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This is long, so I hope you can cope with all the details, as they are necessary: I have these two cartridges on loan and I have to return them tomorrow because I had previously downloaded vinyl rips done with these two carts, and I really, really liked the sound of those vinyl-rips. The carts seemed quite accurate and neutral and as if they had a fairly flat frequency response and without harshness, which is what I was looking for: Not a "typical" dark MM sound, nor a "typical" bright MC sound either.
One thing I did notice was that both the Fuji and the Airy were very loud when I stood next to the turntable and listened to them play "acoustically". We both agreed that the recordings done on my setup were identical to how it sounded on his setup, except maybe that there was a slight speed discrepancy. That recording was even darker than the one done with the Fuji on my own setup.
The shop also said that the Fuji was a bit brighter than the Ultimate The Parasound is also a bit darker than the NAD. The maximum deviation from the riaa curve is 0. When increasing the ohm load to ohm on the Soundsmith, the treble became more prominent but still not to the same extent as on the downloads. It just seemed strange to me that I had to increase the ohm load that much, when ohm is the standard and when I read that people use less than that for Zyx.
Also, the phono stages used in the downloads are not all able to even go to ohm nor was it mentioned that the ohm load was that high. I am of course aware that comparing to a random download is not the perfect way to do it, but still… As mentioned, all the downloaded vinyl-rips have the same sound signature. With my Rega Exact cart I passed blind tests between a Baerwald adjustment and the "factory" setting with three screws the Baerwald was brighter.
In the shop, they adjusted the Ultimate with a Dr. Feickert protractor. However, not much of a difference. I also heard the same difference with the Goldring raised was brighter. No difference. Lastly, you might think that the carts just need to break in.
Anyway, the Airy already had some play on it, and I was actually given another Fuji to try out, and it was well-used, but that one sounded even a bit darker just worn, really. On top of this, the way I understand break-in is that before a cart is broken in, it will sound harsh and bright — the opposite of what is the case here. But if Zyx carts get a more prominent treble after breaking in, if breaking-in even exists, then this could be the explanation. I had to adjust the channel balance here as well.
These two downloads sound quite similar. The Goldring cart was brighter than the CDs, since it seemed to have a big spike in the treble. Anyway, I appreciate any and all help Thanks, and thanks for reading through all this! Edit Delete. So, you've tried everything. Looks like it is a dark sounding cartridge. Try a 47K ohm load. It's really impossible for a third party to make your diagnosis, because we don't know how your system ensemble sounds or what you really mean when you say "dark".
This is not your fault, necessarily. It's just that none of us can be in your listening room with you. Please confirm or dispute my summary of the very long post: 1 You are auditioning these cartridges based on the fact that you listened to vinyl rips made from them. By "vinyl rips", I presume you mean digital copies. I really have not tried to read every word of your post, but by scanning it, I don't see that you have made any comment about how the cartridges sound when you actually listen to the analog output direct from your system.
One question would be, how does the direct analog sound compared to the original digital copies that caused you to want to audition the cartridges? Why are you confining yourself to a comparison of digital to digital? Or am I missing something? Sometimes, even LOMC cartridges sound more open, more extended in the treble, when you reduce the resistive load, which is why I suggest that you listen at 47K ohms.
I tried it again now. No difference except for the amplitude, obviously. Also, I've obviously also tried the Parasound and Soundsmith phono preamps, which just make the sound a tad darker. First, please tell us which cartridge is not dark in your system? Such a low impedance cartridges are not sensitive to loading. Let me ask you one thing: Are you sure your ZYX is not a grey market samples?
Do yourself a favor, listen to the actual vinyl in your system, compare cartridges by playin the same favorite LPs with different carts. Forget about your vinyl rips if you want to make sure about the actual sound of your cartridge. I have some amazing headamp made by ZYX for their cartridges, if you could find a borrow it - try it. Maybe you have a faulty samples of your ZYX models, they are old and out of production, discontinued models.
Your distributor company name is the official ZYX distributor in your area or just a re-seller? Beware of the old ZYX coming from grey market dealers on ebay! Do you have valid serial numbers on your samples that you can check with the real distributor?
The 4D is better than the Airy. I know its not an R but they share many characteristics. I intermittently experienced what the OP describes as rolled off high end. Look no farther than your tonearm. If I used too much weight in the head shell like using brass Sound-Smith mounting screws it became dull. Hope you find the right combination! Have you tried playing a test record?
Because, if you are used to digital, a good analogue sound might seem lacking in treble. Also, I would like to second Karl's comment. Setup is critical, down to matching the torques on the cartridge screws.
It seems like no current owners of the cart has downloaded my soundclips and listened to them, which was what I had hoped for to begin with. Also, in the shop they had set up the Ultimate on an Acoustic Signature tonearm, and that combo also had a dark sound. Please, no more digital bashing. This is not the issue.
I also recorded the Goldring, and I had it at the same time as the Zyx's, so if the problem was digitizing or anything in my setup, the Goldring would also sound dark, and it was quite the contrary. So, to respond to a new question: The seller is the official importer in my country, and the carts have serial numbers.
We also looked at the Airy in a microscope before I took it home. The seller said he had looked at the first Fuji in a microscope before sending it to me as well and he said it looked brand new. Fuji and Airy III are very old models, they have been discontinued many years ago, your distributor still have them. Grey market ZYX also have serial numbers, but the numbers are fake. However, could you answer one simple question: Which cartridge do you like in your system? What was your favorite cartridge before your bad experience with those two old ZYX samples?
I read your post and came to the same conclusion that seems apparent to everyone. Just an update: I've now returned the carts to the dealer. People are of course still welcome to download the clips and say if their Zyx carts sound the same as the ones I had on loan it would be nice to have it cleared up. Do you always use this strange method to chose the cartridges?
It reminds me people who judge audio equimpent by youtube videos. Cartridge in the actual system is not exactly what's on your digital recordings in the headphones. Maybe something wrong with your recordings, who knows, how could this be a reference? Maybe you need a better headphones or better headphone amp, or it's about your hearing abilities or personal preferences and experience Do you like digitaly remastered records?
Maybe your LPs are not the best quality? Afterall everything depends on the LP first. The best souding LPs are mastered from the mastertapes or in real time with direct cut and this is where the magic begins! Digitally recorded music must be better on digital source, i don't understand why people needs an LP cut from the digital master?
If you had ZYX there in an article in the manual about analog reproduction. I'm sure the best way for you is to check your next cartridge in the actual system and not bother about all these perversion to make a digital copy of a digital master cut from vinyl to compare it to another digital copy made by someone else. I just don't get why not just play a perfect analog recording with no digital in the chain of mastering process with some nice cartridges in a good analog system with louspeakers not headphones in your actual listening room?
But the more important is to compare new cartridge to some nice cartridge that you already know very well. Maybe you prefer digital to analog? Analogue to digital conversion is completely transparent within audibility. And similar tests have been done several times with the same results. Digitizing something doesn't change the sound of it.
And how many times do I have to repeat that my amp and speakers are in storage, so I can only listen through my headphones?! To quote the late Christopher Hitchens: "It has made me think I could write a sequel called 'How some [audiophiles] apparently can't even read'". And there's nothing wrong with my headphones. Even if there were, I could still hear the difference between my own recordings and the vinyl-rips, as I also stated earlier.
Please find a nice original LP from the 70s or 80s mastered from the tapes, then buy a digitally remastered reissue of the same record pressed nowadays, then you can make your blind test, but with the vinyl. Then you can tell us what you like the most. But seems like you can, even with your cheap soundcard using CD-Rs.
Now please tell me why a copy from the original pressing is not a good source for reissue, why people like Analogue Production always looking for an original mastertape to make a proper reissues? Why do they need super rare mastertape if they could just rip the original vinyl in mint condition for the reissue?
According to your logic there is no difference between a digital copy and the original. This is the biggest mistake! Why musicians still using a mastertapes in the studios if the digital is much cheaper? Becase this is analog and you loose something when it became digital. Audiophile with a "system in the storage" should put the system in the listening room first and then look for a components for the system, but not vice-versa.
I also use Sennheiser headphones, but the music in my system with full range drivers of db is another world, completely different experience when it comes to cartridges. So after listening to several different tracks that you made available for downloading I'll make a couple points. First, Mastodon rules!!! Second, I think that the Airy and Fuji are sounding pretty close to the way they should.
This is not "dark" sounding to my ears compared to the CD rips. It actually sounds a lot better to my ears than the CD. The ZYX cartridges have a house sound of "ultra-smooth", for the lack of a better term. I hear this in your rips. So its not that they don't extend full frequency, but rather they don't emphasize the attack of the notes and they loose a bit of the dynamics you might like to have with rock music.
I do think you would be able to coax out more dynamics and some attack by pairing them with the right tonearm and getting the VTA and VTF just right. The OP and all the responders, including me, are talking past each other. Typical of civil discourse in the age of the cell phone. He is asking WHY they sound dark to him, via his digital copies of LPs played through his headphones. He seems to recognize that something is "off", in order for the cartridges to sound as they do to his ears, in his set-up.
The experience in his home system, such as it is, differs from his experience when he first auditioned the cartridges on some other rig. Or on his own rig but digitized by someone else. I am not sure which. To anyone else, I don't see where the OP ever stated that "digital is better than analog". He is just telling us how he auditioned the two cartridges and that his method is constrained by the fact that part of his system is packed away. I don't know whether he prefers digital to analog or vice-versa, just from reading his posts, except that he does say that he cannot distinguish any difference between his digital rips of LP content and signal derived direct from an LP, in his system.
There are many others who share that opinion, but most persons in that camp are digitizing with more expensive stuff, not to say better stuff. To the OP, in all your ensuing responses, when you describe your listening experiences, were they ALL based on listening to digitized copies of one LP or another, regardless of all other variables?
In other words, have you ever heard either cartridge directly via an all analog pathway? Maybe the moral of the story is to simplify your question before posting. One of the drawbacks of being so thorough is that the number of steps added to the process offers more opportunities to miss something. When was the last time someone told you that Loefgren results in a deficient top end in comparison with Baerwaald or Stevenson?
Sometimes, you can get too smart for your own good. An example: a customer reported having one channel being much lower in level than the other. His conclusion was that I had miswired a step-up transformer. When I asked him about this, he commented: "Well of course! One side of my room is "brighter" than the other Folks do the darndest things. My experience mirrors that of Salvatore.
Similarly, a heavy hand with too much anti-skate can kill dynamics. Cheers, Thom Galibier Design. To me, the downloads is what I would expect a Zyx to sound like. Are my own "dark" rips or the "bright" downloaded rips more accurate in your estimations, meaning if you have a Zyx cart yourself and the Mastodon record, does the record in your system sound closer to my "dark" rips or the "bright" downloaded rip?
And thanks for taking the time to listen to them They all have the same sonic signature, whether it's a Fuji or an Airy, which is what is so confusing to me. It would make sense that a rip from one person might sound different than my recording, but they ALL sound different than my recordings, and they ALL have the SAME sonic signature despite different turntables, tonearms, phono preamps, cables, etc. It sounded the same at his place. I then also have recordings of the Ultimate from the shop, where they set it up on their equipment.
That one was even darker, so perhaps I just don't like these Zyx'es after all and something had gone wrong in the rips I downloaded although it strikes me as odd that all the downloads had the same sonic signature, even though they were done by different people with different equipment, but Again, the Goldring was much brighter than the Zyx, and on the Dire Straits tracks it was brighter than the CD, even though the record was cut from a digital But with the Zyx it didn't change anything.
With the Goldring and my previous Rega Exact I could hear a difference when changing the tracking force, and although I wouldn't call the difference enormous I passed blind tests. With the Goldring I also loaded recordings of light and heavy tracking forces into CurveEQ in Audacity this plug-in let's you see the difference in EQ between two recordings , and it mirrored what I had heard: That one VTF setting was brighter than the other the curve showed a decrease in high frequencies and a light bass boost on one VTF setting compared to the other.
The difference with the Goldring might have been greater than with the Zyx. I could see a small difference in the channel balance in the recordings, but that was all. It would of course be lovely if we could figure out if the explanation was not that I just didn't like the Zyx'es, since those rips that I downloaded were some of the only ones that I had truly liked. Tri Planar Ultimate II tonearm that had just appeared for review.
I could go on and further describe the sound I experienced with the ZYX R, but it would not alter my inevitable conclusions, and would over-state the obvious. I understand that the silver base is an option for any ZYX cartridge, though it appears that by simply adding a silver base will yield the stellar performance of the ZYX Yatra. Yet just simply knowing the sonic differences between the ZYX R and Yatra stable mates, I would personally opt to dig just a bit deeper into the pockets and go for the pricier sibling.
To me the difference is well worth it. Indeed there has not been a dull moment as I explored the various levels of performance yielded by the trio of cartridges, R50 Bloom, R, and R Yatra. I look forward to hopefully continuing this journey as I make my way up the ZYX food chain. Importer Tel. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. Staff Contact. Analog Sources. Print Article. By: Ray Seda April The Journey Continues….. Summing it up I could go on and further describe the sound I experienced with the ZYX R, but it would not alter my inevitable conclusions, and would over-state the obvious. Page 1 of 1. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Year Released. Additional Info. Gentle Giant. UK-first pressing.
In a Glass House. WWA Rough Mix. Janis Ian. Breaking Silence. Analogue Productions. APP Peter Gabriel. New Blood.
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This model has a perfect magnetic circuit that is improved from it of YATRA MKⅡ. It gives you extremely even sound balance at both channels and extremely. The R is of course a basic model in the series. You will enjoy perfect stereo sound that has the same sound balance at both left and right channels and. This model has a perfect magnetic circuit that is improved from it of YATRA MKⅡ. So the sound is too stable and magnificent. Type Moving Coil (Dynamic).