Soundsmith Sussurro MkII re-evaluated

[drrsutliff]

Size of arms 9 or 12 inch
I own a 12 it allows me to play the ss smkii gold
Very well

Both of the arms are currently 9.5” arms.

 

[drrsutliff]

Can you expand on how the Hyperion and the Paua are a contrast to each other?

The Hyperion MR provides levels of detail and expression across my audible spectrum that are balanced and vibrant. This presentation not only provides amazing detail as to soundstage and each musician/instrument in their space, but allows those great delineating details to come together as an interlaced musical performance. It can allow me to feel that special interaction between the players that makes it music… musicians actually playing with each other while maintaining intense detail that I have found to not reintegrate in this way on some some other comparable cartridges.

My focus on reproduction is strongly focused on tone and texture. The ability to trace and reproduce those are very present in both the Paua II and Hyperion MR, but the Paua does not have as open of expression in the treble and actually provides a little perceived increase density in the mids possibly with a decrease in micro refinement. The Hyperion is also able to nuance and present bass textures better. Both cartridges required intense setup to reveal their abilities and with each iteration of improvement they rewarded the efforts. SmarTractor and Analogue Magik were employed in that endeavor. So ultimately The Paua may be a little more forgiving but it does it in a way that does not fail in tone and texture reproduction and still provides engaging reproduction that draws me into the music.

 

[Dogberry]

Thank you.

 

[audioquest4life]

Great information and comparisons. I recently received my Hyperion OCL select back from Peter with a rebuild employing the MR diamond. After a few hours for it to settle in it now sounds amazing. Peter was even impressed during his evealution after the rebuild and told me I should never part with this cartridge. I have it mounted on an Origin Live Enterprise IV tonearm. I have a Paua II on my second arm (OL Conqueror IV) and they are a great contrast to each other. Previous cartridges were the Windfeld ti and a Miyajima Madake

How did you get an MR Diamond for the Hyperion OCL? I don’t see that as an option on the Soundsmith website and they explicitly state that no previous generation of cartridge can be upgraded to new generation. I think I would like to try this route or maybe trade in my Hyperion for the newer MR version. Have you noticed any major differences or sound improvements with the Hyperion MR variant compared to the Hyperion OCL variant?

The only cartridges I own that have MR tips are the Benz-LPS and Benz Ruby-Z and they are fantastic.

 

[drrsutliff]

I love the Hyperion but think the MR stylus does bring a little more clarity to an already stellar presentation. I had a long discussion with Peter about my cartridge when he evaluated it for a rebuild and I inquired about the chance to do the MR which was agreed upon as a one off I guess. I was not aware of the statement on their site about the MR not being available for previous generations when I inquired…