Particularly adept with vocals & acoustic instruments, we’ve 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. If you’ve got an MM phono section, 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, 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 maximizes the refinement of your MC system at a price that’s well below reasonable considering the performance it achieves.
 
Our Latest Reference Open-Body MCs
We are immeasurably excited about these recent additions to our Reference open-body MC lineup. Our latest darlings — Songbird & Starling — are a heavy refinement on our tried & true Blackbird & BPS EVO III designs. Securely anchored to a highly rigid, resonance-optimized headblock, our new generator 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 we couldn’t be more proud of, nor more excited for you to hear for yourself.
 
Trade In or Trade Up
As user-replaceable styli are not on an option for moving coil phono cartridges, remember that any of our MCs, functional or otherwise, can be returned to your dealer in a re-tip exchange — a discount on the same cartridge or one model up, sparing you expense when your stylus heads south!
 
Hand-Crafted in Japan
From Oyster to Reference, each Sumiko phono cartridge is crafted by hand in Yokohama, Japan — near the waters where our namesake Oysters dwell. We’ve selected by ear the finest materials that combine to deliver performance that has enlightened generations of listeners. Each design is thoroughly auditioned until perfected. Production is then executed by world-class cartridge makers with a collective eye for precision & quality. The result is a full horizon of cartridges eager to introduce themselves to your analog system — we firmly believe there’s a perfect cartridge for you here.