Soundsmith ZEPHYR MIMC Guide

8 John Walsh Boulevard, Suite 417 Telephone [phone]
Peekskill, New York 10566 Fax [phone]
ZEPHYR MIMC STAR MOVING IRON PHONO CARTRIDGE rev1
Owner’s Manual and Technical Description
Mounting Instructions
The Zephyr MIMC Star has the ability to accept long mounting screws into its body due to
the unique design. You do not need to use screws of an exact required length. You must,
however, make sure that since the screws first enter the relatively soft threaded composite
material before they enter the brass, that they are threaded correctly. They should not bind,
or cross thread. If you encounter difficulty inserting the screws while turning, stop
immediately and make sure the screws are the proper 2.5mm metric thread, and that you
have not started them in at an improper angle.
Electrical Loading
The Zephyr MIMC Star is designed to be used with a Moving Coil Preamp at about 63dB
of gain. Some have successfully used the Zephyr MIMC Star with a Moving Magnet
preamp, assuming that there is sufficient gain in both the MM preamp stage and following
it.
The new Zephyr MIMC Star requires a MINIMUM RESISTIVE LOAD of 470 Ohms, with
best loading determined by your system and your listening preferences. Usually, this is
between 470 and 1000 Ohms. There is no harm in using a 47K typical MM load, but you
may experience a peaked high end. Capacitive loading may reduce that effect somewhat to
a satisfactory degree. Again, loading requirements will be determined by your system, and
your personal listening preferences. PLEASE NOTE that loading well below 470 Ohms
will result in loss of high frequencies.
Please also note that some designs of “current amplifier” preamp circuits will not allow
loading in the range required, causing the Zephyr MIMC Star to sound very dull – caused
by improper loading, resulting in loss of high frequencies.
Unlike other low output cartridges, the Zephyr MIMC Star is a six sided fully shielded
cartridge, and being such, is one of the world most hum-free and RF free cartridges. When
properly used with shielded cable from your tone-arm, there should be no hum whatsoever.

Tracking Force
The Zephyr MIMC Star is designed to operate between 1.6 grams and 2.2 grams. Optimal
force is usually 1.9 – 2.0 grams, but may be marked on each cartridge box. Higher VTF
may be used, but will result in the cartridge eventually “bottoming” on the record. The
cartridge is designed such that no damage will occur to the record or cartridge when that
happens.
Hookup
Normal color codes are used for hookup: as viewed from the rear of the cartridge in the
normal position, RED is top right, White is top left. Grounds are below them, green on the
right, blue on the left.
Questions, questions, questions….
“Does the Zephyr MIMC Star require special stylus cleaning??
The answer is YES.
CLEANING:
It is highly advisable to dry clean each time before playing, as described below.
How do I clean the stylus?? Do I use a wet cleaner each time, or often? ……..NO!!!
A DRY soft brush is somewhere between good and “OK”, but it is far better is to use
some “Blue Tak”– this is the blue clay-like stuff you get in the hardware store stationery
department that is used to stick papers and light things to the wall without damaging the
wall surface. Use it just before or after every play. Squash a small ball flat onto a heavy
coin – such as a quarter. Then place THAT coin on the platter. Then cue DOWN and up on
the Blue-Stik several times. Be VERY care full not to DRAG the coin or turn the platter
when the stylus is down on the Blue-Stik or you risk damaging the stylus or cartridge.
Do this several times, each time slightly moving the Blue Stik to a new spot when the
stylus is raised, so that when it comes down it hits a new spot.
Using this method every record should eliminate the need to wet clean ever, BUT if this
doesn’t cure a distortion problem due to debris build up, THEN either use the supplied
brush and some RUBBING alcohol (minimum 70% - NO COLORING OR FRAGRANCE)
and gently stroke the stylus from the back to front only. Only wet clean when the dry clean
doesn’t work.
DO NOT WET CLEAN OFTEN - TO DO SO WILL POTENTIALLY CAUSE SEVERE

DAMAGE TO THE STYLUS MOUNTING AND CAUSE THE DIAMOND TO COME
OFF. USE THE ABOVE BLUE-STIK METHOD.
If you don’t have a good VERY SOFT brush, purchase a WATERCOLOR brush with non-
synthetic fibers, one that has bristles that are about 1/8” in cross section. CUT the bristles
straight across with a small scissors, making them about 1/8” long. Break or cut off the
wood handle so the brush is VERY SHORT, and has very little wood handle. This will
minimize accidents and reduce jitter when handling and using.
RECORD CLEANING:
DO NOT TALK towards your records. They are neither listening, not do they need a
talking to. You need to listen to them. The reason is this: when you talk, you spit. Yes, even
you. Fine drops. You cannot see them because the record is textured with grooves. When
the stylus hits the dried spit, this GLUE then sticks to all the dirt and dust in the grooves. It
only takes a few revolutions for this to happen, and so much debris can build up on the
stylus, you will have worse than distortion – The stylus may not even track the
record…as below…..
< BEFORE …. AFTER >>
What do I suggest?? A record cleaner – It’s a MUST HAVE item for any record
enthusiast. How much do you invest in one?? As much as you are able – the return will be
many times its cost.
Cleaning your records well is the BEST investment you can make in protecting that great
sound of your analog system.
How long will my Zephyr MIMC Star stylus last?
All diamond styli last approximately 1000 hours when aligned and used correctly.
Soundsmith can re-tip your Zephyr MIMC Star in or out of warranty. The Zephyr MIMC
Star is fully warranteed against manufacturing defect for a period of TWO YEARS to the
original owner. Unlike many other manufacturers of fine cartridges, you will find that
The Soundsmith is very interested in protecting your investment over the long term.
If the Zephyr MIMC Star suffers a non-warranty failure due to severe mishandling, it
can be fully rebuilt at this time for $350 maximum charge.
How long will my Zephyr MIMC Star last?

All diamond styli last approximately 1000 hours when aligned and used correctly.
Soundsmith can re-tip your Zephyr MIMC Star for a fee of $350 at this time, restoring the
diamond to new condition. If the Ruby cantilever is snapped, we can still rebuild the
cartridge. Unlike many other manufacturers of fine cartridges, you will find that The
Soundsmith is very interested in protecting your investment over the long term.
Adjustments
We have included a few pages on cartridge alignment with your Zephyr MIMC Star, which
you are strongly encouraged to read and follow. Although the Zephyr MIMC Star will
perform satisfactorily without critical alignment, we strongly advise you do attempt to do
so, just as you would balance the tires on your car before expecting the best performance
from them. It is strongly advisable therefore, to perform cartridge alignments to the best of
your ability. One must therefore align an advanced stylus design carefully and correctly to
enjoy its benefits. While some expensive cartridge designs employ lower cost, less
aggressive styli shapes and therefore enjoy the benefit of ease of alignment, they can also
suffer at times from less than optimal performance. We made the decision to use one of the
best stylus shapes available, to allow those who demand the best performance possible to
realize such if careful alignment and record care are employed.
Azimuth
An approximate azimuth setting can be viewed by looking at the front of the cartridge,
while it is playing mid-point on a record. By looking at the gap between the metal bottom
of the cartridge and the record surface, one should attempt to make this gap even. Back-
lighting this can help to visualize this gap. Best azimuth is obtained by obtaining equal
channel separation via a test record – NOT far off from this position. A fozgometer or other
types of azimuth testing gear will likely NOT work well with Soundsmith cartridges due to
their extreme separation capability.
Stylus Rake Angle – (or VTA)
Normal SRA is achieved when the cartridge, as viewed from the side, has its top FLAT of
the body (underneath the headshell) parallel with the surface of the record. This may also
correspond with a non-tapered arm being parallel with the record surface. Adjustment up
or down from that point will affect the high frequency performance and imaging. There are
many suggestions as how to tweak this – far too many to cover here.
Some thoughts about the Zephyr MIMC Star
What happens to the energy that is “Stored”?? The energy that goes up the cantilever
moves the generating element. If that can be made small enough, good things happen. But
what happens to the energy that goes into the cartridge body?? The Zephyr MIMC Star
employs a very unique “Energy Distribution System” to insure that the energy gets into the
cartridge body properly, and into the waiting tone arm to be damped. It is one of the
features of the Zephyr MIMC Star, and one of the major contributing design efforts

towards perfection.
Moving mass
Magnetic cartridges have three elements necessary to generate a voltage; a magnet, coil
assemblies, and an “iron” or ferrous component of some shape. The performance of any
magnetic cartridge is largely dependent on how little “moving mass” it has; this is both the
mass of the stylus at the end of the cantilever, as well as the total mass of the voltage
generating parts that the stylus must move. While there are some advantages to specific
designs, both moving magnet and moving coil cartridges are at a distinct disadvantage in
regard to moving mass as they are required to move either a relatively large magnet, or a
“coil assembly”. The coil assembly is in reality is a series of wire windings often on a metal
core, more properly labeled as an “armature”.
In a moving iron design, one has the potential to reduce the moving mass to a very small
value by virtue of the having the required two relatively massive elements (coils and
magnet) held in fixed position.
It is important to understand that while it is true that all designs have trade-offs, a designer
must arrange the order of trade-offs carefully. Reducing moving mass is at the top of the
list for Soundsmith; less inertia in the generating elements means faster starts and faster
stops. It also means a much easier job of damping the unwanted “ringing” of the moving
system, a system that must make sudden, accurate and controlled directional changes to
follow the grooves of a record.
In order to obtain accurate vinyl reproduction, the stylus must remain in near constant
contact with the groove walls. The larger the moving mass, the greater the jittering of the
stylus, meaning that it is in reality taking “samples” of the groove walls from moment to
moment, and averaging or guessing at what is taking place in between those samples. A
“digital” sort of rendering, if you will. Lower mass? Less jitter. Less jitter means more time
in contact with the groove, which means detail and micro detail. If a cartridge can’t stay in
contact with the groove walls, you can’t hear everything that is on the record. In a very real
sense, it’s that simple.
The obvious question, “Why doesn’t everyone make cartridges this way, if reducing the
moving mass is an absolute requirement for accuracy?” the answer to that is simple as well.
It’s very hard to do so. A properly designed Moving Iron cartridge requires an ultra-high
level of precision in manufacturing, and potentially low product yield. It is not the best path
for profitability, only sonic ability.
Another advantage of this design is the inherent high level of channel separation. Unlike
MC cartridges, a rotation of the generating element in The Zephyr MIMC Star (moving
iron) due to manufacturing tolerances or aging does not affect the separation at all.
Furthermore, unlike moving coil cartridges, our Moving Iron designs CANNOT rotate out
of position, maintaining the critical azimuth position for the life of the cartridge.

It is our hope that your carefully crafted, hand-made Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star
cartridge will bring you many years of listening pleasure. The simple fact is, when we sit at
a microscope for hours making each one, that is primary in our thoughts……we hope that
each one will bring some joy to the listener.
Peter Ledermann
President