Does anyone have experience matching an Icon PS1 MKII with a Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star?

@flash56 

Both the suggestions by @tablejockey are good options.

Manley Chinook & Zesto Andros. I've listened to the Andros for a couple of years with a variety of cartridges - it's very good. musical and underrated in my opinion.

Dover, I guess you haven’t read the thread.

An update.

I take back what I said about Soundsmith. Peter Lebermann quickly responded. He said that he would supply me with a stand alone SUT for the Zephyr MIMC for a very reasonable price of $500. I have taken him up on his offer. So that problem is solved.

I am currently using an old Sonic Frontiers SFP-1. Which is a tube phono pre that uses a FET MC step-up pre. I am going to use the SUT with it through the MM inputs. And see what a SUT sounds like. Maybe I will like it, and maybe I won't. But I am intrigued enough that I want to find out. The Sonic Frontiers is getting old. The company no longer exists. And I have yet to be able to find a schematic for it. If anyone should know where I might find one. Please pass that information along, If you would be so kind.

As far as Icon Audio is concerned. Now that I will have a stand-alone SUT that matches the Zephyr. I would consider purchasing the Icon PS2 MM phono pre. But the fact that they have not yet bothered to reply to my very valid questions concerning the PS1 MKII causes me hesitation about doing business with them.

@flash56,

Parts Connection Parts Connexion services Sonic Frontiers components and does improvement mods on some.  I am quite sure they could refresh your SFP-1.  

Thanks Antinn! I will definitely check into it. It would be nice to have it refurbished. It is a good preamp. Much like the design of the Manley Chinook but without the loading resistors and capacitors being installed into dip switches. There are posts in which to solder the needed resistive or capacitance loads. It uses the same 6922s for the gain stage. It differs from the Chinook by using12AT7As for the output stage.

I want to apologize again to Soundsmith. I was just frustrated and had hoped for some guidance. I should not have taken my frustration out on them. It is really Icon that deserved all of my frustration, not Soundsmith.

In fact, it was Peter Ledermann who told me, in the first place, that if I could get a schematic from Icon that he would be happy to look at it and tell me if the circuit   allowed for a simple modification. That is what started my whole quest with Icon. Only to be told half-truths. Saying that there was no schematic simply because all that the MC circuit consisted of was a simple 1:10 transformer. They knew that I was looking to alter it to fit my needs. And when I had managed to educate myself enough, thanks to this forum and other publications, to question them on the 100Ω impedance. Simply because the math didn't play out, if it was, indeed, only a simple 1:10 transformer. And requested for a second time to be given a schematic of the MC section. That request has resulted in silence. Not even giving me a response at all. Or so it would seem. Quite possibly they are working on a response. And I will receive one eventually. If I do. I will let you know what that response is.

I feel good that Peter is doing the SUT. He will make sure that it is done correctly. As he states. Not all 1:10 transformers are necessarily a good match. The impedance of the transformer windings come into play. That can differ by the construction. How tightly together they are wound. The core. All of which can make a difference in the impedance. He designed the cartridge. And I have absolute confidence that the SUT will do the job correctly.

Thanks, one more time, for everyone's feedback and advice.