Thanks Ttbolad...and you gotta love that Dvorak Cello Concerto!!! |
Wrm...I once owned a high output, copper wired Zyx Airy 3. Found it a bit too "hot" sounding and ultimately fatiguing. |
Thanks Wrm, yes I've tried different tubes in the phono pre,
nearly from the beginning. It uses four 7DJ8s. Of those
tried--Tungsram, Telefunken, Tesla and the stock Ei Yugo--I
consistently return to the Teslas for the nicest and most
even sounding tonal balance. |
Hey John...I had been using the Dynavector XV-1S with my
former SME IV.Vi tonearm, but quit when the suspension
collapsed. I replaced the XV-1S with a Dynavector XX-2,
which despite being over $3000 less than the 1S, sounds
amazingly similar to it. I've since moved to the TW Acustic
10.5 arm(with Raven One table). The SME's relative
mellowness, along with my slightly dark sounding, older VPI
HW-19/early Mk 4 platter, melded pretty well the Dynavector
sound. Compared with the SME, the 10.5 has a relatively more
neutral and more dynamic sound. Along with my revealing
Dunlavy SC-4 speakers, the Dynavector and 10.5 sound fairly
similar in terms of brilliance and detail. I would prefer a
cartridge that has a slightly more refined quality which I
feel would provide a more desirable synergy for me. Without
elaborating, it must also be of low output; i.e., .3
millivolts or less, which narrows the field considerably.
So...any suggestions? Thanks Stringreen. I just saw your
recommendation before posting my response to John. I do like
the Benz sound, and of course will give it serious
consideration. |
Or the Miyajima Shilabe ? |
Your comments might be right on the mark, John. And of course the required changes brought about by different, newly introduced equipment is always fun :-}. Kind thanks to you and others here for the recommendations. Based on what I've read about it, the Allaerts sounds very interesting but it's out of my price range. Denon might be too low on compliance. Otherwise, there's a good crop to consider from here. |
John...I seem to recall the bass performance of that copper Airy 3 I had left a bit to be desired. Some of the comments I've read from a few other Zyx owners(depending on the particular model)have also indicated bass reproduction was not a particularly strong suit. Have you been aware of any difference between the copper and silver models regarding that area? |
John...At no time in this thread have I sensed you've tried "...to push a Zyx on [me]". As always, I enjoy reading your comments and taking in your impressions and insights. Plus, I appreciate your delineating the differences between some of the various models in the Zyx stable. I also take well your point regarding the incompatibility of impressive dynamic impact with a smoother leading edged cartridge. To some extent, I'm certainly willing to trade off some clean dynamic impact to get a bit of a smoother and perhaps more rounded presentation of instrumental/orchestral sound[s]. As others might have gathered from some of my previous posts, I've consistently maintained the sounds I most frequently hear at live orchestral concerts rarely display the kind of clean, tight contours quite a few audiophiles prefer from reproduced music in their home audio systems. So, carry on my fellow! |
Pani...You might be interested in going to the site known as 10 Audio and reading Jerry Siegel's detailed reviews of the Miyajima Shilabe and Miyajima Kansui cartridges. I found them quite interesting. |
I'm a bit embarrassed. It took me a while to connect the BBs in my brain to realize that simply making changes with my new tonearm's VTA adjustment dial(never had one of those before) was not enough. I needed to grab and physically move the entire arm downward in larger increments to scotch a hardness/sharpness/metallic sound I was experiencing. It's still possible though, after further listening, that I may or not prefer a bit of a warmer sounding cartridge.
Otherwise: Larry, I've got all tube electronics---EAR 88PB phono preamp and Air Tight ATM-3 monoblock amps---and have been very satisfied with them.
Dougdeacon: The "excessive crispness" I was objecting to was (as I've indicated) a lot more than just that. It was also an "artifact" of my inexcusable unconsciousness. With some of your other comments, however, I must respectfully disagree. Frankly, I'm rather surprised with your assertion that I need to sit in "acoustically better halls...or acoustically better seats". Come on now, even if you've never visited or sat in the Concertgebouw or Musikverein, I'm sure you've heard or read about their renowned, warm sonics. There are other venues here that fit into the same category, and they would not likely be characterized as "*very* crisp and clear". Would you tell those who have enjoyed performances in these places where instruments sound more rounded that they need to go to crisper, clearer halls to properly enjoy music or hear it more "correctly"? I did not find fault with those who preferred a reproduced sound with clean, tight contours, but said I have not routinely encountered this sort of sound in concert perfomances I have attended. In fairness and reasonableness, maybe both of us could use a little broadening of our experiences regarding attendance at musical venues with contrasting sound personalities. Meanwhile, here's to our continuing enjoyment of our personal preferences in sound at home. |
John...Ha Ha, but OUCH!!! You reminded me of the time I blew out a channel in one of my costly Benz cartridges, but I won't get into details about that! I find one of your comments above very soothing: "...you just saved a bundle of $$$." If only all those moments of unconsciousness or stupidity could have been reversed or avoided, we'd probably have been able to afford a Mitt Romney type of wealthy sound system. Er, on second thought, forget that. I'd rather not go in that direction. Ha Ha. |
Many of the sounds I hear at a live orchestral concert seem
to speak with an effortless and supple voice. There is a
more complex and complete sense of richness and ambient
tonality. I often hear a more fluid, freer kind of
presentation with violins. With higher pitched wind
instruments like piccolos, their pungent or piercing sounds
come across as somewhat more listenable, not quite as sharp
than they might with reproduced music. Both hard and soft
sounds from the piano also seem to present more information
in more listenable and enjoyable fashion. Perhaps what I'm
trying to say is when I hear live orchestral instruments
being expressed either individually or collectively, it is
that combination of complex tonalities radiating outward in
different directions so freely that gives me the
impression of fuller, more complete sound that I have a
tendency to describe as rounded. Maybe too it's the less
than pinpoint presentation compared with reproduced music
that further reinforces my impression. Though it doesn't
seem so to me, some might feel I would be misusing the word
rounded here. Otherwise, I may have become somewhat
suspicious the term crisp, since I've fairly often seen it
used in association with sounds I would interpret as brittle
or stiff rather than firm. Perhaps differences in hearing
are playing a part here.
Wrm57: I think you say it very well! |
Al: I'm not a technically oriented person, but your point of
possible loading mismatch is well taken. Internally, the EAR
88PB has two different settings via a switch: 4 and 40. With
the transformer's input, 4 is applicable for cartridges
indicating up to 100 ohms; 40 for those up to 1000 ohms.
Indeed, I have encountered situations where one or the other
loading is clearly desirable for a particular cartridge.
Yes, at times, there can certainly be a mismatch.
Wrm57: Thanks very much for your kind comments. I had
previously used a Benz Micro LP. A wonderful sounding
cartridge until I accidentally (or stupidly) blew out one of
its channels. Wanted to get it fixed, but Benz discontinued
its policy of repairing at an inexpensive cost. I have been
quite interested in trying one of the Miyajimas, and might
eventually do so. |
I get the gist of what you're saying, Lino. Personal tastes notwithstanding, when it comes to reproduced music you make good sense, and so do Doug and Pete. What I took issue with previously were Doug's comments about having so sit in better seats or better halls to avoid hearing sound as rounded. Perhaps there was some confusion or misreading centering around the term rounded. Based on my elaboration above, I hope I have corrected that. |
Thanks for your suggestion, Doug. In sincerity, you've always been a reliable source for valuable information. |
Larry: After making various adjustments to my tonearm's
height I was able to get rid of the hardness and stridency
and achieve a much more listenable sound. You mention
classical music. I listen to it almost exclusively, and feel
it's the most challenging kind of music to get right with a
sound system. I do have a limited number of cds and can
connect my old Marantz 63 Special Edition player directly to
my Air Tight ATM-3 monoblock amps. However, there is a
limiting factor associated with the latter. Quite some time
ago I had the amps' volume pots removed to attain a purer
sound. Doing this automatically left them at their full
volume level. This reduces my range of flexibility regarding
gain levels on both my Marantz cd player and my EAR 88PB
phono preamp. As far as cds go, this poses no big problem
for me, since I prefer lps. As for the EAR preamp, it
has output capability of at least 75db. The direct
connection between it and my Air Tights requires me to use a
very low output moving coil(.3mv or less), AND
simultaneously keep gain levels relatively low. This does
not affect my ability to hear and enjoy music. Besides, I
don't like things particularly loud anyway. Now since I need
a very low output mc, I believe the Koetsus wouldn't fit the
bill. Some of the less expensive cartridges in that line
have sounded too polite at the top for me. The more
expensive ones might be better, but I deem them too costly.
Otherwise, I have previously owned some Grados, but have
never been nuts about them either.
I've not had a significant problem regarding sibilance with
my EAR preamp. It is a pretty revealing unit however.
Perhaps in combo with my Dunlavy SC-4 speakers(also quite
revealing)and my Dynavector XX-2 MK2 cartridge and TW
Acustic 10.5 tonearm(both revealing as well)I might have
been experiencing a bit of "information overload" at
times. The two elements of my system I've sometimes
considered to be most at issue have been precisely those
you have mentioned---the preamp and the cartridge. Like
cartridges, my choice of preamps would be limited, based not
only on how my amps are functioning volume wise, but also my
preferences: a direct connection to the amps, a volume
control, significant gain and tubes in particular. Regarding
a different kind of transformer, I honestly wouldn't know
where to begin. Incidentally, I failed to mention I have a
spare preamp, the GCPH phono(yes, solid state), which I
recently connected to the amps, only to encounter the same
issue I had with the EAR before modifying tonearm height. By
the way, I should also say I've never heard anyone describe
the sound of the Air Tight ATM-3 monoblocks as strident,
hard, etc.
I have not abandoned the possibility that a new or different
cartridge might help provide further improvement in my
system's sound. That was the impulse that generated my
thread's initial query. But since fiddling with the tonearm,
I've put aside for now any serious concern regarding
replacement in gear. If things revert for the worse however
my first order of business will be to re-visit the cartridge
situation, and if need be after that, the preamp.
Sincere thanks, Larry and Al, for your offer to assist. It
is most appreciated. |
