Seek cartridge w/ following description :


Any recommendations for a moving coil that has some speed, excellent top end extension, an EVEN tonal balance, a hall perspective of row five to row fifteen from the front stage and a retail price tag not above $2000 ?
opus88
I agree with the Helikon and I also like the Dynavector XX-2 (retain 1650) but can be had from hong kong for 900
Dougdeacon: You state "The ZYX Airy 2-X-SB meets your description almost perfectly...The Airy 3 and UNIverse do not have that distant a hall perspective, so you can avoid them." Didn't you mean to say they DO have that distant a hall perspective, but the ZYX Airy 2 does not, and therefore would be more to my liking ?
Opus88,

I think I wrote what I meant. Here it is in different terms...

Of the three top ZYX's, the Airy 2 has the most distant hall perspective. Something like rows 5-10, obviously somewhat subjective and always dependent on the recording.

The Airy 3 puts you closer. Front row to podium is typical. This is due to its more extended top end and to its generally more free and open character.

The UNIverse puts you wherever the microphones were. Its noise floor is far lower than its lesser cousins, so it reproduces very low levels of information. You don't just hear orchestra members turning pages, you hear them breathing. Yet at the same time you hear hall echoes clearly delineated from the direct sound of the instruments. On a good record this simultaneous sense of intimacy with the musicians within a large, clearly depicted soundstage can be almost uncanny.

Hope that helped clarify,
Doug
Raul, Ideally I would run the helikon with the well tempered arm. As far as the helikon versus the celebration I say change arms and stay with the helikon.
Dougdeacon...At rows 5 to 10, the Airy 2 is the most distant sounding ? I'm not making fun of your statement, I'm just sort of amazed ! Rows 5 to 10 are pretty close to things. To echo the old cliche, "it's all relative" ; that is, to the other two cartridges. No wonder I thought you may have unintentionally erred in your earlier staement. In any event, all very interesting. I'll have to take a more serious look here. Thank you.