The Soundsmith Norma Cartridge is a Medium output, otherwise identical to Aida; itself a triumph of Soundsmith Engineering, Stereophile Class “A” rated, a rarity at its price point and for good reasons. The Aida employs a single crystal Ruby Cantilever and our Optimized Contour Line Contact Stylus; we did this to resolve the challenges of playing the inner grooves with the same level of confidence as the outer. So how did we do this?
Stylus: Contact Line Nude, 0.100mm SQ
Radius of curvature: OCL (Optimized Contour Contact Line)
Cantilever: Ruby
Recommended tracking force: 10mN / 1.0 gm (high), 13mN / 1.3 gm (medium)
Effective tip mass: 0.30 mg
Compliance: 28 μm/mN (high), 22 μm/mN (medium)
Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz ±2.5 dB
Channel separation (stereo only): 1000 Hz >30 dB, 50-15,000 >20 dB
Channel difference: <1.0 dB (Stereo) <1.0 dB (Mono)
Output voltage (Norma): 1.1 mV
Cartridge weight: 6.8 grams
Loading (Norma): ≥ 1.5 kΩ
See Soundsmith product range HERE