Would Like To Hear From Strain Gauge Owners

Raul you could not be more wrong. The subject is exactly about how the SG sounds - please refer to the OP at the top of this thread where he wrote:

"I would like to hear from owners of Strain Gauge cartridges (particularly Soundsmith owners)as to how you like the strain gauge system compared to previous cartridges you have owned. Is there any drawbacks to the Soundsmith Strain Gauge system?"

If we take the OP at his word then your participation is not welcome, as you do not own the cartridge that is under discussion. I cannot imagine how much arrogance it takes to re-state the same point of view 18 times (and counting) in the same thread. For some unexplicable reason the words "idiot savant" and "troll" come to mind.

I cannot understand why anyone would obsess about flat frequency response when, for example, most people here know that changing the brand of resistor used to load a moving coil will change how it sounds, yet all measurable parameters of the circuit remain the same.

Back in the seventies, when people didn't know any better, they bought audio equipment on the published specification - the Japanese amps would seduce buyers with crazy low distortion figures and flat frequency responses. Since then subjective reviews have proven to be way more useful. Catch up Raul.

Dear Flyingred: +++++ " I cannot understand why anyone would obsess about flat frequency response when ... " +++++

I'm sorry but I'm talking about RIAA standar curve eq and how the SG device does not conform according it. What I'm tellng is not precise about " flat frequency " but about RIAA eq curve, could you uderstand that?, thank you in advance.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Great job, Raul! You've turned the discussion to all about you!

Raul, You still don't get it. I suggest that you read this and other responses carefully before responding.
1) The RIAA curve is about flat frequency response. The record is recorded with the inverse of the RIAA curve and applying RIAA equalization produces flat frequency response.
Deviation from the RIAA curve produces frequency response deviations. You are a preamp designer?
2) The SG transducer (unlike traditional cartridges) inherently produces a frequency response curve that closely follows the RIAA curve so there is no need to do equalization in the preamp. I believe that this is one of the strengths of the SG. There is a significant sonic cost from any sort of equalization. That cost is eliminated with the SG. The down side is that the inherent equalization may not be as precise as well implemented RIAA equalization so the resulting frequency response may be less than perfect. I say "may" because I don't know the details about how closely the SG mimics RIAA.

As Flyingred aptly pointed out this thread is about how the SG sounds. I think it sounds great. Apologies for my part in the diversion.

Dear Teres: Of course that when the cartridge signal pass through the phono stage what you want and the RIAA permit is a flat frquency response, but that's not exactly of what I'm refering to: sorry.

++++ " The SG transducer (unlike traditional cartridges) inherently produces a frequency response curve that closely follows the RIAA curve " +++++

this is eaxctly what the web-site states but IMHO is not true: could you explain how closely the SG follows the RIAA curve when Peter it self posted that between 50hz-12khz the deviation is a very high: 2 db, when every phono stage out there ( even the ones that measures " worst " on the RIAA deviation ) that conform according to the RIAA standard eq. measures as low as only 0.5db over the whole RIAA curve not only a part of that curve like the SG? do you know if between 20hz-50hz and 12khz-20khz is higher the SG deviation?.

Chris, I'm speaking of facts and IMHO till now you don't have any about like any one of my detractors.

I wonder why an intelligent person like you can posted what you post about.

Chris: how closely performs your TTs against the 33.33rpm or 45rpm standard TT speed? do you think that tiny ( very tiny ) speed TT deviations affects the quality performance on the recording that we/you are hearing? , because those TT speeds: 33.33/45rpm are the " Standards " and the ones to follow in exactly the same way the RIAA eq. curve. why does not exist TT with 36/49rpm? , you can play an LP on these weird speeds but the performance will be totally different right?

Well, IMHO the 2db SG deviation in that incomplete frequency range it is not only not close to the RIAA curve but far far away and totally different than the RIAA curve and that's why we hear a totally different performance through the SG.

So IMHO it is totally unfair to compare any MC/MM cartridge against the SG because the MC/MM ones cartridge signal that we hear/heard through the phono stages have a totally different equalization curve than the SG and due to that fact its performance is totally different.
Why is so difficult to some of you to understand that simple facts?.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

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