ZYX R 1000 Sigma X - thoughts, comments, reviews

Thanks for the response Dougdeacon. Read your review of the UNIverse and it sounds wonderful. Question for you is depending upon price, would you go for a UNI or a Sigma. Audiogon classifieds have the UNI listed at $7,500 with selling for $5,000. If you could get a Sigma for around the same price of $5,000 would you? Again, do you know of any reviews of the Sigma cartridge and what would you think are the major differences in sound? Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks again Dougdeacon,

You pretty much answered the way I thought. Is there ever an end to upgrading one's system? Somehow this audio sickness we all have seems to be a self fullfilling prophecy. We upgrade one component only to have to upgrade another to get the best out of each one. ARGGHHH!!

Budget and common sense needs to play a role. I have spent the last 4 years upgrading my system, which was 20 plus years old when I started the upgrade process. Have reached a point were I am very satisfied with everything and only wanted to upgrade the cartridge. Have been fortunate to usually upgrade with demo's which really helps with the cost.

Its nice to hear something can be improved upon and come out at a lower price.

I forgot to add that I also have a REL Studio III to complement the Guarneri's.

Will take your thoughts, and any others, under advisement and make my decision.

Any thoughts on an arm upgrade now that you brought it up?

Thanks

Couldn't agree with you more on Gandalf's wisdom. Yes, it is all about enjoying the music! And I have been at that. Never really appreciated how good audio equipment could sound and by that the music produced from said equipment could sound until I went down the upgrade path. Have been startled and pleasently surprised. For me the biggest improvement in sound has been the upgrade in cables. I know many think Siltech are overpriced but boy once you have heard the difference it is hard to accept anything else.

For now I think I will stay with my Clearaudio and Graham. I have only had them for about a year and a half and am enjoying them immensely. I think I will pull the trigger on the cartridge as I know I need an upgrade there. I am getting a good warranty and price on the Sigma. I may not get the most out it but know the potential and it will be an improvement over what I have.

Next line of improvements will be my CD player and my Reel to Reel. Have been a long time user/fan of R-to-R and enjoy recording tapes and just pressing play. Its also much easier to make tapes and edit than it is to make cd's from vinyl. Additionally am very interested in the Tape Project and will be taking out a subscription shortly. Will need to update my Otari for the tapes but it will be worth it.

Thanks again for your comments. Audiogon is a great sight and has been extremely helpful with my upgrade journey.

Thanks Mark for your response. Couldn't agree more. Room acoustics and set up are key. Also agree that I am not concerned with having a $10,000 cartridge. My whole philosophy with the upgrading has been what does it sound like, will I notice the difference, will it improve my system and is it worth the price. My guiding principle in all things I purchase is quality. I will wait and spend the extra dollars for something that is well made, well supported, and backed by the manufacturer/seller.

Thanks for your thoughts on signing my name. Wasn't sure about the etiquette for doing so on this sight. Have really enjoyed reading all the posts on Audiogon and the advice given.

Thanks to everyone,
David