I'm quite looking forward to hearing what the SoundSmith Paua MkII can bring to the table. I have had the Sussuro MkII on loan and really liked it.
Just got this to try out. Problem is I will have to bed it in first.
- Thread starter Urbinator
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The Paua MkII is a great cart. I owned it and the Sussurro MkII at the same time. Different, but both were wonderful music makers. I had to sell them both to fund the purchase of the Sussurro Gold.
I'm still breaking it in. It has had about 12 hours so far, and it sounds dull, but I am not surprised. I will start playing around with it once I hit 40 hours. Tony22, what sort of difference did you hear between the two? I understand the cantilever is the only difference,
In my system the Paua was a bit warmer sounding, a bit more “liquid”, but I wouldn’t have described it as dull by any means. Are you finding it dull compared to the Sussurro? A lack of extension? That shouldn’t be the case. The character of the HFs is a bit more plush, but it reaches the same frequency extremes as its brother. I found both to be entirely wonderful.
Thats interesting, this is hopefully something that will suit my system as I am using the Mola Mola Makua pre amp with their Class D monoblocks. Which makes the system fast and punchy on playback.
Im thinking it isn't very interesting because it has only had 12 hours of playback. I expect this to change once it beds in, which I hope will be around 40 hours. The Sussurro is a fantastic cartridge, and I will have the chance to compare it later before making a choice. But saying that, though, there is a Sussuro gold that is out for review. I have asked to have first dibs on this once it is back.
Im thinking it isn't very interesting because it has only had 12 hours of playback. I expect this to change once it beds in, which I hope will be around 40 hours. The Sussurro is a fantastic cartridge, and I will have the chance to compare it later before making a choice. But saying that, though, there is a Sussuro gold that is out for review. I have asked to have first dibs on this once it is back.
Soundsmith cartridges seem to take 40+ hours to settle in. It's worth experimenting with VTA once it has, as the Replicant-like stylus is very picky about it. I start with the tonearm horizontal and adjust and listen, adjust and listen. When you hit the right spot it is obvious.
It's been around 30 hours, and the cartridge is starting to sound good. Yes, the VTA is quite sensitive on this stylus. The plus side of the Thor tonearm is that I can adjust this on the fly! The hole between the two studs is for an Allen key to raise or lower the tonearm height.
The initial impression is that each instrument is well-defined on the stage, so you get a better understanding of what they convey. Charles Mingus - Ah Um, Better Git It in Your Soul, I have never been greatly enamoured with; I find it too chaotic, but with the Paua, it's all starting to fall into place.
The initial impression is that each instrument is well-defined on the stage, so you get a better understanding of what they convey. Charles Mingus - Ah Um, Better Git It in Your Soul, I have never been greatly enamoured with; I find it too chaotic, but with the Paua, it's all starting to fall into place.
So the Paua has had 70 plus hours of use. The difference in the presentation between the two is that the Pauau comes over more relaxed with deeper sounding bass( tube like). The Sussuro has a better pace and can sketch the presentation more smoothly with more shading around the notes. This I prefer as it manages to hold all together well on more difficult pieces. The Paua is excellent value for money at just shy of £4k with a rebuild cost of around £700; it is a long-term investment, not throwing it away after 1500 hours of use like most moving coils. The Sussuro is a little more at £5k. I would not be upset with owning either. Which brings me to my last step.
This I have purchased from my experience of both the Paua and Sussurro, plus feedback I have had on the forum. It’s a bit of a leap of faith. Time will tell.
This one has been personally checked and tested by Peter, it was meant to be a review unit but is now mine.
I will be bedding it in as soon as I get back from work tonight.
This I have purchased from my experience of both the Paua and Sussurro, plus feedback I have had on the forum. It’s a bit of a leap of faith. Time will tell.
This one has been personally checked and tested by Peter, it was meant to be a review unit but is now mine.
I will be bedding it in as soon as I get back from work tonight.
You’ll like the Gold. And yes, for as good as the regular Sussurro MkII is, the Gold is better. Congratulations!
Bedding in. Had an hour playback and sounds surprisingly good, so feel chuffed I’m getting some free playback.
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