Need MC Step-Up Transformer advice?

Hi Paul, the TX-103 that I was using was burned-in from Bent audio. I have asked for 100% burn-in, and John did it for me. I don't have any idea about how many hours is actually needed for a complete burn-in. I have assumed that Bent audio would have known what is optimal burn-in period. Maybe I need to try after more burn-in, but I doubt that I have that much patience and time since I am currently very much satisfied with my current systm.

Here is a little more description about my feelings with
Acoustat model 8 speakers

Modified (by Mike Savuto of Analogue Associates) Acoustat Servo OTL mono power amps

Modified (Dynamicaps, removed transistor buffer stages, circuit board damping, naked vishay output volume registers, Blackgate 'lytic caps throughout except for low voltage apps, etc) Counterpoint SA-9 phono preamp with Amperex Buggle Boy 6DJ8s

Modified (Vishay registers, Blackgate caps, Dynamicaps, etc) Music Reference RM-4 pre-preamp with Amperex white PQ 6922s

Stock Audio Research MCP-33 pre-preamp with Amperex Buggle Boy 6DJ8s

Shelter 501 II or ZYX Airy II Copper cartridge

Despite the fact that both the phono stage and the prepreamp are tube units, the RM-4/Counterpoint SA-9/Shelter 501 (0.4mv) combo sounds extremely quite and I cannot hear any noise at all at the listening position. I need to get close to about 1 or 2' to the speakers to hear any tube noise. When I substitute RM-4 with MCP-33 I get very faint tube noise from my listening position. So, the RM-4 is quiter than the MCP-33. The RM-4 got considerably quiter after mod with premium parts. The RM-4 with ZYX (0.24mv) is more noisy but I am not distracted by the noise. In fact I can live with it since it sounded very very real and live. Noray Jones's voice is extremely real and alive with the ZYX.

TX-103: The most problem I had with it is that it's dynamically compressed. Could be burn-in or system matching issue, but that's the feeling I and my audiophile (classical guitar professor) friend have concluded.

Stock MCP-33: More dynamic that TX-103 with pleasing instrumental tone.

RM-4: Very dynamic and alive. very musical.

I think we need to keep an open mind when it comes to Audio. There are so many variables and systems that we can never predict the outcome.

Regards,
Steve

Dear Pauly: +++++ " - more speed, more detail, more sparkle. " +++++

I know for sure that that is what you are hearing and you are right in what you are hearing.

Pauly this is a form in what the distortions tell you " I'm here ". That sparkle is not a better quality sound: it is distortion. It is not easy to explain here about because the best way to do it is making some change in our audio system ( where we are sure there will be less distortion ) and hear what happen with that change that is supposed has less distortion.

This is something that I learn many years ago when I change a tonearm interconect cable for something better: what I hear that time?: less sparkle and " less high frecuencies ", even the loudness in the volumen goes down ( at least I percivied like the volumen goes down ). I was very disapointed about and I return to the old cable that give me more " speed, clarity and sparkle ". One week later I return to the better cable and I understand what happen: less distortion. From that day I always know , speaking of distortions, when any change I do was for the better or worse. From that day I don't have to do any meausure to be sure about and if I take the meausure this one confirm what I'm hearing. Of course that's don't mean that if we have a dull sound in our system and after we do some change and with that change the sound is no any more dull but open and shining, that this is because there are more distortions: no, we have to have a lot of experience about to know for sure when what we are hearing are : distortions.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Dear Doug: Now, I think that you can understand the why's of our ZYX differences in opinions: ... I think Larry too and the transformer coupled phonopreamp of Patrick is the same.

Heh. I may use stepup transformers but none of Larry's three phono preamps has one. Nor does Patrick's. Better check your facts.

Larry, Patrick and I have different phono stages but we all like ZYX cartridges. Allow me to draw a conclusion: they're pretty good. Perhaps you've never heard one properly set up on a well-matched arm.

Unfortunatelly all of you never know for sure which is the real performance of the ZYX cartridges till you have the right phonopreamp.

Your one-man campaign against ZYX makes it likely that you've only heard them with the WRONG phonopreamp. That is the logical explanation for an attitude which no one else seems to share.

FWIW, I've heard ZYX (and other) cartridges with at least twelve different phono stages. Some were all SS. Some were all tube. Some were SS + tube. Some were stepup transformers + tube. How many do I need to hear before I'll "know for sure" what a cartridge sounds like? Will you send me a diploma? ;-)

Dear Doug: I don't have any campaign against ZYX and it is not true that " no one else seems to share " about ( this is only one thread about: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1127562669&read&3&4&) . You were in some other thread were some people talk about the ZYx problems speacially at the low bass: if I can remember one of that threads Larry was extremly angry, in that thread some one gives ( other than me ) an opinion of those problems.

Btw, I never said that the ZYX cartridges are bad cartridges: I said that are good cartridges that have problems at the extreme of the frecuency range ( specially at the bottom end ), that there are not the best out there and that if in their next generation those problems will be fixed then I buy it. That's all. There is no campaign about.
As you know I have a special passion for the music and for the analog sound reproduction of the music. I own what I own on cartridges/tonearms because that passion: do you think that if the ZYX cartridges were up to the task ( my targets/music priorities ) I don't have a single one?. As I told you I'm waiting for a better ZYX performance, till that day I shall give my advise to other people to look other better performer cartridges that do a better job than the ZYX.

I know for sure that what you hear at your system is what you already post about ZYX cartridges. I only differ from your opinion because in your system you can't hear the ZYX bass problems: the SUT put a veil about and the frecuency range on your system can't handle in a clean way that range of frecuency. The problem is not only the phonopreamp, at this´performance cartridge level it is important too the resolution over the frecuency range of the audio system ( yours, mine, or any one ) and only in a similar audio system conditions we really can hear the cartridge performance and talk about in the " same language ". Right now we are talking on a subject with differents audio systems: it is almost imposible to share a specific global agreement.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul