Soundsmith Hyperion ES

New EM Series DEMS Design

Made in  the USA. Rebuild Price? ~  $850 ~ Only 11% of MSRP!

The Apex of Moving-Iron Design: Hand-Made Soundsmith Hyperion MI Phono Cartridge Features Groundbreaking Cactus-Needle Cantilever System

Breathtaking Transient, Microdetail, and Soundstaging Performance: U.S.A.-Made Soundsmith Hyperion Moving-Iron Phono Cartridge Tailored for World's Premier Stereos

The groundbreaking Soundsmith Hyperion moving-iron phono cartridge delivers vibrant, colorful, and outright masterful playback limited only by the restraints on the rest of your system. A no-holds-barred component that holds its own in the most discerning setups, Hyperion features a patent-pending cactus-needle cantilever that supplies stiffness and damping, properties that until this invention were exclusive of one another. Hum-free operation, RF shielding, and extreme stability accompany Hyperion's low-effective moving mass to yield breathtaking transient, microdetail, and soundstaging. With loading of 1k or greater, Hyperion is compatible with MC preamplifiers and does everything but pull up your chair and give you the best seat in the house for unforgettable musical performances. Hand-built in the U.S.A. by Soundsmith lead designer Peter Ledermann, Hyperion is sonic manna.

Superior cantilever designs have always employed tapered cantilevers. They must also have mutually exclusive dualistic qualities: both stiffness and damping are required. If one could, they'd build tapered, longitudinal stacked columnar fibers, stacked and damped with desiccated resin. You'd get the absolute best of extreme rigidity, internal damping, and tremendous strength. Fortunately, nature already thought of such a fiber. Soundsmith's custom-formed cactus needle cantilever system on the Hyperion cartridge represents an apex for moving-iron cartridge designs, and drastically reduces the moving-mass in the generating system, yielding reference-level performance tailored to pair with the world's finest sound systems.

Soundsmith Moving-Iron Cartridges Offer Best of Both Worlds
Enjoy the best of both worlds: Soundsmith's moving-iron cartridges encompass the advantages of moving-coil and moving-magnet designs while simultaneously lessening or eliminating the respective approaches' deficiencies. Boasting extraordinary tracking abilities that let them effortlessly sail through complex musical passages, a warm and detailed character, exceptional transient response, and a full sound that completes entire notes and finishes instrumental structures, Soundsmith models exude natural musicality and high-end design. Built here in the U.S., and outfitted with either aluminum or ruby cantilevers, we guarantee you'll love your new Soundsmith the moment it hits your favorite records' grooves.

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.

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 effecting 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.