Sumiko Phono Cartridges has announced the Songbird Low Output moving coil cartridge. Distributed in the UK by Henley Audio, Sumiko offers an array of phono pick-up cartridges to turntable users across the world.

Part of the McIntosh Group Inc, Sumiko is managed in the USA, with product manufactured in Japan.

Sumiko Songbird Low Output MC Cartridge

The Songbird Low Output, forms part of Sumiko”s Reference Series, and sees its maker build on the revelatory Songbird High Output design. Sumiko says that the High Output model “brings all the detail and impact of a moving coil cartridge, yet also includes the electrical characteristics to make it compatible with any high-quality moving magnet phono preamp – ideal for music systems that lack a proper moving coil phono stage”.

With the new Low Output cartridge design, the Sumiko design team again takes inspiration from the company’s range-topping Starling model and reduces the number of high-purity copper coils, allowing the engineers to further reduce the cartridge’s moving mass, and meaning the stylus can trace even finer details on the record’s surface.

Adding this enhanced tracking ability to the Songbird’s low-vibration construction and open generator design helps create a cartridge of, they say, “unparalleled performance at its price point”.

Price

The SUMIKO Songbird Low Output is now available, priced £899.95.

Low Output Songbird Tech Specs:

Cartridge Type: Moving Coil

Frequency Response:  12 Hz- 40 kHz

Output Voltage/Channel: 0.5 mV

Channel Separation: 30 dB (1 kHz)

Channel Balance: <0.5 dB (1 kHz)

Compliance:  12 x 10-6 cm/dyne

Stylus Shape/Size: Elliptical/ .3 x .7 micron

Internal Impedance: 28 Ω

Load Impedance: <100 Ω

Tracking Force Range:  1.8-2.2 Grams

Recommended Force: 2.0 Grams

Cartridge Weight: 8.5 Grams

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