Product Review

Sumiko's Pearl is Sonic Elegance Defined Designed by audiophiles, for audiophiles, the Pearl offers a surprising amount of refinement at a very reasonable price. Smooth and extended top frequencies, free of grain and with low surface noise, the Pearl has very good resolution and a touch of midrange warmth make it the ideal choice for all types of music. Like all Sumiko cartridges, the Pearl offers excellent rhythmic drive with solid bass and good propulsion of the lower frequencies. Sumiko cartridges have long been known for offering a high level of performance, but the Pearl's level of musical involvement is unusual in cartridges at this level. The Pearl's elliptical grind stylus offers low noise and high tracking ability. Taking advantage of the stylus's capabilities, Sumiko created a high-power generating system for the Pearl with fewer windings than traditional MM designs allowing the Pearl to offer higher output without sonic penalty. Although much attention has been lavished on Sumiko's higher end designs, we believe the Pearl deserves equal attention. Everyone knows reviewers like expensive cartridges and few will consider inexpensive cartridges. Sumiko's Pearl is a truly excellent MM cartridge, we feel the Pearl is the jewel of the line and should be on any analog lover's short list.