I recently heard the Koetsu Coralstone cart that I thought was fantastic, but from shootouts that were done with a few of the the top carts (posted in Vinyl Asylum) well over a year ago, the Strain Gauge came out on top in listener preferences, and 1 listener thought it was a close second place.
I chose to go with that system and then even represent them as a dealer, so take it for what it's worth.
The Strain Gauge supposedly has the lightest moving mass of any cart, and therefore can more accurately trace the LP grooves. And the fact that you can replace the styli in a few seconds, and have backups on hand and multiple stylus profiles for your best and somewhat beat up LP's makes it the "best choice" for me.
Some people don't want to give up their beloved phono stages, and that 's understandable, since the Strain Gauge comes with it's own phono stage that can act as a line stage as well.
I chose to go with that system and then even represent them as a dealer, so take it for what it's worth.
The Strain Gauge supposedly has the lightest moving mass of any cart, and therefore can more accurately trace the LP grooves. And the fact that you can replace the styli in a few seconds, and have backups on hand and multiple stylus profiles for your best and somewhat beat up LP's makes it the "best choice" for me.
Some people don't want to give up their beloved phono stages, and that 's understandable, since the Strain Gauge comes with it's own phono stage that can act as a line stage as well.