They usually require several months of break-in (assuming you are listening a few hours every day). I provide a free break-in service for the carts. Please send it immediately so I can start working on it!
In all seriousness, mine was pretty good straight out of the box, but it did have an issue with the highs, at normal VTF. I did some searching through the Audiogon forum archives, found others had experienced the same issue, and assisted break-in by raising VTF slightly. This worked for me, and I ended up lowering it a bit after a month, and a bit more after another month, and a bit more after probably 3mos (I was not listening a few hours every day at the time - more like a few hours every few days).
The other thing I noticed early on is that the Universe picks up more grunge than my other carts, and has to be cleaned more frequently. I think it is because the contact area is so small, pressure is higher and it takes less to deform the stylus shape than it would a larger stylus.
In all seriousness, mine was pretty good straight out of the box, but it did have an issue with the highs, at normal VTF. I did some searching through the Audiogon forum archives, found others had experienced the same issue, and assisted break-in by raising VTF slightly. This worked for me, and I ended up lowering it a bit after a month, and a bit more after another month, and a bit more after probably 3mos (I was not listening a few hours every day at the time - more like a few hours every few days).
The other thing I noticed early on is that the Universe picks up more grunge than my other carts, and has to be cleaned more frequently. I think it is because the contact area is so small, pressure is higher and it takes less to deform the stylus shape than it would a larger stylus.