Bad experience with ZYX AIRY 3

Raul,

Thanks for your thoughtful response to my post. My system page needs updating, sorry. I am now running Avantgarde Duo 3.2's, Art Audio PX-25, Aesthetix Callisto sig, etc...... The system is "full range" (if 20-20k is what you call full range).

Although I have not had experience with every top MC cart out there, I know and understand music and musical reproduction.......... The ZYX is not "soft" at the extreems (I am guessing that by "soft" you mean it doesn't reproduce these frequency's accurately (For that matter, what exactly do you mean?)). I think you are right in that it does not have the leading edge def. of the Lyra and Clearaudio carts........ Is this what you mean as soft?

As for a stereo system (even yours) reproducing a "live" musical event........... sorry to rain on your parade. There isn't a system out there that can reproduce the real thing....... In the end, what we are all doing is reproducing a recording (which is a reproduction of the original event in the first place). So please don't talk to me about "veils" .......... I have spent too many years actually playing a musical instrument (that's me "live"), mixing "live" music, and recording "live" musicians to fall for that old cliche'.

Chris

Thom,thanks for such an informative post!Unfortunately I was not able to digest it with the usual level of "low stress factor",that I usually enjoy,when a thread goes to this length!The reason for this was,my daughter kept whinning for me to get off her computer,so she could go online,and order another "Handbag of The Month"!

Normally I like to print out lengthly posts of this quality,to "digest",while enjoying the leisure of a long lunch break!Had you been considerate enough to give us a "heads up",as to how "good a read" this was going to be,you'd have saved me some grief -:)

My advice to you is twofold:
Firstly, when you DO think you have such interesting info,to post,please be so kind as to preface it with an "advanced warning,of really good content"!This will help to muffle the amount of "nagging" I'll receive,and give me the option of printing it out -:) (One advantage of owning a printing center).

Secondly, "Buy stock in COACH,or LOUIS VOITTON"!!

Thanks!

Hi Pechtm,

I've also got the Fuji FS (w/o silver base) and have been thinking about seriously upgrading. Like you, I listen to mostly jazz and rock, although classical is recently on the rise in my collection.

I think the Fuji is an absolutely fantastic cart in most respects, but in my setup, it seems to lack to tonal body, weight, and drive of my other three carts(Grado "The Statement", Cartridge Man Music Maker III, and Denon DL-103d) on 70's hard rock or large scale classical like Mahler & Wagner.

In all fairness to the ZYX, though, most of this may be simply a result of less than optimal tonearm matching and/or cart setup. First and foremost, I'm relatively new to vinyl and my setup skills betray that. Second, I have a very unique and rarely used tonearm(Scheu Tacco) that is less than ideal for cartridge swapping/comparison and lacks any form of repeatable, calibrated, fine adjustments. The arm is intensely musical in the right situations, nonetheless.

In this particular situation, the Tacco and Fuji simply may not be a perfect match. Or, I just haven't been able to find the "sweet spot".

*** I don't want people to interpet any of this as a sign that the ZYX Fuji is lacking in any way. My system falls into a 1% category of preferred design and performance criterion(flea-powered, hi-efficiency, single driver w/ extremely rare tonearm) that results are highly unlikely to be the same in the vast majority of other people's setups.***

Regardless, from Doug, Mehran's, and other's remarks around here, the Airy 3-S may better address my personal needs. I'm saving pennies for a different tonearm right now that will allow fine, calibrated, adjustments in all three planes like Doug's Triplanar or one of the used Dynavector 507 mkII's for sale right now. After that, I'll look into forming conclusions about any of the carts I have.

All,

Owners of unweighted ZYX's using relatively low mass arms like JMW, Scheu Tacco, etc. would almost certainly benefit from additional mass at the headshell.

Try something simple and easily reversible, like a blob of Blu-Tak on top of the headshell or something.

How much mass to add? Thom's post above gives a clue. Subtract the effective mass of your arm from 18 or so. Add about that many grams to the headshell. Rebalance, reset VTF and play.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. The body, drive and weight that darkmoebius misses in his Fuji will probably show up, ready to boogie.

An unweighted ZYX on a low-medium mass arm could indeed be "soft at the frequency extremes" as Raul says, particularly at the low end. I'll wager that's what he's heard. I've heard it myself. On the right mass arm, however, I have not heard those problems.

As usual, best performance requires careful component matching and exacting setup. I'm certain Raul understands proper arm/cartridge setup. But I don't believe he's heard many ZYX's in his own system or had the time to do his usual extensive series of careful arm-matching tests.

Doug

Bada-Bing!!!

Thanks for re-iterating that point, Doug. I've read all the posts in this thread, yet somehow Thom's wise advice didn't hit home with me.

The effective mass of my Scheu Tacco is 14 grams, so I will try 4 grams of blue-tac later this week. Then, work my way up from there over time to see where the improvements stop.

Great news because here are already so many things that Fuji does well, some added body, weight, and authority will take it over the top.

I'll give it a week and report back my findings. The key thing, I think, will getting the blue-tack weight evenly spread on the headshell and rebalancing as you point out.

Many thanks to all the veterans who share their experiences around here.