Would Like To Hear From Strain Gauge Owners

Hi Tom,

Vac Man's review describes the sound quite well, especially in relation to a ZYX UNIverse. I have had a SG for about six months and have owned four UNIverse carts so I feel confident about this comparison. When compared with some of the very best MCs,IMHO of course, it still stands up very well but I could see where some systems might benefit from another type of cartridge and phonostage combo. It is a complicated question to answer with no single correct answer. It is like when three friends of mine, whom all love pizza, went out to eat. We all ordered different toppings and all thought their pizzza was the best.

Come out to Boise and I will demo several great carts against the SG. Decide for yourself.

The Strain Guage definitely has its supporters. I heard it only in several shows. I came away loving the Voice & finding the Strain Gauge more analytical like CD. I think it is an extremely accurate cartridge. Is it what you are looking for will depend on your systen. Remember I am premising my comments based on brief listening. Others have agreed w me from the same experience.

Dear Slowhand: I'm not an owner but maybe what I posted on it could help you, at least is an opinion on the subject:

+++++ " Dear vac man: Very nice audio system you own and very nice review you made, congratulations for both!!!!, you are very good writer/reviewer.

I always try to put things on the " right " perspective ( for me and IMHO ) to understand it and to take benefit of/on it.

I own/owned and heard all the cartridges named here including your beloved SG and my experiences about were a little different from yours.

First I have to tell that as important is the matching in tonearm/MC-MM cartridge as important is the Phonolinepreamp ( maybe more critical that what we think ) where the cartridge signal must pass through.

I don't know which were/are the Phono stages-line ones that you use to heard your MC cartridges but I can see due to your comments about that no one made/make the right " honors " to those MC cartridges.

I can see too that you speak about tracking and refer to MC and MM cartridges as well the SG but I don't read anything about your MM cartridges that you own or owned. In reference to tracking I'm with some of the best MM cartridges over any other one ( unfortunately not today models. ) and you can read something about here: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1200430667

I heard the SG ( I have to say that with oly 30 hours on use. ) in a very very nice top quality home audio system and my first impression was: WOW!!! but after hearing for some time and after comeback from the initial and nice " surprise " I just don't like what I'm hearing specially on the high frequencies and a little in the un-natural tonal balance of its performance, I'm a little sensitive on both frequency extremes and after a time my ears were " tired " of that SG sound ( maybe because that SG was almost new . ) that was not analog like or music live one it was more like a digital source: a good one digital source ( DVDA ).

Fortunately ( for me ) I asking to change to a normal MC cartridge ( in this case was the Lyra Olympos-Essential phonlinpreamp. ) and even than the Olympos was not perfectly matched to that Phonolinepreamp and that I don't know for sure if the Schroder tonearm was the best tonearm match for it suddenly the " lights " goes ON again: overall no contest.
Next day after heard the Olympos switched very brief to the SG and IMHO was a truly deception.

I always said that the RIAA eq deviation makes a great differences in a MC or MM quality performance and only when you hear cartridges in a phono stage with a RIAA eq deviation lower than 0.1db can you understand how important is that subject.

You have to take in count here that the RIAA eq. is a curve where any frequency deviation build colorations on almost three music octaves and this is IMHO what you was hearing in your MC cartridges through your past phono stages: high RIAA eq deviations, not the cartridge design.

IMHO the SG performance in its today status it can't even the very best MC/MM cartridges when these cartridges are in the right tonearm and with the right Phonolinepreamp, this means in even condition/circumstance than the SG matching set-up.

The SG sounds different? absolutely but IMHO and with all my respect to you and the designer: not better.

Anyway, a very learning and interesting review.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul. " +++++

IMHO I don't think that the SG ound match to weel with your Gallo speakers.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear friends: Now I can understand, between other things, why the SG sound quality performance is different, please read the page 13 on this Italian review where you can see that the SG frequency response does not mimic the RIAA eq., there are frequency deviations that " build " those differences that I heard.

We have to remember that what is in the recording follow the RIAA eq. standard and on playback and to be near to the recording the cartridge/phono stage: MC/MM or SG must mimic it, this is not happening with the SG and that's why the differences that we can hear.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.