The Schröder ALTO Tone Arm -

Lets talk EXCITEMENT!!!

Many audiophiles around the world know about Frank Schröder and his tone arms. Many folks wish they could own one. But the demand is high, and the supply is....well.....Frank hand builds each one. So waiting to get yours can take some time.....but not anymore.

Frank and I have had a very good friendship over the past 10 years, and have had many discussions about audio and the design of varied products. He recognizes that I am a kindred spirit, developing new ideas and products for better performance. It was Frank that asked me years ago what materials I had "on my list" for experiential cantilevers for cartridge designs. When I got down the list to #3, and I said "Cactus spines" he said "STOP! Where are you with this attempt?" I said it was on the back burner.

He said "MOVE IT UP TO THE FRONT. I have just put some in the mail to you". 

Who knew?  Frank is a cactus aficionado. He grows them, talks to them, plays music for them, you get the picture. When the Cactus spines arrived, and I tested them, I was stunned. SO MANY cartridge performance problems solved. Thank you Frank for "needling me". And for being the impetus for helping me create the Soundsmith Hyperion cartridge. Now you know how it was born. 

Well, thank you Frank again, for trusting me, and Soundsmith to build your new ALTO arm.

The Alto  (Asymmetrical Loaded Topology) is a unique arm design Frank has given to me  exclusively to manufacture by hand and sell. And boy are we excited. What does the ALTO sound like?? It sounds like all Frank's arms. 

It makes no sound at all. That is the true measure of Audio Arm engineering. It MUST not get in the way of the performance.

How long will it last before it starts wearing out or losing its performance tolerances? Like all Schröder arms, the answer is......never.

So stay tuned ~ we are working hard carefully making and fitting parts for the early production runs now.........so that we can have your Schröder ALTO tone arm ready for you by the late fall.

Soundsmith MMP4 Phono Preamp

** Newly Updated and Improved! **

An upgrade in quality does not have to deplete your wallet.

The Soundsmith MMP & MCP preamps are revolutionary designs for their price - and the comments we get at each hi-fi show prove it. These preamps are what we use to demo our cartridges at all our shows even our high end cartridge designs -

Each hand - made preamp circuit is housed in a high quality aluminum case, powered by an external DC power supply, with easy to set up instructions. All amplifiers have extremely accurate RIAA equalization response.

Our MMP4 is a more cost effective way to enjoy your high output MC, MM or MI cartridge. Its design is based on our highly praised MMP3, and the specs and sonics make it a great value. It features 47K loading and 43 dB of gain.

Employing very high quality components, the MMP4 assures noise free and ultra-low distortion to allow unfettered enjoyment from your treasured vinyl collection. The MMP4 and MMP3 have been favorably demonstrated against preamps costing $2000 - $4000 with surprising results... and compliments to Soundsmith

Type: moving magnet

Input Load*: 47k 100pF

Gain*: 43dB standard ** or 34dB special order

Noise (unweighted): -92 dB down

Features: high grade low noise components

Dimensions for the MMP4, MMP3 and MCP-2 (without the knob, which adds 3/4" to the height) 7” deep, 1&1/2” high, and 4&1/4” wide.

Overload specs for our preamps: Output clipping into 10K Ohms = 8.3 Volts RMS - all models.

Input overload levels for output clipping or non linearity:
MMP3/MMP4 ~~~ 20Hz - 5.3 mV; 1Khz - 53 mV; 20KHZ - 530 mV;

THD measurements 1kHz, ~0.004%

24 volt power supply included [US standard 120 volt]; optional European (schuko) 230 volt AC to 24 volt DC transformer