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ZYX Ultimate with carbon fiber cantilevers -- listener reviews?

Dear listeners,
Any "early adopters"/owners of the new ZYX cartridges that now use carbon fiber (instead of boron) for their cantilevers? If yes, would you please share your impressions and/or comparisons?
Thanks and happy listening,
Harvey
unchilled
vindanpar
58 posts
 

I said 'astonishing' and they were! They were very beautiful to look at. They belonged in a museum. Kind of like when the Met costume exhibit features a major designer like Versace or Dior.

Is great sound a guilty pleasure? Then I think everyone on this site is at least in search of such a pleasure. Maybe my Rembrandt analogy is wrong. More like a fabulous meal in a 3 star Michelin restaurant that costs a fortune but is only for 3 hours. But how long does it really last? The length of a happy memory. Like a great live performance or great sound. 3-4 years isn't bad if you can afford it. 



 



emailists
923 posts
 
Wow at these prices my soundsmith strain Guage is a bargain, since the stylus pops out for easy and cheap replacement (or to hear a different profile one) . Funny thing is that even after 2000 hours or so I sent the stylus back to be examined for possible replacement and Peter indicated it looked totally fine. I have probably double that time or more on it. Had anyone else experienced so many hours without need for a new stylus?
lewm
13,099 posts
 
emailists, That is indeed remarkable longevity for a stylus.  Is there anything special about a strain gauge design that would reduce wear on the stylus? I can't think of a reason related to the technology per se.


unchilled OP
15 posts
 
Hi Lew,
This is from the Sound-smith website re: strain gauge -- "All other cartridges are all magnetic generating systems, which require a mass to be constantly moved to generate a voltage. The Strain Gauge does not; the effective moving mass has been reduced by over 80%....allowing the stylus to stay in intimate contact with the groove walls.....and allowing the stylus to stop jittering - or "bouncing" in the groove as it now is not trying to move a "large" mass back and forth...."
This may explain the reduced "wear and tear" on stylus and cantilever.
Harvey
jagged24
1 posts
 
I've posted some brief initial comments concerning the Zyx Ultimate 100H on the HifiWigwam site. The post is based on just a few hrs of playing time with the new cartridge, so will no doubt need updating, but "out of the box" the Ultimate 100H compares well to my older Zyx Airy 2 SB/X cartridge.
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