Herb Reichert has posted a review of the Soundsmith Carmen phono cartridge ($799) and MMP3 phono stage ($649) at Stereophile. His conclusions:
“The Soundsmith Carmen’s ultra-low-mass MI assembly plays with more agility, is more naturally detailed, and sounds less stressed than any MC I’m aware of. Its treble is not dull or rolled off—it’s just the most authentic treble I’ve experienced from a phonographic transducer. As the Carmen appears to demonstrate, high frequencies reproduced with this level of fidelity improve the character of every octave below them—especially the texture of the midrange and the tunefulness of the bass.”
You can read the full review here.
