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SoundSmith Carmen mk II
Welcome to the next level
At this point, I've played hundreds of records with this ebony-bodied wonder, and I think I'm finally starting to grasp some of the inner beauty of Peter Ledermann's inventions.
Just wanted to let you know how much I LOVE the SoundSmith Carmen Mk II phono cartridge.
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.
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 ($300 additional).
Why Fixed Coil Kicks Ass
Lasts A Lifetime
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Professional Reviews 89/100
Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
89/100
Build Quality
92/100
Features Usability
88/100
Value for Money
88/100
The lush midrange and ultra-smooth presentation make the Carmen mk II especially enticing, with Jeff Day praising its dimensional, musical character and high output that avoids a step-up transformer. Handmade in the USA with a rebuildable design, it feels like a refined, long-term cartridge for listeners who value tonal beauty and easy system integration.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Rich, dimensional, and highly musical sound with a standout midrange
High 2.12 mV output makes it easy to run without a step-up transformer
Handmade in the USA and rebuildable, adding long-term ownership value
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 89/100
Reviewers describe the Carmen mk II as lush, dimensional, and very musical, with a purity of tone and an especially well-developed midrange. The presentation is also described as ultra-smooth, suggesting a cartridge that favors natural flow and texture over glare or bite.
Overall Sound
93/100
The cartridge is repeatedly described in flattering musical terms: “purity of tone,” “slightly lush,” “ultra-smooth,” and “well-developed midrange.” The emphasis is on a rich, coherent presentation that stays smooth and engaging rather than analytical.
Tracking Retrieval
90/100
Jeff Day links the fixed-coil design and low moving mass to stronger groove tracing, saying it can more accurately track encoded information and offers major gains in that respect. The review does not give lots of hard listening examples of mistracking or inner-groove trouble, but the language around retrieval and tracing is strongly positive.
Soundstage Imaging
80/100
This mono/version-specific presentation is not really being judged for stereo width or depth, so it is given the cartridge’s fixed mono imaging treatment rather than a spaciousness verdict. The review instead focuses on a dimensional, musical presentation rather than explicit soundstage effects.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 88/100
Tonearm compatibility looks good for a cartridge with standard mounting, moderate compliance, and a healthy 2.12 mV output that avoids a step-up transformer. At the same time, it still asks for sensible arm matching, careful setup, and awareness of compliance/tracking-force choice, so it feels more like a well-behaved enthusiast cartridge than a truly universal plug-and-play option.
Tonearm Compatibility
88/100
The standard 3/4-inch mount, moderate compliance, and strong output make it workable with a broad range of tonearms, and the review explicitly notes that no step-up transformer is needed. It is still a cartridge that rewards proper arm matching and setup, especially if the user is choosing between medium- and high-compliance versions or working around azimuth and alignment constraints.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
92/100
The cartridge is presented as a handmade U.S.-built design with an ebony body, aluminum-alloy cantilever, and a rebuildable architecture that preserves the investment over time. Reviewers clearly admire the artisan construction, though they say less about long-term durability beyond those materials and the rebuild program.
Value for Money
88/100
At around $1000, the Carmen mk II is framed as an affordable high-performance design rather than a bargain bin cartridge. The reviews support the price by pointing to its handmade construction, rebuildability, and distinctive musical refinement, but they stop short of comparing it directly against named rivals in the same bracket.
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Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for SoundSmith Carmen mk II
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Alternative Audio — in-store — Taunton, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Ana Mighty Sound — online and in-store — Paris, Île-de-France, France (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Audio & Video Expressions — in-store — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (website)
- Audio Advice — online and in-store — Raleigh, North Carolina, United States (website)
- Audio Advisors — in-store — West Palm Beach, Florida, United States (website)
- Audio Element — in-store — Pasadena, California, United States (website)
- Audio Influence — online and in-store — Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Audio Magic - EU — online and in-store — Wola, Województwo mazowieckie, Poland (website)
and 53 more verified dealers