Soundsmith Straingauge cartridge taken to the next level

The Straingauge is an excellent all-round performer, but noise from the stock SMPS wall warts seriously hold back its performance.
Moving to the battery power supply was a big step up.
But nothing as compared to Peter’s bespoke psu. Now there’s a whole layer of grunge and noise removed, revealing total air around instruments, full bass texture and extension, deep and layered mids, imaging to die for, and sweet non-strident treble.
Its now a fantastic balance of Koetsu-like warmth and ease, with Transfiguration-like neutrality, openness and transparency.
In one fell swoop, IMHO the Straingauge absolutely leaps into the top league of carts.
And Peter Downs/Alternative Audio bespoke psu is crucial to achieving this result. If you own this cart, you absolutely must consider this upgrade option.

I think it’s good across all of them.
Best to email the designer to be sure:
[email protected]
Mention my name, Marc.
If you go ahead, you absolutely won’t regret it.

Peter, I don’t know what to tell you.
Ive had 2 updates on Straingauge energiser/stylus. On each occasion, the SQ has been taken up by replacing the stock wall warts, first w the Red Wine batt psu, and dramatically further w Peter Downs’ bespoke psu.
It’s night and day.
Please do not take my thread as a criticism of your product, the SG is very fine indeed. But it’s maximised by the new psu.

Peter, apologies if I mislabelled your factory wall warts psus as SMPS.
This bespoke psu to the Straingauge also isn’t SMPS.
At least we’re on the same page here LOL.
Let me tip my hat to you, and say that after 20 years of incessant upgrading, including running Lyra Skala and Parnassus, Transfiguration Temper Supreme and Orpheus, and even the Zu Denon 103R, I have zero desire to look at anything past the SG. Esp w the help of this bespoke psu.

Hi Ron.
I did acquire both psus at the same time.
Due to both of them needing 60-80 hrs burn in to fully open up, I did spend some occasions going back to stock psu for tt motor whilst sticking w the psu on the SG.
I can assure you it is dead simple to gauge the impvts wrought by both psus, and solely to the SG.
As I’ve now exceeded 80 hrs, the changes are profound and ongoing.
What I’m particularly getting as an impvt over stock wall warts and RWA batt psu, is amazing imaging, stage depth and airiness. A result of massively reduced noise. Truly adds to the whole listening experience, and is making the SG a wholly compelling transducer.
—
Re the RWA batt psu, it sounded very good (not as good as Peter’s psu, but still excellent) when it worked. But it often didn’t work, and once tripped the energiser necessitating return to the factory.
The issue seems to be that even though the SG is nominal 24V, I believe there is some variance +/- on this figure on R and L channels, and get this incorrect, and the energiser trips leading to potential irreversible failure.
You can quiz Vinnie at RWA about this. On two occasions I had to send both energiser and his batt pack to him. He had to configure a twin battery system and needed the energiser to measure both channels. Unfortunately even despite this switching the system on and off left tripping things a major risk. A shame, Vinnie’s efforts were much appreciated.
However I now have the dream psu to the SG, multiple power down/up during the burn in period not once risked tripping, and the SQ is significantly in advance of the RWA twin batt psu.

Ron, the psu replaces the stock wall warts, to power the energiser.
Energiser into preamp.
I believe I have the top stylus.
SG absolutely has an amazing potential upside. The RWA batt psu showed some of that, but the Alternative Audio bespoke psu goes further.
I’m never moving past the SG.

Do email my psu designer and see what he has to say. I can’t praise his work enough.

Badboss, Peter charges £2800 plus VAT & carriage for the Super Linear Power Supply. It can be specced as 230V or 115V, with gold or rhodium IEC, gold input to DC lead, and AMR fuse.
Contact Peter Downs at:
[email protected]

Over two years on since my last report, and my LPSd Straingauge continues to totally delight. It really seems to get out of the way of the music, so good is it's tonal and timbral discrimination. It is insanely fast and yet provides really naturally fleshed out textures.
But IMHO, it's great claim to fame is that every lp sounds totally different to the next. That is testament to it's true neutrality and transparency. But unlike other carts where this can end up sounding tame and anodyne, the Straingauge is truly engrossing and immersive.

It’s a U.K. made device, so I’m assuming it’s $ equivalent of £2800 PLUS US Sales Tax.

Well, then you’re looking at £2800 plus shipping in $s, and whatever US sales tax ensues.
VAT is purely for U.K. and EU sales.

Further info from designer Peter Downs.
The Straingauge Super Linear PSU has a specially commissioned oversized mains transformer, high speed rectifiers, custom designed oversized choke, specially selected caps, and custom hand-made gold plug DC connecting cables.

Craig, there's a little device out there that counts stylus hrs...I should get it.
I play 3 lps/day on average, and am managing about 2.5 yrs at a time on each stylus.
I'm taking more care to clean my records w Degritter US unit,  cleaning stylus, more fastidious cart setup/tracking wt, so looking to last longer w next set of stylii.

Craig, I just run the cart and energiser box...going to the SG preamp made no sense in my system since I was already running my tubed Nat Audio Utopia pre.
Maybe if I'd have been a vinyl-only listener w no preamp, the SG amp would have made sense.
Can't offer any advice on that Q.

SGS6 beats the 5 in every way other than ease of setup. Azimuth critical.

Tablejockey, there's a Whats Best Forum thread that compares SS Hyperion and Straingauge to uber carts 2x the price.
And Peter's designs win handily.
I would say seriously consider these two carts. My Straingauge is gamechanger/endgamer cart for me. And that's after two Transfigurations and two Lyras.

Craig, Degritter daily.

Nice write up, and "gets" the appeal.
My strap line...not coloured, but colourful.
Ie it gets out of the way, and whatever tonal and timbral colour is on the lp, you'll hear it all via the SG, not edited, blanched or enhanced in any way.