koetsu

seeking advice as to where the sweet spot is in this line price/performance.

dancekerl09-10-2017 9:08pm

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chakster Details Discussions Posts This discussion 6,144 posts 09-26-2017 at 09:08am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @nandric If I remeber well you mentioned your ZYX CPP-1 at least 5 times (grin). Few times, yes, but seems like i’m still the only one owner here on audiogon. That’s why i always remember A.Salvatore. When i did my search for "Denon AU-S1" on audiogon, i saw at leat 25 posts of yourself, so i hope you’re very happy about this SUT, lol Another person who mentioned this was Raul, but only few times. BTW, correction: the impedance range of AU-S1 is not 2 - 40 Ohm, but 3 - 40 Ohm. And why i remember Salvator again is because his favorite Bent Silver SUT has similar construction (with direct connection to the transformer for each channel), but without the cabinet. Anyway the ZYX CPP-1 is not a SUT, but an active headamp, and considering Dover’s post (to avoid all the SUTs) i decided to remind about this device, hoping somebody else experienced with this, except Arthur Salvatore (ex Koetsu dealer) who rated it so high.
nandric Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 4,086 posts 09-26-2017 at 10:03am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Dear chakster, You remind me of this opera aria from Rigolleto ''La donna e mobile''. I try to please you by supporting your opinion about the need for a SUT by low output MC carts. My ''division'' or the value of 0,3 mV may be arbitrary but this does not change the ''idea''. However in your latest post you seem to agree with the user of the ''Holy water'' from New Zealand who is against SUT's at any (output) value. But you can't have it both ways despite the fact that your ZYX CPP-1 is an active device. I think that you would use any ''authority'' whatever provided they praise your ZYX which is, alas, totally unknown to other members of this forum except Dover. The problem with him is , as I mentioned in my former post, that when he uses too much of this ''Holy water'' he then thinks to know everyting better. I thought that one Raul is sufficient for the whole forum (grin).
chakster Details Discussions Posts This discussion 6,144 posts 09-26-2017 at 10:44am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Well, i have transformers inside my WLM Phonata Reference MM/MC phono stage, but unfortunately this stage is also unknown to the members here. The construction of the stage is also unusual as it has "automatic load imedance for any cartridges" (not fixed load imedance like on most of the mc stages). Those transformers are very small, must be lundahl transformers, i screwed up my device when i changed 47k resistors for MM input (to vishay naked foil 100k). I wish i could try more SUTs, because the gain on my MC stage is not enough for 0,05mV Ortofon MC 2000, but OK for 0,17mV FR PMC-3 as i said earlier. And as the oppisite to the SUTs i have those headamp and additional JLTi phono stage with "high gain" to handle 0,20mV carts (not not high enough for 0,05mV carts like MC2000). So it’s not the point to praise zyx headamp, but just a curiosity what is better and why. For some reason (for the first time) i have hum when i use zyx with FR PMC-3, but when i use same cartridge with my WLM MC phono stage (with build in transformers) i have no hum. I’m gonna continue my experiments with everything (SUTs, headamps, and high gain prono stages with plug in load resistors). At the moment i can’t say what is better. Sadly no one use the same gear here. What i don't like about those external devices is that i need more cables and those cables must be top quality to avoid hum. Some cables what works fine for MM carts does not good for low output MC carts.
chakster Details Discussions Posts This discussion 6,144 posts 09-26-2017 at 05:05pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I’ve come across @rauliruegas post from 2013 and his list of tested SUTs looks impressive (see below): Dear Dover/friends: Maybe any one could ask: why me that always is against SUTs wants to test it again?. Well, the at random finding at my place of those SUTs give me the opportunity to test it and to make something that I never try it: the SUT up to date. I owned and heard a lot of SUTs in my system and in other systems. I can remember some of them. From Audio Technica: At630, AT7000, AT1000, etc. from Ortofon: T30, T2000,T3000,T5000,etc. Luxman 8020/8030. Denon 320,HA1000, Pionner headamp. Two different Audio Note Kondo’s. Expressive Technologies. Highphonic. Dynavector DV6 ( or something. Classe NIL3 headamp. I owned 2-3 vintage SUT’s by USA designers that I can´t remember. Bent Audio and many many more. In no one but the NIL3 I made any single up date. -Raul This Classe NIL3 is also in Arthur Salvator’s list, it’s funny @nandric but Raul’s farovite Classe N.I.L. headam was creamed by ZYX headamp in Salvator’s tests :) A.Salvator said: "The Classe was the finest solid-state "head amplifier" ever made (until the ZYX CPP-1)." http://www.high-endaudio.com/RC-Step-ups.html So i think Raul should try CPP-1, lol Maybe i already have one of the best headamps, who knows. The Audio-Technica AT1000T and AT300T, Denon AU-1s and Ortofon T2000 were in my wantlist for some of my LOMC, never tried them yet.
nandric Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 4,086 posts 09-26-2017 at 09:29pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Dear chakster, I have no idea how old you are but I do know that you are from the former Sovjet Union. Anyway you should know about collective admiration of the authority there. I was always wondering in my native Serbia how is this possible in a country in which one can hardly find 4 persons who can agree about anything. I got the answer from a totally unexpected source. Alfred Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman complained by him about her next role stating ''I don't believee that I can play this role''. Hitchcock: ''But dear Ingrid you only need to pretend''. All those people in Sovjet Union, China, Serbia, etc., etc., obviously knew this without Hitchcock explanation. We all have seen many moves and learned by watching who were good and who bad performers. So we all can see that the worst performers are the people in Nord Korea. Collective weeping is the least convincing performance one can imagine. In my opinion your are pretending to search for approval for your equipment choice by the ''authorities'' like Raul and Salvatore but you overlooked that you made you choices without them. You yourself stated that nobody else in our forum owns your stuff. So, one would think, you deed not need us for your choices. You are actully making your own discovery jurney and don't care about what other think. You can't of course state such things and pretend to care in order not to insult anyone. You are a kind of one friendly individualist (grin).

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