Soundsmith dl103r vs. Dynavector 17d3 ruby ?

Panasonic strain gauge .... Game over.
It's a keeper.

I compared a ZU DL 103R with a ruby cantilever and line contact stylus retip from Soundsmith to a Dynavector 23R with Ruby Cantilever. I have not heard a 17D2 with a ruby cantilever. I must say that the ZU DL-103r with the soundsmith ruby cantilever and line contact stylus was superb. It rivaled several cartridges in the over $2K category. The 23R was just blah in comparison.

I've become enamoured with the Panasonic strain gauge cartridge with
A custom built gain stage.. It just 'works' with my current system.
I can't see anything in my price parameters coming close to matching it.
I've been rediscovering my vinyl collection

Could you elaborate on what you like about the strain gauge? What kind of music do you listen to?

Hxtl,
Custom built gain stage sounds intriguing. Who built it?

Regards,