Win Labs strain gauge cartridges

This is Sao Win's address (I had way back when). He will have circuit diagrams. Win Laboratories, INC.
7320 Hollister Ave.
PO Box 332, Goleta
Calif. 93017

I was Sao Win's test pilot for three different versions of "The Strain Gauge" cart. It was the single most amazing cart.I have ever tested or owned. Extremely high output. BUT!!! it was unstable. It had a short life span, and had to be set in the right combo of turntable and arm. The few that Sao recommended where a Linn Sondek LP12 and a Syrinx arm ( can't remember the arm model#). I at the time was running a pair of JBL L300's and a pair of Bryston 4b's and a Conrad Johnson PV-1. Another was his own invention, his table and arm combo (SDC-10). At the time his combo was astronomical in price. Another problem was being Canadian, the cart. had to cross the border from Calif. to Canada. due to the fact that strain gauges were used in missiles... I believe for guidance systems, they got tied up in customs for quite sometime. I hope this sheds a little more light on the Win Labs cartridges P.S.In my 50 years of devotion to music and audio equipt. NO cartridge and or head amp combo has matched this awesome, performaning cart!! especially in bass responce or silky transparent highs.

I had one of those for a while. I always thought it sounded a little strained. No, I'm not trying to be funny. That's just my best word for that and other strain gauges sounded to me. My other friends liked them, though. I guess it always had a little of that rosin bow on violin strings to me, only in a not good way. BTW I love violin music.

analograven, i recommend the o-l modded rega rb-250 a fully-modded arm direct from them, or from stoneaudio-uk, will run ewe <$300 usa, & that will include shipping, prolly even to 'roo-land. i have one on my oracle, & it's wery nice. o-l sez this arm is better than any of their other rega-mod arms, even the rb900, due to a more sturdy mointing system on the rb250. they say that, even tho the other rega arms have better bearings , the more rigid mounting structure on the 250 really responds to their mods...

Thanks.Most of what i listen to, isn't neccessary tonally accurate anyway ( rock, folk,bluegrass,blues ), but it sounds like it might bring you into the music like the Decca ( and few others )can. Good to hear about them sounding like a Decca.My other main cart is a Garrott Decca London Gold. Funny, but I don't have any problems with tracking on mine.2g in a SAEC 407, on a Gyro.
I need another arm. Do you think a Rega 300 would be a good match, especially OL/incognito?Any other suggestions? relatively low priced please,but preloved is ok as the exchange rate here (Australia) is crap.
Cheers!
Cheers

I can't tell you about the power supply but I have owned two of them. Sonically they had incredible bass - like a Decca London - but tracked well. They need a very rigid arm. I measured the frequency response of one and it had response flat to the limits of the test record at both frequency extremes - another had a rising low end. I'd say they were a Technicolor(tm) experience, wonderful, transparent but not especially neutral. For the time incredible transient response - like a thunderclap but nevertheless had very little tracing noise. We called them the "Strange Gauge." I hear that Sao Win still supports them but I do not have an address. Good luck and keep us up to date on your experiments!