@rsf507 ,
Your are very welcome. As a matter of fact, I did hear the SG at a few audio shows...Capital Audio Fest and the High End Show in Munich. When I heard it, and if my recollection serves me right, the SG played at a level comparable to the Hyperion and other cartridges at or above it’s price class. Now, as I mentioned earlier with the other Soundsmith cartridges, the SG has some things that it does better and some things it does not based on listener feedback on various forums. Mainly, the comments I read about the SG are from Whats Best, WBF.
Before I mention this, I forgot to add, that the Hyperion does not sound close to any of the Soundsmith cartridges in their line up. That is to say, it’s organic and natural sound, especially with voices, and free flowing dynamic range, and its ability of deep information detail retrieval without noise (ticks, pops, or whatever can emanate from an LP groove as some form of noise). That’s why I made the comparison to the stone bodies.
The SG also does not sound like any Soundsmith in their lineup and has its own distinctive listening traits. Peter from Soundsmith has been known to advocate that the the SG and the Hyperion operate in the same musical and dynamic class and each one are exceptional for that, but, are for sure different. That being said, the SG does not have any major sonic traits that are similar to other Soundsmith cartridges, as with the Hyperion.
The merits of not having an external phono stage for some folks is an ideal solution which takes the guesswork out of phono matching and helps eliminate phono stage buying fatigue to “get it right”, For someone like me, starting to invest more into this hobby, and gathering numerous tonearms, and cartridges, I don’t think it is worth my investment to explore or experiment with the SG and its phono equalization/amplifier or other phono stages, since I have highly invested into an Aesthetix Io Eclipse with dual power supplies. Also, the SG, having less space requirements than other phono stages, such as the Aesthetix Io three components configurations, makes the SG highly appealing for those people who do not have the space for three large phono components. Although, the SG does have several types of electronic pickups to experiment with, as well as different power supplies, so, one can also experiment to blend the right ingredients for their own sound mix.
Not to say, that an SG can’t be part of your smorgasbord of phono sound accessories, as some of our fellow vinyl brethren thrive on such antics, and have multiple analog sources and arms to play around, LOL. I suppose that once you hone into a solution that befits your style of listening, and your are deeply satisfied, your less apt to want to experiment.
I am at a point in my audio journey that I am willing to keep experimenting with tonearms and cartridges due to advances or increased performance in this “old tech”. That’s what makes it interesting to me to see newer products, I.e, cartridges and tonearms, advancing in performance, and bringing the costs of musical nirvana down.
There will always be extremely high priced arms and cartridges and they are exceptional for what they do. Either the Hyperion or SG will make you less willing to jump on that upgrade bandwagon, until the itch to explore or experiment overcomes your listening pleasure. This is what I call “mod fever”. Analogy: When modding your sports car or Harley Davidson, you do this for performance or aesthetics, or both, but at the end of the day, your willing to invest more money into a perfectly functioning means of transportation conveyance to satisfy your own desires. I use that analogy because I own two tonearms, looking at a third, and also looking at some more costlier cartridges, diamond cantilever types, and am willing to set as side the money to try those. I definitely have “mod fever”, LOL.
The sound traits I have heard being thrown around for the SG range from what I stated above to sounding somewhat solid state to organic, but in other ways compariqble to the Hyperion. Also, some mentions here and there that the SG may have some perceived lack of deep bass. I cannot corroborate any statements about the SG, except for what I heard personally and expressed my opinion as stated above.
I don’t think you can make a bad decision either way regarding the Hyperion or SG. The decision will more than likely come down to space requirements, if it is part of your decision making process, limiting one self to a one tonearm solution and a variety of tips for the SG, or having a multitude of options with a traditional tonearm and cartridge. In a sense, your flavor for these ingredients will be vastly different than that of others. Empirical data, statistically speaking, will often show some form of swing to the left or right when portraying data, but, when we factor in the deviation factor, 1-2%, then we know, that that percentage is not the norm...I tend to think we as audiophiles, fit into that deviation factor. There are so many varying degrees of information posted on the web. You will have to extrapolate and interpret for yourself what sounds good. Good luck.
