Strain Gauge Cartridge Systems
Soundsmith Strain Gauges are sold as systems ~ Cartridge and choice of preamp
CLICK THIS TO READ THREAD by Strain Gauge Owners
All Soundsmith SG systems have user replaceable styli -
CLICK THIS TO SEE VIDEO !!
( Looking for our top drawer "Signature Strain Gauge" systems? Click this )
To purchase Soundsmith products PLEASE contact your nearest dealer or Importer to your Country ( Worldwide US dealer/Importer list: Click Here ) If you cannot buy from one of our US dealers please use the below FORM to order. You may also us it to order from Canada, Middle east, Africa, South America, Mexico. Are you in Europe or Asia? You may buy directly from us ONLY If we do NOT IMPORT into your country. Please check our IMPORTER LIST above and contact us by phone or Email. Orders@sound-smith.com or (914) 739-2885
SG-200 
Our basic Strain Gauge system features fixed level line outputs suited for line level inputs on your system preamplifier. The supplied SG cartridge comes with the SG-5 stylus assembly as standard, however, you may purchase the system with the SG-6 stylus for a surcharge of $100 at the time of ordering. Like all SG preamps, the SG-200 features an auto-mute circuit that protects your system and speakers from transients due to an accidentally dropped styli. The front panel defeatable auto-mute also allows quiet introductions to playing or recording your vinyl.
All SG systems feature user replaceable styli, however, due to the nature of the cartridge design, styli are individually matched to each cartridge. If additional styli are desired, it is highly advisable to order them with your system order. The SG-200 is supplied in a black anodized case, however, custom wooden cases in black or mahogany are also available as accessory items.
IN STOCK!!
To purchase Soundsmith products PLEASE contact your nearest dealer or Importer to your Country ( Worldwide US dealer/Importer list: Click Here ) If you cannot buy from one of our US dealers please use the below FORM to order. You may also us it to order from Canada, Middle east, Africa, South America, Mexico.
Are you in Europe or Asia? You may buy directly from us ONLY If we do NOT IMPORT into your country. Please check our IMPORTER LIST above and contact us by phone or Email.
Orders@sound-smith.com or 914 739 2885
for Credit/Debit card, or PayPal purchase, use Add To Cart Button
11,999.95
Select location for shipping fee amount, we can ship up to three items under the shipping fee, use the Additional Item option for 2nd or 3rd item, if you have already the shipping fee in your basket.
Below are excerpts and reviews from customers on their Strain Gauge systems......
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Dear Peter |
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Hello Peter, First I hope you, your family and staff are all well. I so want everyone to get through this, for people to stay well and for businesses to weather the difficulties they are faced, for the toll not to be too great or dear. Perhaps my little status note is misplaced at this time, and if so, I apologize. Recently, listening room challenges have been better addressed, and this has allowed me to dial-in the SG-210 system with much more precision by ear, not having room effects masking small but significant changes of setup. As HTA/Zenith and Azimuth were carefully adjusted on the Air Tangent air bearing arm, the smallest details in the mix to the largest dynamics were further liberated in an utterly coherent fashion. Subtle details of timbre and texture were even more beautiful, and the soundstage of recordings is simply 'there'. The overall effect is, simply, music unencumbered, just flowing. From LPs. I thought I was probably pretty close before, but all the fabric of a performance just 'pops' in a most musically natural, coherent (and gratifying) way. Words will never by able to convey what the ears hear. Stay well. Best regards, Jeffrey Bernhard |
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To Peter Ledermann, President of Soundsmith After a lifetime of collecting vinyl and cartridges to play them, I have settled happily on the Soundsmith strain-gauge system. It speaks the truth, and it has singular virtues. It is for all practical purposes noise-free, its resolution is the highest I know, and its wear on groove walls the lowest. As a record producer, I audition test cuts on lacquers which are famously fragile. The strain-gauge cartridge can play them repeatedly with no sign of damage. I find it a joy to listen to for pleasure, and as a professional, I consider it a valuable tool. Tam Henderson, Founder Reference Recordings |
| I was very fortunate to meet Peter during a visit to his workshop in 2008, and was lucky enough to purchase the Soundsmith SG-200 Strain Gauge. (more...) |
SG-210 
Our SG-210 features both +15dB single ended variable outputs and fixed outputs. The +15 dB variable outputs allow using the SG-210 directly with your power amplifier, eliminating the requirement for a line amplifier in a vinyl playback system. They may also be used to match levels with other line sources in a multi-source system. The fixed level outputs may be used for recording or sourcing into a second system, and are not affected by the volume control.
The supplied SG cartridge comes with the SG-5 stylus assembly as standard, however, you may purchase the system with the SG-6 stylus for a surcharge of $100 at the time of ordering. Like all SG preamps, the SG-210 features an auto-mute circuit that protects your system and speakers from transients due to an accidentally dropped styli. The front panel defeatable auto-mute also allows quiet introductions to playing or recording your vinyl.
All SG systems feature user replaceable styli, however, due to the nature of the cartridge design, styli are individually matched to each cartridge. If additional styli are desired, it is highly advisable to order them with your system order. The SG-210 is supplied in a black anodized case, however, custom wooden cases in black or mahogany are also available as accessory items.
IN STOCK!!
To purchase Soundsmith products PLEASE contact your nearest dealer or Importer to your Country ( Worldwide US dealer/Importer list: Click Here ) If you cannot buy from one of our US dealers please use the below FORM to order. You may also us it to order from Canada, Middle east, Africa, South America, Mexico.
Are you in Europe or Asia? You may buy directly from us ONLY If we do NOT IMPORT into your country. Please check our IMPORTER LIST above and contact us by phone or Email.
Orders@sound-smith.com or 914 739 2885
for Credit/Debit card, or PayPal purchase, use Add To Cart Button
13,499.95
Select location for shipping fee amount, we can ship up to three items under the shipping fee, use the Additional Item option for 2nd or 3rd item, if you have already the shipping fee in your basket
SG-230 (New!)
Our new SG-230 is a full-function system preamp with Strain Gauge circuitry as well as 4 line inputs and remote control over input selection, volume and muting. It features balanced +15dB variable outputs and single ended fixed outputs. The balanced outputs are available via split phase RCA jacks, convertible to XLR with our supplied RCA to XLR adapters. The +15dB balanced variable output is made available via RCA jacks which configures the output of the SG-230 into a highly adaptable unit, allowing easy bridging of two stereo amplifiers into double power mono blocks, subwoofer driving, biamping or sourcing into a secondary system. The fixed level outputs may be used for recording or sourcing into a second system, and are not affected by the volume control.
The supplied SG cartridge comes with the SG-5 stylus assembly as standard, however, you may purchase the system with the SG-6 stylus for a surcharge of $100 at the time of ordering. Like all SG preamps, the SG-230 features an auto-mute circuit that protects your system and speakers from transients due to an accidentally dropped styli. The front panel defeatable auto-mute also allows quiet introductions to playing or recording your vinyl.
All SG systems feature user replaceable styli, however, due to the nature of the cartridge design, styli are individually matched to each cartridge. If additional styli are desired, it is highly advisable to order them with your system order.
The SG-230 is supplied in mahogany wood case as standard, black wood is also available on special order.
IN STOCK!!
To purchase Soundsmith products PLEASE contact your nearest dealer or Importer to your Country ( Worldwide US dealer/Importer list: Click Here ) If you cannot buy from one of our US dealers please use the below FORM to order. You may also us it to order from Canada, Middle east, Africa, South America, Mexico.
Are you in Europe or Asia? You may buy directly from us ONLY If we do NOT IMPORT into your country. Please check our IMPORTER LIST above and contact us by phone or Email.
Orders@sound-smith.com or 914 739 2885
for Credit/Debit card, or PayPal purchase, use Add To Cart Button
19,999.95
Select location for shipping fee amount, we can ship up to three items under the shipping fee, use the Additional Item option for 2nd or 3rd item, if you have already the shipping fee in your basket
[for our Signature Strain Gauge Systems SG-400 through SG-810 click this link]
Soundsmith’s SG cartridges are not magnetic cartridges, and do not require RIAA equalization - flat response is automatically produced by virtue of their being "displacement" measuring devices, as opposed to magnetic "voltage generating velocity dependent" devices. The cartridge works extremely well in all medium to high mass arms with standard 4 wire tone arm wiring. Due to the cartridge being non-inductive, it is far less sensitive to cabling in the tone arm and from the arm to the preamp when compared to any other cartridge design. For detailed technical information on how the Strain Gauge works, please click this.
Soundsmith SG preamp review briefs.....
In his review for Image HiFi, Uwe Kirbach applauds the "incredibly fast attack" as well as the "complete absence of noise and hum." On good records, Kirbach writes, the SG literally "creeps into the recordings, opens rooms like no other and always makes the interplay and communication between musicians marvelously clear." According to Kirbach, the SG "possesses a level of detail resolution that even the best cartridges on the whole can’t quite reach."
Michael Fremer of Stereophile fame describes the SG’s "incredibly clean and fast top-to-bottom transient attack, its spectacular transparency, its taut, deep bottom end and its airy top."
And last, but not least, Anthony Cordesman. In his review for The Absolute Sound, Cordesman found "that a properly set-up [SG system] offered the cleanest and smoothest upper octaves, the lowest noise, and the best-defined soundstage I have yet heard from any system designed to reproduce records."
| Replacement Styli | |
| SG-1 | Bonded Shibata/Aluminum Cantilever ~ US MSRP ~ NO LONGER AVAILABLE |
| SG-2 | Nude Elliptical, Aluminum cantilever ~ US MSRP ~ $499.95 |
| SG-3 | Special 1 mil radius conical (for vintage 48-49 records) ~ SPECIAL ORDER |
| SG-4 | 78 RPM stylus – EQ in line device should be used ~ US MSRP ~ $749.95 |
| SG-5 |
Nude Contact Line/Ruby Cantilever (standard design supplied with SG cartridge) |
| SG-6 | Nude “Optimized Contour” Contact Line/Ruby Cantilever- Stylus holder is red ~ US MSRP ~ $949.95 |
| SG-7 | Boron cantilever with Micro Ridge Stylus. Excellent choice……MSRP US $1150 – Harder to break and maintains its performance over the 1000 hour lifetime…..(due to the Micro-Ridge design) |
Warranty
5 Years Parts and Labor
Read Reviews!
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~ HiFi News
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~ image hifi
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~ The Absolute Sound
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~ Stereophile
Just In
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Peter Ledermann, of Soundsmith: Reproductive Private Parts (of a phono cartridge)
What They Said...
A wild departure from the MM/MC norm, Soundsmith's SG joins a select group including TechDAS' TDC01 Ti, top Koetsus and others of that ilk, as well as the equally-unusual DS Audio designs.
