SoundSmith Paua mk II

Michael Fremer praised the Paua Mk II's agreeable tonal balance, natural transient behavior and exceptionally extended, non-gritty treble. The Audiophile Man likewise found it agile, sprightly and flexible, with clear detail, transparent mids and convincing performance at both frequency extremes.

Fremer called it a tracking champion: at 1.9g it cleared the 90µm test band and produced only barely perceptible mistracking at 100µm, his best measured result in this test. The Audiophile Man also reports that it handles damaged-groove effects exceptionally well and extracts clean, definite detail without a hazy veil.

Fremer heard an expansive stage with impressive space and precisely located, transparent instrumental images. The Audiophile Man similarly highlights focused placement, strong instrumental separation and a clear orchestral presentation rather than a congested mass of sound.

The standard half-inch mount and 10µm/mN compliance make it a plausible partner for suitably substantial medium-mass arms, while its 12.2g body weight is manageable but not especially light. Its low 0.4mV output requires a quiet, properly matched MC-capable phono stage with roughly 58–64dB of gain, so setup is more specialist than plug-and-play.

The Mk II uses a purpose-developed telescoping aluminum-alloy cantilever, described as stiff where needed and critically damped elsewhere, along with a nude contact-line stylus. Its substantial housing is designed as a Faraday-cage-like structure to reduce motor-induced hum; reviewers also point to the very low-noise result in use.

At $3,999.95, this is a serious high-end purchase, but Fremer considers its $550 rebuild program unusually compelling against cartridge-market alternatives. He argues that there is nothing else like the Paua Mk II at that rebuild cost, making its long-term ownership case notably stronger than the initial price alone suggests.