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ZYX UNIverse

after a malfunction with my airy three xsb, which after back tracking was caused by myself with the help of my vpi outer ring clamp, the housing is very low on the r1000 series and i believe that it caught the ring and slid the cartridge down hard and broke off the diamond.
mr mehran being the fine person he is worked out a universe for me xsbl, its been in my system less than 25 hrs. and what has been said here and else where is so very true and more, for me its the first time i have heard the sweet sound of notes hanging in the air.
my musical preference is classic rock and roll, and some of my favorites like blood sweet and tears columbia 360, eric clapton unpluged, moody blues any, are well detailed, fast, imaged, and well timbered, very life like sound, and no doubt well worth the cost.
the questions i have are what is the best method of cleaning, i have read mr salvatores favorite magic eraser, i use zero dust, and dry brush, would like to hear for you who use the magic eraser it seems like no problem, i have total respect for mr salvatore but at the cost of universe would like to hear from others who have used the eraser.
does this sound right playing the hi news test lp, the bias test my rig does not get by the first test with out the buzz. so far and i no its early i have no problems playing any lps sound wise.
i have found that universe likes to be as level to the lp as you can get. the sound gets to real focus at level and my vpi 10.5i makes this easy to do.
tracking for now 2.0 for me its a musical jump to the universe. and as much as we love to sit down and liston universe has brought a joy to us like no other.
mike


stltrains
11 responses Add your response
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
You're a lucky man! Now, put that ring someplace you can't get to it and forget it exists! :)
johnjbarlow's avatar
johnjbarlow
175 posts
 
Hello, the ring is an option I couldn't live without. I am mindful of it's presence and am ever so careful when lowering my stylus onto a record. I have heard many nightmarish recounts of accidents involving stylus damage. They are always caused by human error. Be careful!
stltrains OP
845 posts
 
i understand where you are coming from dan_ed, but that darn thing works so well, especially for not perfectly flat lps, also the ring connects the lp to the platter so well, when the red wine comes out on weekends i think i will be leaving it off though.
whats your thoughts on cartridge diamond cleaning, what do you use on your dynavector?
Ag insider logo xs@2x
uru975
684 posts
 
I was using a dry brush and extreme phono on my Dynavector 20XL and that was not enough. Have switched to Magic Erasure followed by Last Stylus Cleaner and the improvement is noticeable. I am now using it on my Sumiko Celebration, both hardly in the Universe category but thats where my experience lies.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
I'm a Magic Eraser user. I gently apply the eraser to the stylus after each LP side, followed by a quick brushing with a soft cartridge brush to be sure none of the ME is left on the stylus.
jeff_jones
418 posts
 
If you don't mind, how did you damage it with the ring clamp?
stltrains OP
845 posts
 
i just got back from walgreens with the magic eraser, the box has two white erasers, i cut a small piece off and did mr salvatores easy way by lowering my arm into the eraser, going to get into the habit of doing this after every side, and with my using zerodust prior to the eraser, with a magnifying glass the diamond looks more brilliant even with the early time of use i have on it. as far as the second more demanding method taking a small piece and gently dragging it along the stylus for me not yet,
jeff what i think happened is with the body of the zyx r1000 series being wide and the cantilever being so short i think i just caught the body of the cartridge on the very edge of the clamp causing the cartridge to jump out toward the lp and catch the stylus. mr mehran said that the entire diamond was broke off, a real shame but for the better i was able to swing a universe and like you all know its superior to the airy three. and let me tell you i am super carful now.
between the hrx center clamp and the outer clamp the lp is will attached to the platter which makes a far better playback of the lp. this is one of the things i will miss on vpi tables if the time comes for me to move on. i have read most posts on universe and realize that my table may be holding back on some of universes potential, but for now its going to have to do, and you know what they say what you dont know cant hurt you. its time for some friday night rock and roll. mike
ketchup
698 posts
 
Stltrains,
I wouldn't worry about moving on to a table that doesn't have a ring clamp. I know that some ring clamps are available, but if you can't find one to fit a different table, you can always have one machined that will fit.
gundam91
506 posts
 
Nice cart. Heard it at my friend's place twice now. I've never heard the drums so real. Yeah, if I got that kind of dough, I buy one too. "Hey boss, can we discuss my raise now? I need to buy a new cartridge!"

FrankC
jeff_jones
418 posts
 
Stltrains - Thanks! I've got the same table and clamp.
stltrains OP
845 posts
 
using the magic eraser is a breeze, and doing it after every side is no problem, no doubt the look of a clean diamond is obvious.
after playing lps into the early morning. adjusting vta on the fly is a must imho for universe, the cartridge is so reveling that vta adjustment on the fly brings you to the sweet spot on a lp so easy. and reveling, three d, sound is what universe is all about.
frank yes its cost is high, but take it from someone who not long ago lost everything to katrina, after a experience like that you realize that life is to short. i love music along with my wife. if you take the time to sit down and listen to your system on a regular basis go for it, you never know when and how disaster will call.
mike
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