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Cartridge Man MM3 vs. ZYX R100 Fuji FS?

Anyone with firsthand experience with these two?

Any obvious sonic differences besides the MM vs. MC aspect?

I trying to figure out which is likely to have greater mid/low frequency drive and weight. Not bloat, but detailed and articulated bass with ample snap.

Rich midrange is also a plus.
darkmoebius
flyingred
139 posts
 
I have heard the Airy 2 which sounded delightful - everything you could want from a cartridge - open, balanced, uncolored with bass beatifully detailed, extended and natural. I was assured by the Zyx agent that the RS100 has the same "family" sound and that only the most resolving systems would benefit from the more expensive cartridge.

In contrast, when I heard the Cartridge Man, I was impressed by the sense of 'air' and openness of the music and it was detailed. I thought it lacked in bass weight.

Arthur Salavatore rates the Zyx R100 Fuji as one of the best. I have read a perception on some forums that the Cartridge Man is over-hyped.

I'm planning to pick up an R100 Yatra when I'm in Hong Kong later this year.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
The Music Maker 3, like all cartridges, performs best when matched with the correct tonearm. All things being equal, it works better with unipivots as opposed to fixed bearing tonearms. Lack of bass weight should not be an issue if a suitable tonearm is aligned correctly and the tracking force is precisely adjusted.
Bill Feil
manuel_
38 posts
 
Have not heard the Fuji, but in my system, with a Music Maker III, Hadcock 242, Spacedeck and Acoustech Ph1 pre, there is full bass, rich midrange and great musical sense.
I also have a Shelter 901 and Origin Live Illustrious that I bought second hand.
These are two very different animals: the 901 more hifish and the MM more sensual.
The 901 + OL retail price is almost twice than MM + hadcock, but I don´t see twice the difference.
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