2. analog
  3. 131751-2693

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 6 responses by lewm

lewm
12,540 posts
 
Don, Thanks for responding to my challenge.  The UNI II was of course discontinued a few years ago in favor of the latest version of the UNI ("Premium"? Or something like that).  Apparently one sample (the ad notes repeatedly that he has only one sample to sell), fell into the hands of this dealer in LA, by some mechanism.  I am betting that he convinced a customer to trade the unused UNI II toward some other very expensive purchase.  The information in total suggests that this is "the exception that proves the rule"; only Sorasound sell new UNIs on a routine basis.  Now, if the asking price for the UNI II were about half of what it is now, I might jump.

Later comments about packaging are of interest.  I also noticed the stark contrast between how Ortofon packages their TOTL cartridges (very fancy and elegant) vs how ZYX packages the UNI, which is no different from how they package their cheapest offerings.  I have a new AT ART7, which retails for under $1000.  It's packaging is far "nicer" than that of my ZYX UNI, which came to me in the original box.  I am unmoved by this fact, however. What does perturb me a little is that in the good old days, when no company would dare to ask $8000 for a phono cartridge, every new cartridge came with its own frequency response read-out which also showed channel separation and voltage output.  I have an NOS vintage B&O with such a package insert.  It would seem that for $8000, or even for $1000, this practice should be revived.  Perhaps it would be too revealing.
lewm
12,540 posts
 
Someone made the point that he has seen UNIverse cartridges for sale on-line, even here on Audiogon, from vendors other than Sorasound and for discount prices.  Please show me those ads.  All ads for sale of UNI cartridges that I have seen here and elsewhere were for second-hand items, sometimes described as "demo" or "traded in by customer after very short home demo" by the very high end dealers (other than Sorasound) who advertise them, and yes, those are discounted.  Is it possible that actually new cartridges are sold as "demo" to justify the discount, when sales are otherwise slow?  It sure is.  But only by Sorasound so far as I know.

Also, Sorasound is US distributor for ZYX, I think.  On that basis, he would be entitled to "distribute" cartridges to other dealers, even new ones.  There are indeed a few others who sell NOS ZYX cartridges but none in my experience that sell the UNI line.

Finally, the UNI II was hailed as a major upgrade over the original UNI, based partly on its more "open" body structure compared to the original.  I wonder could it be that the UNI II design was stimulated by complaints, such as those mentioned above, about the non-repairability of the original UNI, due to its closed body structure?  I've never heard a UNI II, and so I have no idea if it is really superior sonically to the original, except for the testimony of others.  I would be tempted to buy a documented low mileage "demo" UNI II (wink, wink), if the price were palatable.
lewm
12,540 posts
 
Just a little point to make:  When I was last in Tokyo, I made a fairly exhaustive search for dealers who would sell me a new UNIverse.  There were none.  None of the high end dealers to whom I spoke even knew that ZYX makes a "UNIverse" line of cartridges.  Thus, I conclude that Sorasound is correct; the UNI line, which is ZYX's best sounding by all accounts, can only be purchased in the US via Sorasound.  All other ZYX's, even the Omega line and others that are priced near to the UNI line (which means "high"), can be obtained in Tokyo, but the savings in cost is not worth the effort.
lewm
12,540 posts
 
Chakster, I fully agree that price is not necessarily proportionate to excellence in audio equipment. That's exactly why I like the ZYX UNIverse cartridges so much; they do (or did, until the price of the UNI was doubled) give good value for the dollar in the realm of the LOMC, where the dollars per unit of pleasure ratio is very high.  I would not argue with you that the dollars per unit of pleasure ratio is much lower in the MM and MI types of cartridges, by comparison.  And some MMs give any MC a run for the money.

I am surprised at Ralph's experience and its outcome.  I bought a new Koetsu Urushi in Tokyo and then noticed that the cantilever was bent. Via the auspices of the Tokyo dealer who sold it to me, Koetsu replaced the cartridge for no cost.  This was 2-3 months at least after I had returned home to the US.  On the other hand, we know a priori that re-tipping of MC cartridges by their makers is going to be expensive.
lewm
12,540 posts
 
Chakster, You gotta be more optimistic than that.  Otherwise, why get out of bed?  Anyway, you've changed your argument from wear to tear.  Privately, I was thinking that 2000 hours is a long time for an MC stylus to last, even under the best conditions.  But even if it ends up costing two or three (US) dollars per hour to run a ZYX, it's still cheap fun.  

My wife and I went out to hear live music this weekend, two nights in a row, one night at the Kennedy Center for a Thelonius Monk Centennial tribute.  Total expenditure was about $250.
lewm
12,540 posts
 
Chakster, 2000 hours is a long time. Even if you do pay $2500 for a re-tip after 2000 hours, think of it as about a dollar per hour of enjoyment.  That's cheap fun, compared to theater, movies, live music performances.  My ZYX UNI has about 40 hours on it now, so I have a long way to go.  I don't know what other similarly excellent MC cartridge would cost much less to use, if you assume you will eventually get a factory re-tip.

I don't know how racedoc figures 25g as being ideal, but if it is, then there is plenty of leeway up or down from that number where the resonant frequency would not be appreciably affected. The math tells us this.

At the risk of being pedantic, which this is, the effective mass of the moving parts is equal to the net effective mass of the tonearm, headshell, screws, and cartridge, plus the effect of the counter-weight on the net effective mass, taken together.  The math for that is tricky (I know that I don't know how to solve it, anyway), so most of the time we are just approximating a value based on the given effective mass of the tonearm, if the manufacturer is kind enough to give us that piece of information.
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