just use one word to describe what I'm hearing with this cartridge, the word would be "coherent".
I should probably stop now, before I gush too much. In closing, I feel this cartridge sounds fantastic and is a bargain at its price.
