I have both the Sussurro and A90. I compared them using a Teres Illius tonearm mounted on a Teres 265 table. The turntable drive is a Teres Verus. My phono preamp is a Channel D Seta L.
After spending considerable time setting up both cartridges (using a CartAlign for overhang and zenith, an usb microscope for SRA and the Fieckert Adjust+ for azimuth), I did some extensive listening.
First thing I found was that break-in is absolutely critical for both cartridges. During break-in the A90 gets smoother and less strident, while the Sussurro opens up and reveals much more detail. The first 15-20 hours on the Sussurro produced a truly dramatic improvement in resolution of musical detail.
Once the major changes from break-in were in place, I fine-tuned the SRA for best sound and listened to a variety of music types through each cartridge.
Bottom line, it is a very, very close call between these two. They are both truly outstanding. The A90 is very slightly more open, detailed and neutral. The Sussurro has somewhat more natural sounding voices, and I find the overall sound a little more involving than that of the A90. Nonetheless, these are, without a doubt, the two best sounding cartridges I've ever owned.
The title of "which is best" will, as always, be determined by the personal preference of the listener (listening to their favorite music using their associated equipment), but, based on my experience, the choice will not be an easy one. |
Good, sorry for that.
Regards and enjoy the music,
raul. |
Raul, you seem to think that I'm talking to you. I'm not. |
Dear Dcstep: It is clear that for you white is not always white. Competitor?, I don't have any: why do you think that?. I always listen cartridges for my self.
You don't put my name in the post by " free " , did you?
Regards and enjoy the music,
raul. |
It's best to listen to cartridges for yourself, if at all possible. Stats thrown up by a jealous competitor are worthless.
Dave |
Dear Kevin: and Panasonic too, all of them conform with the RIAA standard curve.
+++++ " Why the Soundsmith unit was not made to more closely conform to RIAA ........... I am not sure..." +++++
this subject is something that I " disclousure " elsewhere in this forum and because of that some people seen that like an " attack ". To say that does not conform with the RIAA curve or that at least is far from there is only a fact and that's all: like it or not.
Regards and enjoy the music,
raul. |
Dear Dcstep: +++++ " Raul's latest attack. " +++++
well I respect that opinion if is how you see it. For me a piece of paper that is white if somebody ask " which is the color of that piece of paper? ", my answer will be WHITE: this is a fact and the facts does not " attack " but say a true or disclousure a lier.
Btw, of what " attack " are you refering to?
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul. |
Ah, I just read Mike's post about the Sussurro on the Tere TT. I heard it on the HRX, just for the record. |
Getting back to the Sussuro and, hopefully ending Raul's latest attack, the Sussuro sounded much like the excellent sounding strain gauge, but I personally prefer the more full-bodied sound of the The Voice. Compared to the best digital sources (like SACD through exceptional players) the highs of the SG and Sussuro seem a little too open and fast to my ears. There's not even a touch of "hardness" but I think there's extra air in what I hear.
It could be that this presentation is more accurate, or that the SACD engineer toned this down vs. the LP engineer (it's so hard to tell), but I personally prefer The Voice based on what I've heard so far. In the interest of full disclosure I should say that I own The Voice Ebony.
Of course, I only heard the Sussurro in Peter's system at RMAF, rather than my own. My preference for The Voice is based on it being in my system. I didn't even listen to it in Peter's system and only heard the Sussoro and the SG in the Soundsmith systems. I'm using a Jeff Rowland pre-amp and Peter was using his own, which presents another point of difference.
I can say this, the Sussurro is a very good cartridge, BUT, like most any cartridge, your personal taste will have much to do with how much you like it.
Dave |
FWIW re:Soundsmith Strain Gauge cartridge.
As I recall, John Iverson and Sao Win both produced Strain Gauge cartridges (Win also produced a FET-based cartridge) that measured flat as compaired to RIAA curve through their included box, so it is possible.
Why the Soundsmith unit was not made to more closely conform to RIAA (if Peter's description of the SG response and the curves in the referenced article are representative) I am not sure...
Kevin |
Dear teres: Yes you are right: " not as accurately as you think is necessary ".
That is a nice and gentle way to say and " hide things " ( not on purpose ).
++++´" For the record I do not know if or how much the SG may deviate from the RIAA curve. " +++++
not much, according with Peter ( SG designer/builder. ): " only " a swing of 2 db from 50hz to 12khz, he does not say how much from 20hz to 50hz and for 12khz to 20khz that is the RIAA eq. standard frequency range ( 20hz to 20khz. ).
Btw, you can see here ( page 13. ) the SG RIAA eq. deviation graphic:
http://www.sound-smith.com/cartridges/article.pdf
Teres, this is only an opinion that has its foundation in facts not on subjective arguments.
As always could happen some opinions can be controversial. In this thread we have two or three opinions on the same cartridge ( Sussorro ) and in the same systems were the opinions are different, of course that those cartrridge opinions were a subjective ones where is more dificult to even opinions.
IMHO the good things on this forums comes normaly from controversy that normaly too almost always leave a learning line for almost all of us.
Teres, before I forgot and only for the record: here or in any other thread on the SG subject I never say/post that the cartridge sounds bad and you know why?: because IMHO that is not the main subject.
Anyway please digress and return to the Sussorro.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul. |
Raul, the SG does conform to the RIAA EQ. But perhaps not as accurately as you think is necessary.
The beauty of the SG setup is that the mechanics of the transducer naturally produces EQ that is nearly the same as the RIAA curve. So the preamp only needs to do minimal EQ. This keeps the phase response intact. I suspect that not requiring heavy RIAA EQ is one of the reasons that the SG sounds good. A little amplitude error is far more favorable than the big phase errors you get from the RIAA EQ.
For the record I do not know if or how much the SG may deviate from the RIAA curve. I do know that it sounds excellent.
To the topic of the thread, I spent a lot of time listening to the Sussorro at RMAF. It is a superb cartridge, that is at home with the best. I have not heard it in a direct apples to apples comparison so I can't comment further. |
Dear Wurp: The SG does not conforms with the RIAA eq. with what almost every recording was made, so what reproduce is not what is in the recording but something different.
Slowlearner, first than all I'm a music lover and an audiophile. It is true that I have/own my self Phonolinepreamp design ( José and I. ) and that a few other people own it but I'm not on audio commercial business with.
My opinion on the subject is a simple/plain fact that IMHO I don't think that people who cares about music/audio need to hide it but to understand it.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul. |
i heard the Sussurro on three different tt's at RMAF.
i was in the Soundsmith room three different times. i heard the Sussurro both on the TNT HRX/JPW arm and the Teres Centrus/Illios arm. it was just another cartridge on the HRX; it was something very special on the Teres. i agree that the system in the Soundsmith room is not really up to the potential level of the analog sources in that room.....but i like what i heard on the Teres. nice top to bottom balance, good clarity and boogie factor.....good refinement. a bit opaque on the HRX in comparison.
i also heard it on the Hanss tt in the Lotus Design room (twice) thru the Joe Cohens new speakers. here the Sussurro was not as well behaved as the Teres in the Soundsmith room, but it was still very nice. i would say that this vinyl setup needed some tweaking.
overall i like the Sussurro and i think most people would be very happy with it's performance. OTOH i just got a new cartridge, the Ortofon MC A90, which retails for about the same price. my opinion is that the A90 is in another league or 2 above the Sussurro. |
At RMAF Sussurro was used on a Hanss TT with Lamm & The Lotus Group's Granada open-baffle Feastrex uber-speaker. Many variables at play, but this was among the best vinyl at the show. |
I heard them both at RMAF. Got to spend a quiet 40mins in Peter's room at the end of the show sunday. I agree it is hard to tell on small 2 ways and unfamiliar equipment but I felt it was the best vinyl sound I heard that weekend and tended toward the Strain Guage. |
RAUL;
Identify yourself as a MANUFACTURER, and regarding a response about anyone else's product, DON'T GO THERE - have some sense this time, just for once. |
Raul,
you say "SG faulty system". Could you explain what you mean by that? |
Dodge - If you want to hear the Strain Gauge in another system in New York City, let me know. The system I demo (and sell) it in is a full range system, and perhaps you might be better able to hear it's unique qualities.
I have not yet heard the Sussurro. |
Dear Dodgealum: ++++ " The whole audition was rather difficult since I was completely unfamiliar with the associated equipmen " +++++
++++ " I also listened briefly to the Strain Gauge following the Seriso. This was a very close call to my ears... " +++++
and IMHO that's why you heard so well that SG faulty system.
Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul. |
I heard it at Soundsmith following an audition of "The Voice". The Serioso (sp?) was WAY better. In fact, it made "The Voice" sound pretty bad by comparison. It should, it costs three times as much. Not sure how it would stack up against similarly priced moving coils, however. I also wonder whether this cartridge could be offered for half the cost at which point it might make sense to a lot more people. I also listened briefly to the Strain Gauge following the Seriso. This was a very close call to my ears. The whole audition was rather difficult since I was completely unfamiliar with the associated equipment, aside from the VPI turntable. For example, the speakers were rather small two ways so it was relatively impossible to establish bass performance. I never really felt like we were getting excellent sound with ANY of the cartridges but who can say whether it was the cartridges or something further down the chain. I doubt I'll any future cartridge demoing since it is rather difficult to say how any cartridge would translate into my system unless the rest of the gear is the same or close to it. |
