Sumiko Songbird Moving Coil Cartridge

Regular price £899.00
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Sumiko's Songbird offers rich, clear sound with sweet highs and natural imaging—placing you among the instruments for an intimate listening experience.


Free Next Day Delivery*

Free next weekday delivery

When you spend over £75, we will send you a tracking number where DPD will give a one hour delivery window. Services available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) to most mainland UK addresses for in stock items ordered before our cut-off time at 3:30pm. Terms apply.

Free Saturday delivery 

When you spend over £299. We will send you a tracking number where DPD will give a one hour delivery window. Services available to most mainland UK addresses for in stock items ordered before our cut-off time on Friday 3pm. Terms apply.

Free Sunday delivery 

When you spend over £299. We will send you a tracking number where DPD will give a one hour delivery window. Services available to most mainland UK addresses for in stock items ordered before our cut-off time on Saturday 2pm. (Sunday delivery location) Terms apply.

Reserve for Collection  

Some of our manufacturers request for their items not to be sold online. For these items please call to order 01925 828009

Remote locations

Standard next day delivery is free for all orders to most UK mainland addresses. All other delivery prices are determined by the destination, the service chosen and the value and weight of your order. Addresses in the Scottish Highlands, offshore, Northern Ireland & Ireland may incur additional delivery costs, depending on the items ordered.

Returns Policy

If for any reason you’re not completely satisfied with your purchase, we’re happy to offer a refund within 30 days, provided you inform us of your intention within 14 days of receiving your item and return it to us within the 30-day period.

For our full returns policy, click here.

Particularly adept with vocals & acoustic instruments, Sumiko created Songbird to make genuine moving coil imaging available to any listener. It delivers the sweetest highs over a robust, rich yet clear low-midrange. Like its big sibling Starling, Songbird suspends sonic images in a highly controlled manner. As opposed to music being flung from your speakers, you’re placed among the naturally-positioned instruments in the soundstage, close in proximity to the intimate nuances of the musical material.

Open Body Design

The Songbird and the superior Starling model are a heavy refinement on the long-standing Blue Point Special EVO III design. Securely anchored to a highly rigid, resonance-optimised headblock, the specialised generator system is free to work its magic with the utmost control, free of unwanted internal resonance. The generator assembly is flexible and sturdy, offering the highest fidelity possible in a perfect balance of clarity and romance. The result is industry-leading, holographic imaging with irresistibly ‘true’ sweetness. Each delivers a degree of honesty & refinement that you couldn't be more impressed by.

High or Low?

Sumiko are the market-leaders in high-output Moving Coil designs. So if you have an MM phono stage but want a premium MC experience, there’s a good chance Songbird High is the cartridge you’ve been dreaming about.

Clear and ultra-musical with just the right degree of warmth, the Songbird Low offers an even deeper soundstage with greater reach width-wise. As it’s generally more quiet thus allowing more detail to surface, you’ll be shocked by the surprises it yields even in the recordings you’re most familiar with. Stunningly holographic in a manner that approaches that of Starling, Songbird Low maximises the refinement of your MC system at a price that’s well below reasonable considering the performance it achieves.

Specifications

Channel Balance (@ 1000Hz): < 0.5 dB
Channel Separation (@ 1000Hz): 30 dB
Channel Separation (@ 15000Hz): 20 dB
Frequency Range (@ -3dB): 6000 Hz
Frequency Response: 12 - 40000 dB
Tracking Ability (@ 315Hz at Recommended Tracking Force): 70 μm
Compliance, Dynamic, Lateral: 12 μm
Stylus Type: 0.3 x 0.7mil Elliptical
Tracking Force Range: 1.8 - 2.2 g
Recommended Tracking Force: 2.0 g
Tracking Angle: 20 °
Magnet Type: Alnico
Cantilever Material: 0.5⌀ Specially Processed Aluminium
Coil Wire Material: Pure Copper
Recommended Load Capacitance: 100 - 200 pF
Cartridge Weight: 8.5 g
Output Voltage: 0.5 mV
Internal Impedance: 28 Ω
Recommended Load Impedance: > 100 Ω

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