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ZYX cartridges

i have heard a few of these over the years ...very nice sound indeed

i have not compared it with my xx2 but from memory the Zyx was a fast and dynamic type of sound...but they do seem to pick up a lot of dust from the record and need cleaned often
 
I have an Airy2 as a spare.
In the past I've compared it to Benz Glider/Koetsu Black (which I use at the moment).
It is exceptionally fast/detailed without sounding sterile. Very good at unravelling complex passages. Can sound a bit bass light if not dialled in correctly.
Funnily enough 'Airy' is quite a good description.
As Johnnie says only problem is the cantilever is prone to picking up dust.
 
I have compared album rips of the identical tracks made using a ZYX Universe, a Lyra Titan and some $8000 Jan Allaerts. Even transcribed to CD the differences were very easy to hear and to rank.

The ZYX was superficially the most impressive, but ultimately the most tiring. It made very thing sound sparking clean but slightly synthetic. If you listened to acoustic jazz only, this may be THE cartridge. The Allaerts did the least fireworks but by far conveyed the most emotion and was chosen blindly in about ten different A/B/C comparisions (the A, B, and C swapped identities, but an identity log was made). But it has an extremely low output and needs tremendous amounts of gain.
 
Thanks for the replies - apparently the new Universe is supposed to be very good but expensive. I was considering trying to listen to a 4D.
 
I have compared album rips of the identical tracks made using a ZYX Universe, a Lyra Titan and some $8000 Jan Allaerts. Even transcribed to CD the differences were very easy to hear and to rank.

The ZYX was superficially the most impressive, but ultimately the most tiring. It made very thing sound sparking clean but slightly synthetic. If you listened to acoustic jazz only, this may be THE cartridge. The Allaerts did the least fireworks but by far conveyed the most emotion and was chosen blindly in about ten different A/B/C comparisions (the A, B, and C swapped identities, but an identity log was made). But it has an extremely low output and needs tremendous amounts of gain.

And the Titan i.....?
 
I own both a ZYX Airy 3 (silver base) and a Dynavector XX2(II).

I think your choice may depend upon the sort of music you mostly listen to.

The ZYX is far more fussy, won't track well in colder temperatures, the stylus shape reveals more than the ZYX but is prone to fracture. The ZYX is bass- light (a serious criticism unless you listen mostly to chamber music or vocal) and does not have anything like the dynamic range of the Dynavector.

The XX2(II) (note: this is a better cartridge than the XX2) tracks like a cat even in cooler temperatures, has a bomb proof construction and sounds better in all ways- except transparency- than my Airy.

The stylus on the XX2(II) will be good for many more hours than the Airy stylus- despite the claims of ZYX.

One very good feature of the Dynavector is that when it comes time for retipping you get an almost completely rebuilt cartridge at a very reasonable price- not simply a retip and refurbish.
 
4D is the best ZYX I have heard. It is also the most lifelike and musical cartridge I have come across.
 
I own both a ZYX Airy 3 (silver base) and a Dynavector XX2(II).

I think your choice may depend upon the sort of music you mostly listen to.

The ZYX is far more fussy, won't track well in colder temperatures, the stylus shape reveals more than the ZYX but is prone to fracture. The ZYX is bass- light (a serious criticism unless you listen mostly to chamber music or vocal) and does not have anything like the dynamic range of the Dynavector.

The XX2(II) (note: this is a better cartridge than the XX2) tracks like a cat even in cooler temperatures, has a bomb proof construction and sounds better in all ways- except transparency- than my Airy.

The stylus on the XX2(II) will be good for many more hours than the Airy stylus- despite the claims of ZYX.

One very good feature of the Dynavector is that when it comes time for retipping you get an almost completely rebuilt cartridge at a very reasonable price- not simply a retip and refurbish.

A very misleading post.

Hundreds of ZYX cartridges have been sold through UK dealers since 2004 and not one has been returned due to any fault, least of all any stylus issue. The only ones returned for replacement have been those that have been damaged by the owner(s), or mostly by their domestic cleaners removing the cantilevers with a cleaning cloth.

Like all cartridges and tonearms matching is critical. The cartridge and tonearm should be treated as one and not separately. I know the cheaper models R50, R100 work extremely well with Rega and Origin Live tonearms. The more expensive models (Fuji, R1000 Airy series, 4D etc) work very well on SME IV & V's, Triplaners, Graham Phantoms, TW 10.5s and most other high quality tonearms.

A cartridge exchange system is in place in the UK by G T Audio for all ZYX cartridges, assuming the cartridges were purchased here. This is identical to that offered by Ortofon. ZYX do not retip or rebuild their cartridges. They are completely replaced with a brand new cartridge. The exchange is also offered on upgrades too i.e. from one model to the next like R50 to R100.
 
Thanks for the replies - apparently the new Universe is supposed to be very good but expensive. I was considering trying to listen to a 4D.

The Universe is not a recognised model in the ZYX range. It is made by ZYX for Sorasound in the USA, therefore it is a Sorasound cartridge.
 
Thanks for that Graham. I wondered why there seemed to be so many varieties of Zyx cartridges. Do they have different ranges for different parts of the world?
 
Thanks for that Graham. I wondered why there seemed to be so many varieties of Zyx cartridges. Do they have different ranges for different parts of the world?

Hi Dave

Yes they do have different ranges which I have listed below. These are all available from official ZYX agents around the world.
The ZYX range consists of:
R50 Bloom

R100-02

R100 Yatra
R100 Fuji
R100 Mono

R1000 Airy 3-X (Copper coil)
R1000 Airy 3-S (Silver coil)
R1000 Airy 3-G (Gold coil)
R1000 Airy 3-M (Mono)

ZYX 4D-X (Copper coil)
ZYX 4D-S (Silver coil)
ZYX 4D-G (Gold coil)

ZYX Omega-X (Copper coil)
ZYX Omega-S (Silver coil)
ZYX Omega-G (Gold coil)

R1000 Sigma 2-X (Copper coil)
R1000 Sigma 2-S (Silver coil)
R1000 Sigma 2-G (Gold coil)

ZYX Diamond-X (Copper coil)
ZYX Diamond-S (Silver coil)
ZYX Diamond-G (Gold coil)

Normal output is 0.24mV. All models are also available with a higher output indicated by an "H" as in R100-02H.
This is the full range starting with the R50 and finishing with the top of the range Diamond model.

The Universe is made for Sorasound and is therefore a Sorasound product.
 
Wyndham Hodgson, of Expert Stylus (who has a world- wide reputation for expertise and knowledge with respect to diamonds and cartridge retipping) told me that the micro ridge stylus is prone to fracture.

If not many ZYX have been returned to GT because of fractures perhaps owners prefer not to incur the cost of ZYX exchanges- and choose aftermarket retipping instead.

No aftermarket retipping service any longer uses micro ridge styli. Few manufacturers still do.

I hear the benefit of the micro ridge with respect to detail retrieval. This is due, I believe, to its very small tip radius. The styli used in Dynavector cartridges e.g.(XX2(II)) are not far behind in this respect and have the advantage of not so readily retaining debris.
 
Wyndham Hodgson, of Expert Stylus (who has a world- wide reputation for expertise and knowledge with respect to diamonds and cartridge retipping) told me that the micro ridge stylus is prone to fracture.

If not many ZYX have been returned to GT because of fractures perhaps owners prefer not to incur the cost of ZYX exchanges- and choose aftermarket retipping instead.

No aftermarket retipping service any longer uses micro ridge styli. Few manufacturers still do.

I hear the benefit of the micro ridge with respect to detail retrieval. This is due, I believe, to its very small tip radius. The styli used in Dynavector cartridges e.g.(XX2(II)) are not far behind in this respect and have the advantage of not so readily retaining debris.

With all due respect Expert Stylus repair cartridge styli and cantilevers - they do not design or make cartridges.

If there was a problem with any ZYX I can assure you I would be the first to hear about it as I am in constant contact with at least 5 other ZYX distributors. ZYX have been one of the most reliable brands I have encountered in my 25 years dealing with audio manufacturers. It is also very rare that cartridges need retipping. Normally the suspension fails or gets jammed up with debris before the styli wears out. Ideally the cartridge should be completely rebuilt rather than be just being retipped. I also have a number of high-end cartridges (Lyra, Dynavector, Ortofon, Miyajima Labs to name a few) and they are all about the same regarding dust collection on the stylus tip. If you are experiencing dust pick up problems then you clearly need to think about cleaning your records more.
 
I have the non-ZYX ZYX Universe (silver base, silver coils, low output), having previously owned a Transfiguration Orpheus, Koetsu's and a a couple of lower ZYXs (R50, R100). It is a truly exceptional cartridge - by far the best I've heard. It does every thing extremely well.

I was rather surprised to hear that it was not really a ZYX. I had taken the fact that it was made by ZYX, and came in a ZYX box with a ZYX warranty to mean that it was. Silly me.
 
I have full respect for Wyndham, but his view that Micro ridge stylus were prone to fracture and implying that ZYX carts might have a higher than average failure rate as opposed to other brands is somewhat of a jump without any facts to back this up.

@John, lol, yes one would assume such a cartridge was 'legitimate' perhaps the fact that there has been years of fall out between the brand and their US distributor renders it a 'bastard'.
 


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