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Soundsmith Mezzo MKII Moving Iron Cartridge

Soundsmith Mezzo MKII Moving Iron Cartridge

$9,170.00
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Soundsmith Mezzo MKII Moving Iron Cartridge

Soundsmith

Country of origin: USA

Soundsmith Mezzo MKII Moving Iron Cartridge
SKU: MEZZO-MKII
$9,170.00

Includes GST. 🚚 Free shipping on orders over $100 Australia wide at checkout.

Combines detailed retrieval with smooth, natural tone. A precise elliptical stylus tracks with low friction, preserving vinyl while capturing fine textures. Low distortion and wide response deliver immersive soundstaging with consistent channel separation.

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Colour:Black/Gold
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Every order ships free to any address in Australia via fully tracked, insured delivery. You’ll receive a tracking link once your order is dispatched so you can follow it the whole way. Estimated delivery is 1-4 business days.

We handle your warranty so you don’t have to. If something isn’t right, simply get in touch and we will coordinate directly with the Australian importer on your behalf. Find out more. click here to lodge a warranty claim.

Whether you’re browsing or already unboxing, Geoff is your friendly hi-fi guide available 7 days a week. From choosing the right system to setting up your new purchase, expert advice is always within reach. Contact Geoff today.

Price is important, but building the right system synergy is equally so. If you’ve found a better price on one of our products or listings, simply get in touch with Geoff. Don’t let price stand in the way of working with HeyNow Hi-Fi to find the right result for your system.
Description

Soundsmith Mezzo

Made in the USA.Rebuild Price? ~ $650 ~  Less than 20% of MSRP, as always! - Includes a two-year warranty for original owner!

The Soundsmith Mezzo, Italian for middle or medium (output, not performance) is based on the amazing Soundsmith Sussurro Moving Iron Cartridge. 

Soundsmith is pleased to announce the Mezzo Medium Output cartridge designed to fill the need for audiophiles that have moderate gain preamplifiers from such esteemed manufacturers as Conrad-Johnson and Audio Research among many others.

Peter Ledermann designed the Mezzo cartridge to perform flawlessly in preamps that utilize a 48dB-54dB gain structure. No longer is there any fear of overloading with a high output MM cartridge or having to ramp up the volume with a low output MC type. 

Based on Peter’s now classic Sussurro Moving Iron design, the Mezzo moderate output cartridge gives the same level of performance as its sibling. Without any tradeoffs, this new medium output cartridge will breathe new life and alter expectations from audio system front-ends with moderate gain! 

Frank Schroder is not only a highly gifted tonearm designer and builder but also one of the most insightful audio engineers alive today. In an informal meeting with Frank and Soundsmith's Peter Ledermann at an audio show, Frank suggested to Peter that he work on a low output moving iron cartridge design. Frank's reasoning was impeccable and the seed for a new product was sown. Frank has been testing the Mezzo's prototypes throughout the development phase, providing his insightful and invaluable feedback along the way. But the real story of The Soundsmith Mezzo is that it is a cartridge designed to specifically deal with the most critical issues of cartridge design. All cartridges must adhere to first principles, and do it carefully - to get sublime results. 

The Soundsmith Mezzo has an unbelievably low effective moving mass. The damping system has been critically tuned - so that ALL primary resonances are absolutely eliminated. Then, all critical stationary parts are fixed rigidly within its tiny magnetic structure and the fully shielded magnetic case is engineered to be far more rigid than any other cartridge. Finally, an innovative energy distribution system to dissipate the mechanical energy from the cantilever through the cartridge body into the tonearm properly. 

Soundsmith is very pleased with the Mezzo and you will be too - but be cautioned - when you first cue down to the first track, you will wind up playing the complete side and be very late for your meeting. Guaranteed! Once you've heard your new Mezzo cartridge, you'll never go back.

Tech Specs
Type: • Fixed Coil / Moving Iron
Mount: • Standard ½”
Cartridge Height:

• WITHOUT ALUMINA inserts = .675” top to stylus tip – with two half round alumina pieces for ground isolation add .010”

• WITH center slot full round Alumina (use for azimuth adjustment if your arm does NOT allow such) = .733”
Stylus: • Contact Line, Nude, 0.10 mm square
Stylus: • Contact Line, Nude, 0.10 mm square
Radius of Curvature: • Optimized Contour Contact Line SELECTED
Cantilever: • Ruby
Recommended Tracking Force: • 1.8 - 2.2 g
Effective Tip Mass: • 0.30 mg
Compliance: • 10 µm/mN
Frequence Response: • 20 - 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB
Channel Separation @ 1000 Hz: • > 34 dB
• N/A (Mono version)
Channel Separation @ 50 - 15,000 Hz: • > 25 dB
• N/A (Mono version)
Channel Difference: • < 0.5 dB
• < 1.0 dB (Mono version)
Output Voltage @ 5cm/sec: • > 1.10 mV (MEDIUM)
DC Resistance (DCR): • 110Ω
Coil Inductance per channel: • 30 mH
Suggested Preamp Gain: • 48 - 54 dB
Cartridge Weight: • 10.25 g
Recommended Load Resistance: • ≥ 1.5kΩ
Recommended Load Capacitance: • n/a
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Warranty Information
warranty shield 2 Years Warranty

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Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us https://www.heynowhifi.com.au//pages/contact

Why Choose Soundsmith

Soundsmith is an American analogue manufacturer best known for its unique moving iron phono cartridge designs, handcrafted production methods, and long-standing dedication to vinyl playback innovation. Founded by renowned designer Peter Ledermann, Soundsmith has developed a strong international reputation for producing cartridges that combine the speed and detail retrieval often associated with moving coil designs together with the practicality, compatibility, and ease of ownership traditionally associated with moving magnet cartridges.

What makes Soundsmith particularly distinctive is its moving iron generator technology. Unlike conventional moving coil cartridges that often require specialised phono gain, difficult loading requirements, or lower compliance tonearm matching, Soundsmith cartridges offer a far more flexible and system-friendly solution. Their higher output levels and compatibility with standard 47kΩ moving magnet phono inputs make them exceptionally easy to integrate into a wide range of analogue systems while still delivering highly refined high-end performance.

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, Soundsmith cartridges make enormous sense for customers wanting serious analogue performance without some of the complexity and ongoing costs associated with low-output moving coil ownership. Their excellent compliance characteristics, strong tracking ability, and user-friendly loading requirements allow them to work beautifully across many modern tonearms and phono stages while delivering a highly engaging and natural musical presentation.

Signature Design and Sound

Handcrafted in the USA, Soundsmith cartridges are built around Peter Ledermann’s moving iron generator philosophy, a design approach that offers extremely low moving mass while maintaining higher output levels and reduced coil-related limitations compared with many traditional moving coil designs.

One of the major advantages of the moving iron principle is the ability to preserve speed, transient accuracy, and low-level detail retrieval while remaining electrically compatible with standard moving magnet phono stages operating at 47kΩ input loading. This makes Soundsmith cartridges remarkably versatile and considerably easier to integrate into real-world systems than many specialised low-output moving coil designs.

Sonically, Soundsmith cartridges are known for their openness, speed, and highly articulate presentation. The sound feels clean, spacious, and dynamically expressive, with excellent retrieval of texture and transient detail while still maintaining tonal body and musical coherence. Vocals sound vivid and immediate, instruments carry excellent separation and realism, and the overall presentation remains highly engaging without becoming clinical or overly analytical.

Another major advantage of Soundsmith ownership is long-term serviceability. Many Soundsmith cartridges are designed to be rebuildable and retippable directly through the manufacturer, creating strong long-term ownership value for serious vinyl enthusiasts investing in high-performance analogue playback.

Soundsmith Product Range

The Soundsmith range includes moving iron cartridges across multiple performance levels, including highly regarded models such as The Voice, Zephyr, Carmen, Sussurro, Hyperion, and Paua series. The company also produces strain gauge systems, cartridge restoration services, and specialised analogue accessories developed through Peter Ledermann’s decades of cartridge engineering experience.

Soundsmith cartridges are particularly appealing for listeners seeking a highly musical and technically sophisticated alternative to traditional moving coil designs. Their combination of moving magnet compatibility, excellent compliance behaviour, strong tracking performance, and refined sonic presentation makes them one of the more unique and compelling cartridge options available within modern analogue playback.

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, Geoff and his experienced analogue setup team provide cartridge mounting, alignment, tonearm compatibility assessment, and phono stage matching to ensure Soundsmith cartridges perform at their full potential within each customer’s analogue system.

Explore the Soundsmith range:

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Phono Pre-amplifiers

Cartridges

Turntable Accessories

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WHY CHOOSE HEYNOW HI-FI?

At HeyNow Hi-Fi, it's not just about the gear - it's about how it all comes together. With over 30 years of experience, Geoff provides personalised, expert advice to help you build a system that suits your music, your space, and listening style.

Whether you're starting from scratch, refining your set up, or upgrading your gear, Geoff is always happy to have a chat. Call or book a private consultation directly with Geoff today.

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