Zyx Universe. O.24 mv vs .48 mv with low eff spkrs

Tom,

Many thoughts and questions...

Can you give a bit more info? Has this need to crank up the gain come on gradually over time? Or is this suddenly out of nowhere?

Are you sure some tubes aren't going? Have you tried swapping in new phono stage or power amp tubes? Much cheaper than buying a new UNIverse.

I don't know anything about your Salk speakers or power amps, but your Doshi pre has oodles of gain, so the problem "shouldn't" be there. I know you had it modded by Nick. You might check with him to see if he has any insights. Gain and impedance matching between amplifier stages is one of his specialties.

If your supposition about faulty/sticky arm bearings wearing out the suspension is correct, then clearly the first thing to do is remedy that (duh).

Once you've got a properly functioning tonearm then presumably there's no risk of wearing out your next cartridge early. In that case, if a new cartridge is needed and the .24mv UNIverse gave you sufficient output before, I can't recommend going with the .48mv. I've heard both, as you know, and there's really no comparison. It's not just detail that's lost with the HO version. Dynamics and speed suffer greatly too. The music sounds (comparatively) dead and dull. Read Arthur Salvatore's original (.48mv) and followup (.24mv) UNIverse reviews for detailed comparisons. I discouraged him from bothering with the .48mv but he wanted to try it first. He wasn't that impressed, finding it only slightly better than his LO Airy 3. When he switched to the .24mv UNIverse... bingo!

If you go for another UNIverse, DO order the UNIverse II. It's head and shoulders better than the original. One of the improvements is increased dynamics and punch, which should help ameliorate any need to crank it up.

Lewm, that's exactly what I was saying.

Further, I'm confident that Tom's Doshi Alaap (phono + line preamp) has (or at least had) ample gain for a .24mv ZYX. You heard the UNIverse/Alaap combo at the home of our mutual friend and your neighbor, Michael K****. I'd wager that inadequate gain and dynamic compression were the furthest things from your mind.

Something's clearly amiss, but we need more info.

***

@Audiotomb,

Try this experiment: reduce your VTF drastically... like to 1.30-1.50g. If the cartridge tracks cleanly and dynamics open up, your supposition that the cartridge suspension is giving out is confirmed.

You're using OTL's with 84db speakers? Why?

I never understood the point of low efficiency speakers. They put such demands on the amplification chain that sonics are bound to suffer. Show an amplifier an easy load and it'll dance or whisper or roar, as the music demands. Weigh it down with inefficiency and difficult impedance levels and, well, it just won't.

A pair of Krell monoblocks could drive those speakers easily... but you'll never hear what a UNIverse is capable of through a SS amp. Time to re-assess your priorities?

So they're actually just 81db efficient when stated with industry standard specs? Ouch.

Doug - talked to Mehran, always a pleasure
generous exchange policy - I am upgrading to the ii. !!!

Woo-hoo! I figured he'd be generous to a repeat customer, that's always been his way. Mehran's one of the true good guys in audio.

When all the new goodies settle in, please update us on your impressions.

If you feel like taking the time, it would be instructive to hear how the UNI2 behaves with your Salk speakers. My guess (only that) is that it would slightly improve the perceived lack of dynamic headroom.

Almarg,

Thanks as always for your willingness to share technical knowledge. Most of my postings are based on what I hear and seat of the pants "thinking". It's always helpful to hear from someone who actually understands what he's talking about.

Jcarr,

Great post. I concur with your suggestions, particularly the one that the best repair/adjustment of a UNIverse is likely to be provided by ZYX. Aside from Nakatsuka-san himself, there are 2 or 3 people in the world who are fully trained on the inner workings of ZYX cartridges. They're all in Japan and they all work for him. As an official ZYX distributor, Mehran has access to them.

If this were an entry level model, a third-party repair might make sense. But this is one of the world's premier cartridges (by performance, regardless of price) and Tom has already stated that he's unwilling to give up what it does for the music.

Anything's possible, but I wouldn't expect someone other than ZYX to have the knowledge to bring it back to original condition, if possible, or even to know what the original condition actually was.

There's certainly no harm in asking Mehran about an inspection before deciding to replace.

Since I generally can't stand horn speaker distortions, listening with my head deep inside the horn is often the only way I can tolerate them. Swampwalker's advice and Ralph's clarification are spot on!

<:-)

Ummm... Yay!

Tom,

That's a great setup! I'd love to hear the Jhors linked to high efficency speakers.

I looked at Daedulus myself but ended up going used for budget reasons when doing my first high efficiency setup for my HT system. Found a full set of AR speakers from the 1990s on Craigslist. The mains, center, surrounds and rears all exceed 95db efficiency, with stupid easy impedance curves.

The L and R main towers have internal, powered subs... 15" drivers with dedicated 500w Sunfire amps. House-shaking WUMP, yet surprisingly decent on LF music too. As Raul once rhetorically asked, yes, you DO need two subwoofers. ;-)

Since freqs below ~100 Hz go to the subs, my 100wX7 Marantz surround receiver is just coasting, no matter how loud I play.

This setup lacks the bat-eared resolution of my Doshi Alaap/Doshi Lectron/B&W 803D. The tweeters in particular can't compare with the B&W diamonds... few tweeters can. However, its overall openness and immense dynamics with no trace of strain, clipping or overload down to 20Hz are really enjoyable... particularly as all 7.2 speakers and the Marantz cost less than 1/3 the price of one 803D. ;-)

I can only imagine how much better yours must sound.

Now back to your regularly scheduled, obsolete, yet never bettered musical storage and playback medium. :-)

Holy micro-dynamic detail, Batman!