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I have joined in the ZYX Family

Funny how change comes about. I’ve been intending to get a tube preamp for years 10-12 years. Instead, I got a tube amp which sounds great. . Tube amp with SS preamp sounds GREAT. FWIW, the SS Preamp was a Stereophile Class A Conrad Johnson PFR. So, its not like I was shooting in the dark. The PFR is a really good preamp. And the Bob Latino ST-70 seems to be a great fit along with the Silverline Sonatas. So I set out to get my turntable up to its optimum. I have a Teres 340 which has an Origin Live Illustrious 3 with Benz Ebony L cartridge. I put the OL Illustrious on it as a temporary arm. I figured the Teres deserved much better. But Maybe I am wrong. It sounds great. However, being an audiophile, I can’t leave it alone. So I set out to get a new tonearm worthy of the Teres 340. But then someone reminds me that a cartridge will make more difference than a tonearm upgrade, especially since the tonearm is a pretty good one. . So I consider the idea and come across a ZYX 4D for a good price. Thank you Raulirigueus(sp) for the idea. In the process, I saved some $$$ too. I’ve wanted a ZYX for quite some time. NOW, I see what all the fuss is about. This cartridge is fabulous. Next up is to clean the electric. Oneac seems to be a good way to go. But, who knows. My plans often go sideways. But I’ve really made some big steps forward thanks to some good advice and the good Lord above who over rules my ignorance. FWIW I often pity those who miss the beauty of good music. I love it. Thanks for your help along the way.
128x128artemus_5

Showing 5 responses by atmasphere

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atmasphere
11,630 posts
 
Assuming you’re not using stepup transformers, the optimum impedance for a LO (.24mv) ZYX will usually fall somewhere between 50 and 200 ohms. The ideal value will vary from system to system, since it depends on the electrical characteristics of the tonearm cable, phono cable and other components
This statement is false, for the reasons I outlined earlier.

If you are using step-up transformers, I’ll need to know your step-up (turns) ratio or gain (in db) to make a recommendation. MC’s are extremely sensitive to impedance loading when the signal is going into a step-up, so more experimentation will be required."

This statement is misleading. MC cartridges are not sensitive to transformers, its the other way around- transformers are sensitive to MC cartridges. How it works is a transformer **transforms** impedance. So if your cartridge is 10 ohms, the output impedance of the transformer will be twice what it is if the cartridge is 5 ohms.

The loading required by the transformer will be different for each cartridge used. This is to prevent the transformer from ringing (which causes harmonic distortion so it is important if you want to hear what's really going on).


If the transformer is not loaded at all, or too lightly, it may not even express its turns ratio at its output- instead it can express its inter-winding capacitance, acting like a poor coupling cap with bad frequency response!! 

So loading an SUT correctly is really important!
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,630 posts
 
^^ Yes.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,630 posts
 
I’m just curious as to why you said loading does not make a difference with the 4D, and with low ouput MC cartridges with low internal impedance in general.
The reason why has nothing to do with the cartridge directly. It has to do with the stability of the preamp.

The inductance of the winding of the cartridge is in parallel with the capacitance of the tone arm cable. This forms a Radio Frequency tuned circuit (also known as a tank circuit). The tank circuit is set into oscillation by the energy produced by the cartridge. It resonates in this case at several MHz and thus produces RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). Some preamps don't like that and don't sound right as a result.

The loading resistor detunes the tank circuit enough that it will no longer resonate. Then the preamp sounds fine.

If however, the preamp is properly designed and is stable with RFI, then the loading resistor will be found to have no effect.

IOW, if you need the loading resistor to make your cartridge sound right, it points to a stability problem in the preamp.

You can find this topic discussed elsewhere on this site and others. Jonathan Carr of Lyra and Jim Hagerman have discussed it at length as well as myself. Jim has a good article online:
http://www.hagtech.com/loading.html

-which goes into the math of it.

We did not use any loading on our ZYX- our preamps are stable so there is no need.

One additional point- when loading the cartridge, you are making it do work. This stiffens up the cantilever, changing its tracking characteristic- it will be less compliant; that's not a good thing. You are better off with a stable phono preamp.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,630 posts
 
:(
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,630 posts
 
Lew, i was not so lucky with my second ZYX, it was purchased new, but accidentally i ended with broken cantilever, i avoided the very kind offer to pay again the price that is very close to the new ZYX cartridge.
In my UNIverse the cantilever let go of the stylus due to a crack that formed in the cantilever, which was otherwise undamaged. Despite being a materials issue and Mehran batting for us, it was not covered by ZYX so it was going to cost about the same to repair as replacement. Too bad- it was a very nice sounding cartridge and its tracking was meticulous.
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