Strain gauge vs Zyx 4D/Atmos

One addition note -I do not deny anyone's tastes -however, I question the statement about lack of upper order harmonics. The SG cart has lower distortion than most magnetic carts, a near perfect square wave, and amazing phase accuracy in terms of grip delay and lack of perturbations in a small region. Tube gear sounds more " musical" to many in part because it generates harmonics. I submit that some MAgnetics sound more welcome not because they are accurate but because they are possibly less so. Have these gentlemen taken spectrum analysis of the two or is this a tech statement based on listening??

Peter/Soundsmith

I am on a boat -typing is HARD HERE! GROUP DELAY was what I was trying to type -Peter

Possibly a better way to think about the SG is this: when RIAA is applied to a magnetic cutterhead, it reduces the low end,and boosts the highs. This is done for various reasons, but the result is basically a contant displacement groove modulation for a flat, swept input from 20 to 20K. Since the SG is sensitive to DISPLACEMENT ONLY, and not velocity, it reproduces a flat signal from a constant displacement groove calling it non-linear is not descriptive enough.

It is somewhat serendipitous that the RIAA curve evolved in such a manner as to cut a nearly flat displacement groove from a flat swept input signal.

As regards EQ; one has to realize that many records are mixed in such a way as to allow the engineer to EQ each instrument, not to mention the coloration for varied mics,not to mention the final EQ that ALWAYS gets done so the the losses incurred from the multi-step process in making records is compensated for, not to mention to two BAD resonant points well in the audio spectrum that cutterheads suffer badly from and are EQ'D out (mostly.....) and the list goes on and on.....So what we finally listen to can often bear little or no resemblance to the orignal EQ of the live instrument or performance.

I am always amazed that it goes so well most of the time.

What I can say is that when I cut a lacquer dub on one of my Neumann lathes, and play it back with MC or my MI carts, it is no contest when compared to the Strain Gauge. I am bringing a lacquer I cut at half speed (22) to be played at 45; those coming to RMAF can ask me to play it to hear the newest generation of Strain Gauge, compared even to the new Hyperion.- VERY revealing - This is a piano/bass duet.

Peter Ledermann/Soundsmith

Dear Dover: I respect your point of view but for me is relevant and not matters what the cutter-head angle been because this fact does not affect the RIAA eq. what we do on playback is to set the SRA according with that label recordings. Somewhere is a list where we can have that recording information for we can adjust/set that cartridge SRA according to.

About different recorded eq. cuve you already know that exist over 10+ of them other than the RIAA standard. Before RIAA standard curve almost each LP label recorded with its own eq. and that's why exist some phono stage designs with several inverse eq. curves additional to the RIAA even the ones that include the Neumann correction at high frequency.

I owned the Win and Panasonic sstrain gauge but these ones conformed according to the RIAA standard.

In the SS that is not happening this strain gauge gives its " natural response/curve " with almost no signal manipulation ( and that's why sounds and perform DIFFERENT " from any other magnetic cartridge. ) to make its response flat according to the RIAA standard and this is why shows a RIAA deviation around 2db when the RIAA deviation in a phono stage ( for magnetic cartridges. ) that deviation are around 0.2db to 0.1db as something normal ( the Atmasphere phono stage shows 0.07db and if I remember one of the Rowland's: 0.05db. ).

Now, in my case one of my main quality audio system performance level is to add and lose the less from the cartridge signal. Yes, I know that that SS 2db frequency response deviation could be maybe not so important when we can have 10+db frequency deviations on the speaker/room response but this is not my point: my target is add and lose the less from the cartridge signal.

I almost don't care what happened during the LP recording because I can't have any control about.
What I care is what is in my " hands " to preserve the cartridge signal integrity.

Now, Mr. Ledermann choosed that the ss signal instead to pass for an inverse RIAA eq. curve process ( as any magnetic cartridge signal. ) to shows its " natural response/curve " with that frequency response 2db deviation.

He made something that in his opinion could gives a better quality performance level.

As always in any audio choices/alternative exist trade-offs: he choosed what for him was and is his best trade-offs: to have that frequency deviation instead the ss signal pass through the RIAA. inverse eq. proccess.
In both cases the cartridge signal " suffer " a degradation in its " integrity " over what came in the recording.

Which is the best trade-off?, I think that this is up to any one of us.

I prefer that if the LPs I own were recorded using the RIAA standard eq. curve on playback the phono stage must apply the inverse RIAA eq. curve to achieve flat frequency response at this stage/link on the audio system chain. Other people could like a different approach and this different approach is what is the ss device.

Mosin posted something that could be the best of both " worlds " ( with almost no trade-offs. ): a strain gauge design that can performs the inverse RIAA eq. curve with out the necessity to pass to that proccess on playback and with out no frequency response deviation other that the normal 0.1db one. This could be just great! and I think that this idea could be a good challenge to Mr. Ledermann to work about because he has the knowledge.

I hope Mr.PL does not take this post as an " attack ".

Regards and enjoy the music,
R.