Sumiko 唱頭

Avantgarde-HK

Sumiko’s Amethyst mov­ing magnet phono (MM) cartridge comes in at the high end.That puts it well above Audio Technical VM95SH and Ortofon’s 2M Black, both of which set high standards. Moving magnet cartridge design gets progressively better with time, and today’s designs differ much from those of yesterdayThink, bright-er, clearer and more detailed. More like digital in fact, if still with analogue smoothness.

“lt offers the sound of the past with performance of today”

The Amethyst comes into this challenging environment with an interesting proposition sound wise – one I have sympathy with. It offers the sound of the past with performance of today, at least in outline.That means lovely analogue smoothness and body conspicuously free of digital harshness. Of which I’ll say more later.

Sumiko’s Amethyst moving magnet cartridge has a warm sound replete with analogue smoothness. Strong, firm bass gives it a muscular quality and excellent tracking a confidence of delivery.

Avantgarde-HK

Wellfleet utilizes a highly polished nude elliptical stylus, eliminating the bonding between the stylus tip and shank. With the new assembly, excessive mass in the shank is cut away to further reduce tip mass, resulting in a faster, more direct, and more accurate response of the stylus’ movement by the cantilever and magnet. Sonically, this increases speed and focuses central images, pulling them toward the listener with a heightened sense for detail.

With the Wellfleet, vocals are immediate, clear, and detailed, the warmth of human vocal work becomes more apparent with hints of rasp and emphasized subtleties, boosted by tight and well controlled bass. Backing vocals become easier to discern, and the listener is able to identify distinct instrumentation such as the rattle of snare wires, or the woody twang of a vintage acoustic guitars. Listeners will hear an improvement in surface noise and sense a more distanced backdrop, facilitating a deeply suspended image.

Avantgarde-HK

Sumiko In-Depth Guide