SKU: 45676913153

Soundsmith Carmen MKII Turntable Cartridge

Sale price$828.00 Regular price$920.00
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Description

Soundsmith Carmen MKII Turntable CartridgeCARMEN MKII Our Carmen design resolves high performance at an affordable price. A dramatic deep and wide soundstage, and ultra trackability. The Carmen MKII was created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price Just slightly lush with a well developed midrange, the Carmen MKIIis surprisingly pleasing and will seduce you into late listening sessions. The stylus used is a part of what makes it special; an ultralow

CARMEN MKII

Our Carmen design resolves high performance at an affordable price. A dramatic deep and wide soundstage, and ultra trackability.

The Carmen MKII was created out of the desire to make a very high performance design at an affordable price... Just slightly lush with a well developed midrange, the Carmen MKIIis surprisingly pleasing and will seduce you into late listening sessions. The stylus used is a part of what makes it special; an ultralow mass cut and polished into a true Hyper-Elliptical shape. The combination of low tip mass and the Moving Iron gives the Carmen MKII a tremendous resolution advantage over MC designs selling for more than twice the price. Housed in our new ES DEMS body design, the Carmen MKII delivers.

New EM Series DEMS Design

What is DEMS??

“Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.” – Peter Ledermann.

2018’s RMAF show was the official launch of Soundsmith’s new ES series of cartridges, where the attendees experienced the latest exploration into overlooked areas of cartridge design and solutions from Soundsmith.

The ES line features not only a dramatic new look, but is a significant evolution of the DEMS system design (Dynamic Energy Management System). The new Soundsmith ES cartridge designs are a significant advancement in cartridge performance due to their ability to direct internal vibrational forces without reflection and disperse them properly to the tone arm. The absence of reflections enables the stylus to stay in far greater statistical contact with the groove walls — a critically important technical refinement. Increased liquidity and reduced “grain,” without loss of detail are some of the immediately discernible advantages of Soundsmith’s new ES models.

The new line also features Azimuth adjustment built-in to each cartridge, as well as the option for electrical isolation for hum-prone systems. (see picture below)

Every cartridge in Soundsmith’s lineup will now feature our sleek new ES body design. The upgrade is far more than cosmetic; the new shape is a departure from the reflective and “boxy” design of many cartridges whose internal construction contribute to uncontrolled vibrational issues adversely affecting performance. Peter says, “Think of how singing in an open field compares with singing in a shower.” Soundsmith has always challenged conventions, looking deeper into nuances of cartridge design that dramatically affect immediate and long term performance. These have included extreme reductions of moving mass and the use of novel materials and designs. The new ES lineup is a continuation of that research and development.

ES Series Mounting

The new ES has some special mounting features that you need to be aware of.

Sometimes when mounting on a grounded metal arm, a cartridge will create hum due to a ground loop. If you experience some low level hum due to ground loop, you can now solve this issue by using the two half-round white rods which are to be placed and used in the OUTER slots, seen on the top of the cartridge. Place them flat side UP.

The rods are made of Alumina, and are insulating, thus allowing ground isolation for your cartridge without compromising the crucial mechanical energy transfer into the tone arm. This energy transfer is maintained due to the use of Alumina, which has the same properties as aluminum, but is non-conductive. Due to the novel body design of the ES cartridge, electrical isolation can still be maintained even though you may use metal screws.

On tone arms that do not allow azimuth adjustment, it is now possible to achieve this adjustment by way of the ES series by using the one full round alumina rod in the center slot only, alternately tightening and loosening the mounting screws by small amounts.

Shipping Notes
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Exchange/Return Notes
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  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
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SKU: 45676913153

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Gus
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Heavy chewer approved.
Style: Ball, Size: Medium (Pack of 1)
My pomsky will destroy a toy in minutes. Ropes, and the "indestructible" nylon type stuffs are no match for my furry shark. This ball has stood up to him like David. He loves the crunch and it is so much more tolerable than a squeaker. These will be a staple in his toy box - Chuckit toys are really the most durable dog toys I have found in three years.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2026
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Gold Coast
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Fun Ball
Style: Ball, Size: Medium (Pack of 2)
Great new ball for our pup. He loves the sound of the crunch!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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Cheryl
Battle Creek, US
★★★★★ 5
Durability
Style: Ball, Size: Medium (Pack of 2)
My dog loves these balls!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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ShainaKatt
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Dogs love them
Style: Ball, Size: Medium (Pack of 2)
Our dogs love these. What’s great is that you can add more plastic (like from water bottles) if the plastic starts to fall out from the center. If you have a chewer, though, these won’t last you long. Our shepherd mix loves these and then starts to pull the rubber apart the more she plays with it. Our other dogs treat it normally, though, and those ones last forever. They also get some decent height when bounced, and they make a unique whistling noise when thrown.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2025
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waragon
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 4
Our pup loves the cronch cronch!
Style: Ball, Size: Medium (Pack of 1)
I bought our 15 month old Coton several Chuck-It toys on an Amazon deal. He is incredibly playful, mischievous, and ball/toy obsessed, especially for anything that makes noise. He can also be very destructive so I love how durable most of their products are - they’re among our longest lasting toys and worth every penny. We have yet to take them to the dog park, but they’re a perfect size for sharing in play time. And they are keeping him busy at home - that’s a good thing. He loves investigating the crunchy-cronchy-crinkly sound which is a nice change from squeakers. It can withstand his destructive chewing well-being, gentle on his little teeth. I love that. Chuck-It is thinking outside the box with a variety of balls to keep dogs engaged! I do worry about the crinkle plastic inside because it is accessible because of the air holes and it feels a little sharp. So this will have to be an at home toy so we can monitor his play.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026

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