Covid strikes Peter Lederman of Soundsmith

 I just learned that Peter Lederman, the man behind Soundsmith cartridges and mainstay of analog excellence, has been stricken with Covid-19 for the second time in year. This has had a devastating effect on his health but he is apparently making a solid recovery. Amazingly, he’s been updating folks by posting on Audiogon where there’s an active thread — find it here

I’ve been an interest admirer of the Soundsmith line for years, at least since calling them once about a repair on a very expensive Clearaudio that I accidentally wrecked (the memory is still painful), and having the phone answered by the man himself who talked me down from the ledge and explained my options. In the end Clearaudio (or rather their importer, Musical Surroundings) stepped in to help but I decided then that a Soundsmith cartridge was in my future. Well, it has not happened yet and I realized when reading the news that if we wait too long, we risk losing the chance if talent like this disappears. Peter seems on the mend, thankfully, but it’s made me prioritize my next analog purchase come cartridge-replacement time. In the meantime, spin an album, and send the man a note via A’gon. We’re all in this together.