Would Like To Hear From Strain Gauge Owners

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.

.

Dear Perrew: Answering your first question and IMHO when you play a recording that was recorded with ( before ) a non RIAA eq. standard then you heard a totally different performance of what is in the recording that comes with a different equalization curve.

That's why some Phono stages comes with one or two eq. curves other than the RIAA standard, normally those recordings that are with a non RIAA standard were very old ones and that were recorded before the RIAA standard universal agreement.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

I would like to thank all of those who actually read the title of my thread and contributed their opinions on the sound of the SG cartridge, be them favorable or not. I do not however appreciate Raul trying to hijack the thread to fulfill his own agenda. If I had wanted to know the technical side of the SG I would have asked. I wanted to hear from owners as to how it sounded in their systems. Please do no talk down to me Raul. I have been in this hobby for 30 years. I have learned to trust my ears. If I heard 2 cartridges and I like the sound of cartridge A, but dislike the sound of cartridge B, then find out from some obnoxious person like you, that cartridge A does not strictly follow the RIAA curve, but cartridge B does am I now going to force myself to like cartridge B? No No No. If, in the future I ask for friends opinions (and I do consider those on Audiogon my friends) I do not mean you Raul.

I would like to apologize to Peter Ledermann for the rude way Raul kept his endless rantings going on this thread. Peter, it is obvious that many of us feel you are building a great sounding cartridge. Please keep up the good work, and feel better soon.

Dear Slowhand: Thank you for your kindness words, appreciate it.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Hi Slowhand,

First, I have heard the Soundsmith Strain Gauge in a show setting, and also in the private residencies of a couple of people. In all cases, I found it to be very engaging. Would you like it? I believe so, but somehow you are going to have to find a way to hear it for yourself. Online opinion is like face-to face opinion, but you know that.

Second, it brings up a larger point. There will always be people with agendas of some sort or another, and there are always those who are experienced enough in a given area to voice a valid opinion. Sometimes the two traits go hand in hand, but sometimes not. Even those who know a great deal about one area of our hobby may know nothing about some other area, even if they purport that they do. For example, I know a little about turntables, but what I know about solid state amplifiers could be poured into a teacup. There are those, however, who would have us believe they know everything. It just isn't true simply because we all tend to know most about the specific area of our interests, and less about passings fancies on the periphery. The moral here is that you need to take most opinions with a grain of salt.

You need to actually hear the cartridge, even if it requires some travel to do it. I believe it will be worth the time and effort.

My two cents, for whatever that's worth.