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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
lewm
13,099 posts
 
Vindanpar, "Nice", I can understand when applied to a pair of shoes, but "astounding"? Nah.  Ferrari's can be astounding but not shoes to wear while driving them.  I don't think the price of a Rembrandt is analogous to the price of a high end cartridge.  One is a solid investment as a collector's item.  The other is a rapidly depreciating guilty pleasure that deteriorates at a rate proportional to the hours of pleasure it produces for the listener.  Only to be replaced in the public's affection by the inevitable next new model.  This is not to say that there is anything wrong with that.  I'm all for it when the excellence is really there to be heard.
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
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