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Strain Gauge catridges

voltcontrol

voltcontrol

Fizheuer Zieheuer
I've been reading into Strain Gauge catridges (never heard one unafortunately..).

Have any of you heard the Soundsmith Strain Gauge cart/pre or earlier examples (and if so, which were there?) like the Euphonics Miniconic?

How does it sound? And is this 'other' type of cart the option that will finally close the eternal MM/MC 'best type of cart' discussion by adding a third, de facto better option?

Very much looking forward to your experiences.
 
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I've been doing a lot of online research and am setting up a system soon with an experimental front end for a NOS vintage strain Guage cart. There are some members using them.
 
Which NOS cart Pio1980? I assume from your post that you've built the needed "pre"? Very interesting, would love to read/see more of this project. :)
 
I haven't heard the one from Soundsmtih but I do have a Panasonic EPC-450C II with an EPC-451C stylus I use for CD-4 quad and it sounds very nice.

At first, I thought I heard a lot more detail than from my quad magnetics but now I'm not so sure there is THAT great a difference.

I would have to do some more head-to-head comparisons to be sure.

At any rate, it is about as good as my best magnetic CD-4 cartridge (a Pickering XUV-4500Q).

Doug
 
I found someone with an EPC-450C-II to let go, I'm still on the prowl for spare 450C-II, 451, 460 cart carcasses.
Bought some preamp line stage board kits off e-Bay and am reconfiguring one of them for a front end for these carts. It's very important to ensure that the current available to the cart is limited to safe levels (4-5 mA according to someone I trust) and I have been testing that aspect at this time, the cart is still in it's box. I'm considering using LEDs as safety back-up current limiters but that may be unnecessary. Another factor is that there should be no working auto-muting on the TT/arm as it will introduce a loud 'POP' when cueing up/down.
I have yet to test the cart thru the device so no reports on performance yet, I'm being very cautious with this project
 
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Doug G. said:
I haven't heard the one from Soundsmtih but I do have a Panasonic EPC-450C II with an EPC-451C stylus I use for CD-4 quad and it sounds very nice.
Click to expand...
Thanks Doug, found a few more threads discussing SG (am I allowed to call it that? :D) when Googling the Panasonics.

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=28477&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=28750&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=127852&highlight=strain+gauge+riaa

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=293090
(Srry I didn't find this one before starting the thread..)

Some rather interesting info there for those interested in SG.
 
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I have the Soundsmith Strain Gauge. It's on a Basis 2500 with a Vector 4 arm. McIntosh c22 preamp, MC275 IV amp, Spendor c8e speakers. Since it has it's own preamplifier, I also have it connected to my c2200 preamp, which feeds a pair of c30s and an MC240 (for other rooms).

The Strain Gauge replaced both a Grado Sonata and an Ortofon 2M Black. I found the Sonata to be too dark and the 2m to be too bright.

The Strain Gauge is...just right.

I listen to mostly hard bob jazz.

The main difference I hear is a definite improvement in how immediate the music sounds. There is a crispness to a string being plucked or a cymbal being hit that just wasn't there in my other cartridges. Not to say that it's over-extended on the high end, it's actually better balanced than anything I've heard. Low bass control is outstanding. The ability for my system to resolve soundstage is also much better. I go to a lot of live events, this is the closest I've ever gotten a stereo system to sound "live." It sounds great at low volume - the only cartridge I've ever had that does. At high volume, it's simply incredible.

My wife is passive about equipment (except how it looks) and she noticed that the sound was vastly improved.

I was able to audition the Strain Gauge at Soundsmith's facility in Peekskill, NY - the owner of the firm personally demo'd his Aida cartridge and the Strain Gauge. I thought the Aida was wonderful - but the Strain Gauge was even better, especially in that all important mid-range. It also has that sense of presence and immediacy that I've never heard anywhere else.

I don't know that I'd call it a bargain. But with the stylus being easy to remove (and the way the cartridge is built, it indexes perfectly when you put it back in), I no longer worry about the cantilever snapping housekeeper (she's gotten a few of them over the years, but she's a nice person who works hard). If she and I live another 50 years, the Strain Gauge will have paid for itself.

I bought the least expensive Soundsmith preamp to go with it - the owner, Peter Lederman told me the guts are same in every preamp - the more expensive ones have nice LED gauges and readouts.
 
By the way - albums that, in the past, I found to be harsh to listen to are much better with the SG. I don't get any treble "tizz", no sibilant noises and vocals are intact without any reediness.

I can also listen to music all day without any fatigue.
 
0luke1 said:
It also has that sense of presence and immediacy that I've never heard anywhere else.
Click to expand...

Since, IMO, that's one of the thing vinyl already does really well, this must be something to behold indeed (or behear).

0luke1 said:
By the way - albums that, in the past, I found to be harsh to listen to are much better with the SG. I don't get any treble "tizz", no sibilant noises and vocals are intact without any reediness.

I can also listen to music all day without any fatigue.
Click to expand...

So wait - you're saying it's a good cartridge? (jk) ;)
 
Finding that Tizz seems to reside more in the preamp and capacitance settings than the cart itself.

Just remember SG carts can be light sensitive! :sigh:

I shine a little flashlight on mine and it gets noisy!

On your link, I would prefer to see Blu-Ray titles devoting that disc space to very high res, high bandwidth, high sample rate 2-channel transcriptions instead of multichannel. Thought the push to supplant CDs with Blu audio would have waited until after (if) the economy accelerated more.
 
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Doug G. said:
I haven't heard the one from Soundsmtih but I do have a Panasonic EPC-450C II with an EPC-451C stylus I use for CD-4 quad and it sounds very nice.
. . .
Click to expand...

:scratch2: Hmmm, ran across a Panasonic turntable that had CD-4 with no model number but a CD-4 badge on the front. My internet searches didn't reveal an exact model match and I didn't pull the cartridge. Apparently some of the TTs had built-in preamps for the CD-4.

Roger
 
Susurus said:
Haven't heard many carts. Very few were considered decent.

voltcontrol linked it already, but my WIN strain gage sounds unlike any other I've heard.
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I agree.

I have a Win STD-10 strain gauge cartridge, purchased in the middle seventies. It was designed by Dr. Sao Win. It is mounted on a Grace 707 arm and the turn table is a Strathclyde STD 305M.

I recently recapped the power supply/amplifier of the STD-10.

The dynamic range is far better than a CD, and the imaging detail is simply amazing.

That being said this is not a very compliant cartridge and it is easy to over modulate. It simply can’t play the volley of cannon fire in the 1812 Overture.

I have no experience with SoundSmith, but I do think that there is nothing that equals a SG cart.

I am running this on a vintage, (restored), Accuphase system driving Magnepan 1.6 speakers. .
 
My interest in these carts is from a perspective of minimal phase error, to which I am inordinately sensitive. While not very "Hi-Fi" sounding as a sonically pleasing filter device, I find mine one of the most 'honest' components I've experienced thus far. If someone seeks a phono playback system without a sound of it's own, one of these on a turntable with minimal euphonic sonic character is a good place to start.
 
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