Soundsmith Zephyr MK III ES Phono Cartridge Review

I played this album a few times on my system before adding the Zephyr MK III ES. I found it far superior to the CDs I'd listened to, with excellent tone on Miles' trumpet and a deep and wide soundstage. But when I listened to it the first time with the Zephyr MK III ES, it was another level of cool. Right off the bat, the surface noise was down, significantly. Secondly, the soundstage was deeper and wider than I have ever heard on my system before. James Cobb's snare had more snap and his high hat took on more air. Song after song, I was completely engaged in the music.

Back when I was starting to get serious about audio equipment, a long-time audiophile friend of mine offered me his collection of back issues of The Absolute Sound. I was a fan of TAS and eagerly accepted. For the next few months, night after night, I read, from cover to cover, all of those issues in chronological order. It was a fascinating dig into the early history of high-end audio and the culture that developed around it. One of the important discoveries made by Harry Pearson and his minions, was the sonic superiority of the old RCA "Shaded Dog" and Mercury records.

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• Zephyr MK III