The Grandezza is a great arm with the right cartridge. A low compliance cartridge will thrive with the arm. But if the cartridge is medium compliance it will be a negative effect. The Phantom is a fairly low effective mass which mates well w. a Lyra Titan I etc. W. the Grandeza, Koetsu's, Some ZYX & other cartridges will benefit. The PC-1 is fairly low as well. About a 10cu.
On to the table as a comparison. I honestly believe very few people know what their turntables are capable of until they are perfectly isolated. The Magnetic bearing is one way of achieving this if well implemented. As per my understanding the Caliburn's "greatness" is a result of its magnetic levitation in the stand. I truly wonder how perfectly isolated turntables on a Halcyonics Platform would compare. For me this is the challenge in isolating a turntables performance from each other if all else is the same. |
Wow. A ZYX Universe souding bloated? Something sounds wrong. That would be the last thing I would say about the Universe. OTOH, the XV-1s should sound bloated but extremely natural. Suffice it to say, I am all confused. The DaVinci should be a great combination w. the ZYX provided the ZYX has a low enough compliance. If not then all is lost. The ZYX often has variable compliance.
Halcro, did you try the ZYX in the Copperhead? I know you said you tried a Graham. In your system?
Can anyone tell me if they did a resonance test on thier cartridges to determine if in the optimal range. Until then I only remain interested. Not persuaded. |
Raul,
I agree with you about all you said. But, others who have heard the XV-1s in my system agreed with my assesment. Maybe a system parameter was off, but it was checked thoroughly by me & some experts. On a different note, the XV-1s took a lot of time to break in. This is a major part of the problem. But even after break in, it is a more closed in cartridge than the ZYX. I prefer the Koetsu to the XV-1s in musical terms. But not in dynamic terms. I now have both with the PC-1.
I have heard the XV-1s in many systems, and it remains less detailed than the ZYX but more natural tonally. This is my ears and experience so please don't consider it the end all. I would consider it again for the price. It is well priced.
Now, on to tonearms. Yes to all you say but without getting the resonant frequency into the correct range you are not maximizing the performance of the cartridge no matter the tonearm design. The resonance will make the bass bloated and the treble distorted. It is simple physics. I am actually surprised by your assertion otherwise, as you argue as an absolute against all preamps w. a SUT base on specifications and engineering but in terms of tonearm / cartridge matching you are willing to ignore this.
Now if all things are equal or fairly close 8-12 Hz resonant frequeny, then we can have other design parameters which we can consider. Also tonearm/ turntable interface a tonearms ability to handle air born resonance and disipate it through the turntable or any other way is important. Now, these can be more important than what I mention above, but only if these parameters are truly not met at all.
It gets back to the weakest link. If any one item is poor it will affect all others. |
I just checked out the Adjust+. Wow is all I can say. Another expense yet again but this one seems to make sense. Emailist, do you know if a record is provided w. it? I wonder if it is just software or not. I need a good soundcard anyhow for PC Audio - but that is for later.
Color, color, color. Doesn't every cartridge have its own color? The above explanation is amazing. |
I think the review is a comparison of Linear Tracking vs. the Phantom more than not. Valin's using a suboptimal match of the PC-1 on the Phantom would change things as well. I use the PC-1 on an arm w. an effectie mass of 18 gms. I have a resonant frequency of 10Hz. Placing it on the Phantom would place the resonant frequency slightly higher and result in a resonant frequency closer to 12 Hz. Which is still very good but not ideal. I really think tonearm matching is critical. This is not to say the Walker is anything else. But, if we are doing system comparisons and Valin's favorite cartridge on the Walker is the PC-1, then he should find his favorite cartridge for the Phantom and do a sytem shootout in totality. Honestly, even the phono stage would come into play in certain situations depending on the gain & impedance ofthe cartridge in play. |
I would rewrite your thread title a few different ways. Linear Tracking vs. Unipivot could be one title. A 2nd would be tonality vs. accuracy. Colored vs. Accurate is in and of itself biased.
As a Raven owner, I would suggest that the table takes on the character of any mat, any tonearm, tonearm cable & of course cartrdige that you use. This of course is system dependant. I would look at Albert Porter using a Jade & now a PC-1 on a very accurate turntable such as a Walker. Both "colored" cartridges. I used 3-5 cartridges & play around. I prefer neutral when the recording is right. On some recordings a bit of color helps. On others, accurate is the way to go. The Titan I is probably one of the most accurate cartridge. Yet, it misses the magic of a Miyabi or Koetsu.
The thrust of the Raven, which was not addressed 100% in the review is that you can change mats, arms etc. & you will hear it all.
One more thing, with 2 different phono stages, you can often match 2 different tonearms to 2 different cartridges on 2 different phono stages to get almost an equivalent sound out of both arms. It truly is a search for system synergy. In the Ravens case, it allows you to have a few different systems ready to go for different recordings. |
Halcro,
I have compared the arms but in a limited manner. The Schroder SQ I have as an effective mass of 18 -22 gm depending on the mounting plate I use. This greatly affects its performance. Obviously a low compliance design won't sound as good. But an 10 cu design does amazing. This includes the PC-1. The SQ somehow frees the cartridge in a way that you feel you hear the cartridge in terms of music with no mechanics at all. Put a Koetsu on a SQ and the holography is unreal, in the best of ways. But,, it might not be for all. Put my ZYX Universe on it and you really have detail and 3 dimensionality with that shared sense of space (SSS) so well explained by others. But,, in the Ikeda the Universe has better dynamics and an improvement in bass & highs. Yet it misses the SSS that the SQ allows. But my Univese is about a 6.5 cu so the Ikeda will be better match in some ways. The Universe can have different compliance ratings (they are all over the place) which will determie what arm is best. The Phantom is somewhere between the SQ & Ikeda. It is a much lower effective mass, w. incredible dynamic agility but less high end air than the SQ. But again it needs the right cartridge. A Lyra Titan I is probably the best cartridge for this arm. You can easily tune the sound by adding/removing damping fluid. You can adjust the magentic gap on the SQ to the same end. Ease of use & setup is almost exclusive to the Phantom. Nothing comes close. The SQ is very difficult to setup until you learn it and it can be a nightmare as it doesn't have a lock to stop the arm from flinging across the table. Imagine losing a $5K plus cartridge due to a tap on the arm. That is why my SQ is in the back. Also, I constantly need to adjust the magnetic gap as it changes daily. It takes me 30 seconds to do. But, once the SQ is locked in, IMO nothing comes close to bringing me into the music. OTOH, if I want kick ass dynamics, the Phantom it is. The SQ is a single cable from cartridge to phono stage and the Phantom has a few joints. There are a lot of variables.
You have me interested in the Continuum arms. I would love to compare it one day.
Just to let you know, it is almost impossible to compare any arms w. identical cartridges and be fair. Every arm has its ideal set of matching cartridges. And then there is the phono stage matching the cartridge. Esp, if there is a SUT. I would say how does the best Phantom combination compare to the best SQ combination that I have heard. And that is what I just described. |
Stiltskin,
Whatever you put into the phono would define what the phono stage is. Basically, it has be taken as a single source component. Only as strong as the weakest link. Also, Zanden has a SUT as does Kondo. I would say the cartridge needs to match with the phono stage to know what the phono stage is capable of. While a solid state phono stage is more accomodating of different cartridges it also has some synergies due to gain, and different strengths. For example, my Koetsu's loved solid state. Their warmth was balanced by the extension and dynamis of solid state. When I tried a tube phono the Koetsu became too warm. But again this depends on the tubes being used and the SUT.
As far as phono stages there is a thread on them elsewhere that is fairly informative but not contextual as to system specifics. The list of "great" phono stages is long. But I would wonder what you have already prior to saying what is the best phono for you. Also, remember at the top of the ladder the law of diminishing returns sets in. |
I have owned both. I still own the Universe. Sirspeedy, your description fits my experience exactly. Still not one person here on this forum wants to answer my comment that the variation in compliance of the Universe will create different "ultimate" tonearm matchups for different owners. So, while in 1 system the Davinci is best in a 2nd system / w a different sample of the Univ the match can be bloated. I also will mention that this applies to many cartridge brands. My Titan I & Air Tight PC-1 are spot on. But Koetsus have been very low, not medium-low as specified. Why does everyone want to waste money on tonearms before they measure the cartridge compliance by dtermining the resonant frequency in an arm of know mass. You can easily reverse calculate it. Does anyone here own test records. All the information I am reading so far is irrelevant.
Albert, I loves the PC-1 but prefer the openness of the ZYX to the Dynavector. Yet both of us love the PC-1. Funny how 2 people have such different conclusions. Mind you I have both owner & heard several XV-1s samples. Very dynamic and natural...but nowhere near as detailed as the ZYX. It does have better bass & dynamics.
Tonearms used for my Comparison include a 10 gm effective mass SME V, Schroder SQ w 18 gms effective mass, and the Ikeda 407 w 35 gms mass. All cartridges moved between all arms. I now used the Universe on the SQ w the optional brass mounting plate which increase the effective mass of the SQ to 23 but 28 would be ideal. But my PC-1 is perfect w the 18 gm mass. Of course the Titan I is a perfect match in the Phantom. My resonant frequency measurements for the latter 2 is spot on 10Hz. The Universe is 12 to 13hz in the SQ at 23 gms mass. If I add Blutak to the headshell area I can get it to 10 perfectly & the treble is less shrill & the bass gets deep. |
RE: The 3 Motors. It took me a while to understand the reasons for the benefit. I am not 100% sure of them but here it goes. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
1) The belt has more even "tension"
2) While a the belt is pulled on the pulley on one side, the belt is pushed on the other side. This creates a slack part of the belt. The additional motor pulling where the other one is pushing helps make the tension more even.
3) All the motors a syncronized via the motor controller.
4) The belt has much less contact with the platter, which will produce less frictional resistance against the platter.
5) The platters inertia is greater. For all of us who ride a bicycle, or even drive a car. The more you inflate your tires, the easier (and bumpier) it is t peddle or the better mileage you get. I assume this reduced contact with the belt is similar. |
