Soundsmith Helios MKII Medium Output Phono Cartridge

The Helios features an industry first: A 10 year free retipping service for stylus wear to the original owner.

Our new medium output design, the Helios is otherwise technically identical to the Hyperion. The Hyperion is the cartridge of choice for the most esteemed audio equipment manufacturers. Why? Because when they exhibit their gear at Hi-Fi shows, they want their turntable, amplifier or speaker systems to sound the very best that they can! Peter Ledermann‘s radical design utilizes an actual “cactus spine” for the cantilever. The naturally tapered shape, stacked columnar fibers and desiccated resin damping fit the exact parameters of the perfect cantilever: Low mass, extreme rigidity, internal damping, and tremendous strength. Also available in a Dual Compliance Design for older Linear Tracking turntables as the Hyperion LT. Hyperion are offered with a choice of CL or OC-CL stylus.

SPECIFICATIONS

Output Medium

Output Voltage 1.1 mV

Type: • Fixed Coil / Moving Iron

Mount: • Standard ½”

Stylus: • Contact Line, Nude, 0.10 mm square

Radius of Curvature: • Contact Line or Optimized Contact Line

Cantilever: • Hand formed/treated selected Cactus “Spine”

Recommended Tracking Force: • 1.8 – 2.2 g

Effective Tip Mass: • 0.30 mg

Compliance: • 12 μm/mN vertical, 7 μm/mN horizontal

10 μm/mN (LT version)

Frequence Response: • 20 – 20,000 Hz ± 1.0 dB

Channel Separation @ 1000 Hz: • > 36 dB

> 34 dB (LT version)

N/A (Mono version)

Channel Separation @ 50 – 15,000 Hz: • > 25 dB

N/A (Mono version)

Channel Difference: • < 0.5 dB

< 1.0 dB (Mono version)

Output Voltage @ 5cm/sec: • > 1.10 mV (MEDIUM)

DC Resistance (DCR): • 110Ω

Coil Inductance per channel: • 30 mH

Suggested Preamp Gain: • 48 – 54 dB

Cartridge Weight: • 10.25 g

Recommended Load Resistance: • ≥ 1.5kΩ

Recommended Load Capacitance: • n/a