How Does the Soundsmith

I recently switched to the Voice as my reference cartridge. My previous reference cartridges were a ZYX Universe and a Koetsu Jade Platinum. To my surprise I found the Voice much more satisfying than the ZYX or Koetsu. It is an extremely fast, articulate cartridge and yet smooth and easy on the ears. I also find that it does remarkably well with less than ideal recordings, not at all what I had expected. I found myself digging a lot of not so great recordings that I previously had set aside.

The Voice is by far the most sensitive to proper setup of any cartridge I have played. VTA, Azimuth and tracking force all make a huge difference. To get the most out of the Voice you need an arm that allows for fine repeatable adjustment of all of these parameters. It sounds great even when the setup is imperfect, but it really sings when dialed in. It is also the easiest to dial in cartridge that I have listened to. You know immediately when you hit the sweet spot.

Doug,

I suspect that what you heard at RMAF was not an accurate representation of the cartridges, but rather the systems they were being presented in. The Soundsmith cartridges you mention are clearly more articulate than the Universe. The Universe is a fine cartridge and it would not surprise me if others would prefer it to the Voice. But I don't think anyone who has heard them side by side would find the Universe more articulate regardless of their overall preferences.

I have no idea what you are referring to regarding collapsing harmonic overtones. What I hear from the Voice is very extended, detailed treble that is remarkably clean and therefore easy on the ears. Not easy on the ears because is has been smoothed, rolled off or lacking information.

I believe that the reason for the smoothness on the top end is due to the very light moving mass in the Voice, and more so in the Strain Gauge. Both of these cartridges have far less moving mass than a good MC. What I like about the Voice is similar to what I hear from Plasma tweeters. Again due, I believe, to low mass (essentially zero for the plasma tweeters).

I did not mean to denigrate the Universe. It is among the very best that I have heard and was my reference for a number of years. I happen to prefer the Voice in my system and with my tastes. The question was how the Voice compares with expensive MC's. I think it compares favorably.