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A trip to the darkside

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Fatmangolf View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Sep 2013 at 11:45pm
It's very good, thanks Bob.

After looking at the silver plates on top of the higher models in the R-100 range I'm trying one of those Isokinetik aluminium plates for the DL-103 (idea from Phildent's DL-103), like a head shell extension. Rather than superglue I have used long screws through the cart and plate, through headshell and then washer and nut. Same clear mid and high frequencies with more deep bass. I'll post a photo soon.

Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Sep 2013 at 8:55am
Is this to add mass to the cartridge, Jon? The Zyx is a very light 4gm. What arm are you using?
Bob

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Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2013 at 9:57am
Hi Bob, the cartridge is so light my counterweight was right against the pivot! As a quick fix last weekend I added a small brass plate on top of the head shell with double sided tape. The plate may be a longer term solution. My arm is a Origin Live Zephyr with effective mass 12g if memory serves.

The Zyx is also quite short in height so trying a plate seemed a cheap tweak to try. I used the long screws rather than superglue so it's easy to reverse. And I raised the arm to maintain the vta/sra.

Still very clear and musical sound and there seems to be a little more sub-bass now - bonus! I have about 10 Hertz resonance using the HFN test disk.

I really like this cartridge, it is bringing a lot of my records to life. They sound real for want of a better phrase with new clarity so the parts or instruments are distinct. Lots of stereo width, including subtle positioning between the speakers and sometimes wider. The "3D" surround bits in mixes is more obvious and around me. Great!
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2013 at 12:33pm
I will be trying the Zyx with an Isolator this weekend if I have time. It adds a couple of grams which is enough to get the right vtf with my counterweight, and also some height. Will post my findings.
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2013 at 3:25pm
Thanks for the info Jon. IIRC quite a few here use Origin Live tonearms. I've seen they get great write-ups ...

The arm on my Sony seems to suit the light Zyx very well, and thankfully VTA seems ok as the arm is non-adjustable in this respect. When using a test record for arm resonance it sailed through all bands from 4Hz to 16Hz. I'm a bit of a newbie to getting this deep into setup, so would this mean the arm resonance is either outside this range, or that the arm controls it well? Reading Sony marketing blurb from the 80s would seem to suggest the arm motors should do just this. Indeed placing the cartridge in the middle of a blank track shows no movement in or out indicating the auto-bias is working.
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Sep 2013 at 5:27pm
That's good I think. It's unlikely the arm resonance is outside that range. I think you'd noticed "boomy deep bass"/modulation of the upper bass if the resonance was over 16 Hz or see the cones flapping if around or under 4 Hz. My understanding, which others may correct, is that matching arm and cart should give resonance(s - H and V) in the range of about 8-12 Hz, and a well damped arm may show little movement even then. So your Sony is probably doing the job well and the music sounds great.

There is a handy tool on VE that you put your arm's effective mass into and then read across from the cart mass. I used 12g for the arm and 8g for the cart i.e. Zyz's 5g + 3g for the plate.

I also use the blank wax/empty track to quickly set the bias and confirm it with the bias torture tracks. My cart is fine until +15dB when it buzzes slightly on left and right channels.

Frankly I am not an expert on this advanced stuff and am sharing what I've learned in recent years from reading and experimenting. I just want the good records to sound great and find that setting quickly!
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tg [RIP] Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Sep 2013 at 7:24am

Interesting to hear your results with this cartridge, it was on my list to try for a long while.

Do you have the Zephyr fitted to the Rega (or has that moved on) or the Technics ?

I was given a loan of an R100-02 early last year, it did come with a different deck to my usual suspects and I did not get to try it on my own decks.  

Did not want to risk damaging it with multiple re-installs.

On that deck (no names to protect the guilty) I was unable to tame the top-end, I did suspect that it was not particularly suited to the arm it was on and felt it would have been better behaved on my Tecnoarm.  

I am not a fan of that particular deck from other exposure to it and consider it overly analytical, hard and bright.  I suspect it is more voiced and suited to the MMs from the same manufacturer with which it is usually paired.  I did suggest to the owner that the cartridge was probably better than his deck and he subsequently upgraded it to something more appropriate, though he also went somewhat up the Zyx range to the 4D.

Sounds like your experiences vindicate my assessment at that time, I certainly heard some very interesting and captivating aspects of its performance as you both note.

My Soundsmith rebuild of the DL-301 seems to have gained some of those qualities with its ruby cantilever and line contact stylus, though I have yet to give it a thorough workout, being pre-occupied with other tinkering at present.

Tony G
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