Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable Cartridge
SKU: 12764559484

Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable Cartridge

Sale price$1647.00 Regular price$1830.00
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Description

Soundsmith Aida MKII Turntable CartridgeAIDA MKII A triumph of Soundsmith Engineering, Stereophile Class A rated, a rarity at its price point and for good reasons. The Aida MKII employs a laser drilled Sapphire cantilever with ultra low mass Contact Line stylus; we did this to resolve the challenges of playing the inner grooves with the same level of confidence as the outer. How did we do this? The unique stylus shape of our CL stylus has a sharper playing surface on the faceted diamond,

AIDA MKII

A triumph of Soundsmith Engineering, Stereophile Class “A” rated, a rarity at its price point – and for good reasons.

The Aida MKII employs a laser drilled Sapphire cantilever with ultra-low mass Contact Line stylus; we did this to resolve the challenges of playing the inner grooves with the same level of confidence as the outer. How did we do this? The unique stylus shape of our CL stylus has a “sharper” playing surface on the faceted diamond, allowing it to ride easily into the groove modulations of even the most difficult passages and high frequency information that other cartridges simply cannot trace. The result — a truly superb cartridge, surpassing top MC designs with air, focus and sound staging no cartridge at this price should be able to achieve.

The Aida cartridge is a Stereophile A-rated cartridge, meaning it is in the "price is no object" category and was the cheapest cartridge there.

Soundsmith carefully hand-builds every cartridge, tests them, and keeps accurate records by serial number of their performance. Those that meet or exceed specifications are sold, and the ones that don't are broken down and recycled. 

Soundsmith took moving iron technology and perfected it. This design offers lower effective moving mass, causing the stylus to stay in better contact with the groove walls. High-gain moving coil preamps are not required, as the Aida is designed to be used with a moving magnet preamp.

New EM Series DEMS Design

What is DEMS??

“Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.” – Peter Ledermann.

2018’s RMAF show was the official launch of Soundsmith’s new ES series of cartridges, where the attendees experienced the latest exploration into overlooked areas of cartridge design and solutions from Soundsmith.

The ES line features not only a dramatic new look, but is a significant evolution of the DEMS system design (Dynamic Energy Management System). The new Soundsmith ES cartridge designs are a significant advancement in cartridge performance due to their ability to direct internal vibrational forces without reflection and disperse them properly to the tone arm. The absence of reflections enables the stylus to stay in far greater statistical contact with the groove walls — a critically important technical refinement. Increased liquidity and reduced “grain,” without loss of detail are some of the immediately discernible advantages of Soundsmith’s new ES models.

The new line also features Azimuth adjustment built-in to each cartridge, as well as the option for electrical isolation for hum-prone systems. (see picture below)

Every cartridge in Soundsmith’s lineup will now feature our sleek new ES body design. The upgrade is far more than cosmetic; the new shape is a departure from the reflective and “boxy” design of many cartridges whose internal construction contribute to uncontrolled vibrational issues adversely affecting performance. Peter says, “Think of how singing in an open field compares with singing in a shower.” Soundsmith has always challenged conventions, looking deeper into nuances of cartridge design that dramatically affect immediate and long term performance. These have included extreme reductions of moving mass and the use of novel materials and designs. The new ES lineup is a continuation of that research and development.

ES Series Mounting

The new ES has some special mounting features that you need to be aware of.

Sometimes when mounting on a grounded metal arm, a cartridge will create hum due to a ground loop. If you experience some low level hum due to ground loop, you can now solve this issue by using the two half-round white rods which are to be placed and used in the OUTER slots, seen on the top of the cartridge. Place them flat side UP.

The rods are made of Alumina, and are insulating, thus allowing ground isolation for your cartridge without compromising the crucial mechanical energy transfer into the tone arm. This energy transfer is maintained due to the use of Alumina, which has the same properties as aluminum, but is non-conductive. Due to the novel body design of the ES cartridge, electrical isolation can still be maintained even though you may use metal screws.

On tone arms that do not allow azimuth adjustment, it is now possible to achieve this adjustment by way of the ES series by using the one full round alumina rod in the center slot only, alternately tightening and loosening the mounting screws by small amounts.

Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
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Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
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SKU: 12764559484

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Jamie B
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Durable , dogs love them !
Size: 2 Count (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 2, Size: 2 Count (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 2
These chuck it balls are a fan favorite of my own dogs and my foster pups . So much so I have sent my foster home with them when they go to their new families! I seriously need an endless supply !
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Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2026
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Lexie
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
Whistles when thrown
Size: 2 Count (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 2
One of my shepherd’s favorites! Truly does whistle when you throw it! Good quality!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2026
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Chris Hoekstra
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Whistle away my friend!
Size: 2 Count (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 2
Love it! My dog loves it! The people at the dog park love it! The whistle is the best thing about these balls but the hard durable rubber and the denseness of the ball really make it fly. Let me quickly breakdown each of these: First the sound is like a...well, whistle coming from a human but oscillating and slightly different. It helps the dogs track where it goes and helps them find it better when it is getting dark (while flying of course, not when it is stationary). It barely makes a sound when throwing it with the wind but really howls when throwing it into the wind. This is why you get this ball and most everyone at the dog park perks up and wonders what that is, asks about it, and thinks it is very cool; which it is! Next is the durable rubber which doesn't have a single bite mark or split yet in 4 months of constant daily play for about 1 1/2 hours every day! The dog chews it as he brings it back and other dogs steal the ball and run with it while "killing" it perpetually and it has held up great. I don't claim this is going to be Kong ball durable but it is very well chosen rubber. Last is the denseness of the ball which really makes to go far in a chuckit launcher. One doesn't really notice how far this goes until going back to a tennis ball and realizing how short a tennis ball goes compared to this. The whistler ball, and presumably other chuckit rubber balls (glow, irregular bounce), go 30-40% farther when I throw then using the longest chuckit thrower. This is excellent and wears my retriever out even faster; not to mention the rippling muscles he has from sprinting that whole way! Overall I got both ball several months ago and we started with the blue ball and haven't had to touch the orange one yet. This is his goto ball at the park and it is the most popular ball, bar none, for all the dogs to steal. The bright blue aspect, the rubber aspect, the sound, and exclusivity of it make it coveted by dogs and owners. I might be gushing and glowing over this ball a bit much but I tend to do that when something unexpected ends up being part of your everyday life and blows you away at how wonderful it is.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2012
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Murzeig
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Great for dogs that are chewers
Size: 2 Count (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 2
These are wonderful for our dog. The bright colors help us find them when our dog can't. The size is perfect to play fetch. Our dog will chew on it a bit and it stays together and does not fall apart. That is a big bonus because our dog is a chewer!
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Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2026
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Drippy
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
It's A Whistler!
Size: Medium (Pack of 1), Style: Pack of 1
This Chuckit! Whistler Ball is basically a regular fetch toy that decided to become an annoying little teakettle mid-air. My dog goes absolutely nuts for it—every throw sounds like a tiny referee is shrieking "foul!" the whole way across the yard. He chases it harder than he chases the mailman, and bonus: I can actually find it in tall grass because it's screaming for help. Super bouncy, tough enough that he hasn't destroyed it yet (miracle), and now our walks sound like a low-budget horror movie.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2026

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