Who it comes up against
20 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Anchored brief, the van den Hul The Frog keeps the slot decisively.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Vertere Groove Runner X gives up bass control under the Anchored weighting.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
15 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Characterful brief, the van den Hul The Crimson keeps the slot decisively.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
With the Musical Fidelity M8x Vinyl, the pairing gives up most on low-level clarity.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
4 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Goldring Eroica HX MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the Whest Audio 60Se Pro, the pairing gives up most on quietness at rest.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Whest Audio 60Se Pro gives up quietness at rest under the Silent Path weighting.
4 lost · Anchored, Characterful, Intimate, Romantic
Against the Anchored brief, the Hana EL MC keeps the slot decisively.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up bass control under the Anchored weighting.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
4 lost · Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the Sumiko Blue Point No.3 Low MC keeps the slot clearly.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up bass control under the Artisan weighting.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
3 lost · Artisan, Reference
Against the Artisan brief, the van den Hul The Colibri keeps the slot decisively.
With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
2 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Linn Kendo MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the way it sits with the rest of this system under the Twin Arms weighting.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Gold MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
2 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
2 lost · Romantic, Twin Arms
Against the Romantic brief, the van den Hul MC One Special keeps the slot decisively.
With the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the Technics S-shape magnesium tonearm (SL-1200G) gives up bass control under the Romantic weighting.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Azule Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Koetsu Onyx Platinum MC keeps the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · Vocals-First
Against the Vocals-First brief, the Ortofon MC Quintet Black S keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
1 lost · Silent Path
Against the Silent Path brief, the Rega Nd3 MM keeps the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the weaker cartridge for that brief.
It sits well above the share of the budget this brief aims at the cartridge position.
1 lost · BBC Sound
Against the BBC Sound brief, the Linn Koil MC keeps the slot clearly.
With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on bass control.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge — but it loses here on fit: the pairing with the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO) gives up bass control under the BBC Sound weighting.
gets the deep bass rightPart-Time Audiophile (Phillips), 2020
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Sumiko Songbird Low MC takes the slot decisively.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.
0 lost· 1 won · Twin Arms
Against the Twin Arms brief, the Sumiko Songbird Low MC takes the slot by a whisker.
On its own merits the Sumiko Songbird Low MC is the stronger cartridge for that brief.