SKU: 45676913153

Soundsmith Carmen MKII Turntable Cartridge

Sale price$828.00 Regular price$920.00
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Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 17 - Jul 22

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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
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
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  • Delivery to the USA:
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Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • 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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4.2 ★★★★★
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M
Verified Purchase
Maria
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Elegant look
Size: 8.5, Color: Champagne
Beautiful and delicate shoes. Look very minimal. Comfortable enough!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Allison
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 4
Super comfy, but side strap is a bit annoying
Size: 9, Color: Black Leather
Honest review of these shoes that I just wore to a wedding. They are SO comfortable, I wore them all night and didn't need to take them off. The only issue is that since the one strap just goes along the one side of the top of your foot, I did feel like it kind of pushed the shoe to the side. It's hard to describe, but when I was walking sometimes I could feel my food shifting off my shoe on the side.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2025
K
Verified Purchase
Kimberly M
Alexandria, US
★★★★★ 3
Comfy shoe, Not a great dupe
Size: 6.5, Color: Black Leather, Size: 6.5, Color: Black Leather
These are so cute and comfy and I love them. Minus two stars because I specifically bought them for the little silver SM on the bottom so they’d look better than the ones at Walmart. These did not come with the little silver logo on the bottom.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2026
C
Verified Purchase
Cydpea23
Draper, US
★★★★★ 1
Super cute but came damaged & really annoying to walk in
Size: 8, Color: Black Leather, Size: 8, Color: Black Leather
Super cute but mine came damaged and the straps don’t stay up great… I love Steve Madden shoes, and own a few pairs already, so I had high hopes for these heels. I ordered these for a wedding coming up and I hadn’t opened the package right away as I was out of town, when I got back I was so excited to try them on only to find that they came already scuffed on the toes and heels!! It looked like they had been worn multiple times already, so that was upsetting. In terms of fit, I ordered a size 8, and it fit true to size as far at the sole goes, as for the strap that goes from in between your toes and around your heel, it falls off after taking 3 steps and is honestly really annoying! The strap that goes across the top of your foot was also wayyy loose on my feet and didn’t help the other strap stay in place much making it super difficult to walk in them, every step felt like they were about to fly off my feet! Unfortunately, I will be returning them.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2025
D
Verified Purchase
Dawn Goodreaux
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Comfortable and cute
Size: 9, Color: Coral Leather, Size: 9, Color: Coral Leather
Loved!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2025

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