Considering the the reputation of Sumiko's venerable Blue Point and Blackbird moving-coil cartridges, its easy to see how their more affordable line of moving magnet cartridges is so often overlooked. It's fair to say that manufacturers like Ortofon, Grado, and Audio-Technica dominate the market for moving magnet cartridges, but the Sumiko Pearl is certainly a capable competitor.
With smooth presentation and a warm mid-range, the Pearl also does a great job of reducing surface noise without sacrificing detail at high frequencies. Improved channel separation allows for fantastic stereo imaging, while the elliptical stylus and wide frequency response (12 – 30Khz) extract and present a surprising level of depth, with strong rhythm sections and bass.