Soundsmith Irox Phono Cartridge

The Irox Ultimate is engineered with a ruggedized chassis designed to withstand accidental bumps or rough handling that would typically damage a standard delicate cartridge. While it is not invincible, it offers significantly higher durability, making it an excellent choice for households with children or high-traffic listening environments.

Because each unit is handmade to order, Soundsmith can calibrate the cartridge's suspension and performance parameters to match the specific compliance and gain requirements of your turntable and phono preamp. When ordering, you will provide details about your equipment so the factory can optimize the cartridge for your unique signal chain.

Yes. This is a high-output Moving Iron cartridge that is designed to be compatible with standard Moving Magnet (MM) phono inputs. Its output voltage of over 2.12 mV ensures it will integrate seamlessly without needing a step-up transformer or specialized moving coil gain.

The cartridge features specialized Alumina inserts that allow for precise physical alignment of the stylus relative to the record groove. This ensures optimal channel separation and soundstage imaging, though we recommend having a professional or experienced enthusiast perform this adjustment to ensure the stylus is perfectly perpendicular to the record surface.

Yes, Soundsmith offers a comprehensive rebuild and retipping service for their cartridges. Since the stylus is a Nude Elliptical diamond, it will eventually wear down, and you can send the unit back to the factory to have the stylus replaced and the suspension refreshed.

At 10.25 grams, this is a moderately heavy cartridge. You should verify that your tonearm's counterweight can balance this mass; most standard tonearms will handle it easily, but if you have a very lightweight arm, you may need to ensure your counterweight has enough travel to accommodate the extra weight.