Allnic Verito Z:Owners and those familiar

Very pleased with mine, but it took a long time (>100hours) to dial in. I can compare it with a ZYX UNIverse. The Z is full bodied compared to the airy ZYX. Soundstage is either focused or narrow, versus the ZYX which is either wide or diffuse - depending on the software. Arm matching and cable capacitance and loading all play a part. The Z by nature is musical, warm, powerful and assertive. Koetsu on steroids springs to mind. It is a bit reticent in the highs and not as open as the ZYX, which by nature is on the other end of the spectrum. I like the Z because it is neutral and handles all types of music in a similar vein and retains a character of smooth detail, but punchy, with no emphasis of any part of the frequency spectrum. In comparison to other carts through my system I would rate it high on the value chart, and I can't imagine anyone would be dissapointed.

Steve

Tpsonic, frustrating indeed - and sometimes that is how I feel about my whole audio system. I have just acquired a brilliant piece of gear - the Accuphase C17 head amp. I don't need a head amp for gain, but the incremental improvement this unit adds to the signal chain is beyond denial. Of course I discovered that as soon as I put it in the chain, ground impedances changed and it took some time to discover the right interconnect and grounding configuration!

When I connect the Verity Z via the C17, the improvement is modest, when I put a UNIverse or Sony XL-55 thru it, the benefit is greater. Also, the best sound comes from using a really old decrepit looking low capacitance phono cable from SAEC with plastic phono plugs no less from the Dynavector 507 Mk2.

The Verity Z is dark, solid, deep, and musical. It is uninspiring if it is not loaded properly at the right impedance. It sounds better when loaded through transformers - probably because that balances the dark and slightly recessed top end. It does seem to require time to warm up and a cold room does not help. Also, it seems to sound best in medium to high mass arms.

In conclusion Tpsonic, imho it is a very good cartridge for the money, but there are no guarantees it will perform at the highest level unless you are willing to experiment with various setups. With that comment in mind, I would recommend you buy a cartridge that is known to work in a defined or your configuration of arm, cable, and phono amp.

Hope that helps, but it probably doesn't!!

Steve