Soundsmith Carmen Mk II ES

Description

Created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price, the Carmen mk II was crafted to have unparalleled purity of tone and ultra-smooth presentation. Just slightly lush with a well-developed midrange, the Carmen is surprisingly pleasing and will seduce you into long, late listening sessions.  Rebuild Price? ~  $150 ~ Less Than 20% of MSRP, as always ! – The Carmen features a 2 year warranty to the original owner.

The stylus used is a large part of what makes it special; an ultra-low mass occlusion free nude diamond cut and polished into a true hyper-elliptical shape. The combination of low tip mass and the Fixed Coil design gives the Carmen a tremendous resolution advantage over MC designs selling for more than twice the price. Housed in a handmade solid Ebony case, the Carmen delivers.

Also available in dual-coil mono.

Specifications

Cartridge Type
Fixed Coil

Stylus Type
Elliptical

Output
High

Available As Dual Coil Mono
Yes

Additional Specifications

Stylus: Nude Elliptical, 0.120mm SQ
Radius of curvature: 6 x 17 μm
Cantilever: Aluminum Alloy
Recommended tracking force: 1.3 – 1.6 gm (standard medium Compliance); 1.0 – 1.2 grams for special order High Compliance
Effective tip mass: 0.35 mg
Compliance: 28 μm/mN (high), 22 μm/mN (medium)
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz ± 2.5 dB
Channel separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >26 dB, 50-15,000 >20 dB
Channel difference: Output voltage: 2.12 mV
Cartridge weight: 6.8 grams
Stylus to Mounting Hole Offset: ≈ 10mm (0.4″)
Loading: ≥ 47 kΩ