Micro SX-8000 II or SZ-1

**** Fm_login when you went from two to one TT and 6 to 4 arms was that upgrade or had you decided what arms/carts are best for you? In your opinion do you gain most analog experimentation from step-up/phono?

My setup is openly-known and my evolution with it publicly narrated. My latest evolutionally position that “an ultimate” turntable must have 3 arms/needles: one reference stereo, one reference mono and one “second type” stereo for dally use. I do comment about the specifics of the arms/carts/step-up/phono. Sure, I perfectly understand that it might be use from more arms/carts but there is celebration of result and there is a self-glorification of means to get the result. I very much know the difference. I have a few 5000, arms and cartridges that are sitting as a dead ballast in my storage – I probably need to get rid all of them. I wish people do not ask pictures when they buy audio as to lift those Micro tables is do dams difficult….

Fm_login, yes long ways to result deserve self-congratulation, Ive read but SU2 cannot be bought and SU1 cannot be found so what else you recommend. Have you tried Shelter phono with 901?

Axel, I see you are a real expert in a very special kind of music. I would never laugh on your great remarks but it fires my imagination and I am trying visualizing how you exercise in front of your bamboo hut shouldering your arms and protecting against wild animals... Am I wrong?

I think, Fm_login speaks lot of truth!

You can't change 'intrinsic' sound of a given TT a whole lot. Agree 100%
Multiple tone-arms/cartridge combos, while it is cool to have, can't necessarily give you best sound that 'you' desire or what your perception of best sound is.
You would have may be one or two combo/sources that meets your mental 'picture' of perfect sound. That you will always go back to when you really want to listen to music. The others are just toys that offer you variety and something to talk about. Sure they helped you arrive at your perfect sound forever, but after that they are useless show/bragging-rights pieces. I, too have some of those.

The comment regarding 'asian' sound is curious and thought provoking for sure. I guess all the components, depending upon where they 'come' from have their signature quality.

It is indeed stroke of luck if you hit a jackpot when a system just clicks ( to your ideal of perfect sound) without having to do any 'external tweak' of addition. But where is the fun in that?

FM_login,

I did look at the playback installations of some of you and I kind of confused what the hell you do in audio. Some of you have 5-6 turntables with 10-15 tonearms, which is a strong induction in my mind that a person can be disqualified to make comment about sound. After all audio is not about accumulation and cataloging the differences...

Not all of us are blessed with the absolute knowledge of what we like best (and the absolute knowledge that it is indeed, the best) when let loose from the womb. Some of us have to experiment to find out what we like. That said, learning about what else is out there is itself a learning experience about music reproduction. I have acquired a bunch of tables (and a lot more vinyl) because I am learning what I like by listening, not by reading what a self-declared expert tells me I should like. I have started getting rid of tables, and will continue to do so because I have reached a certain set of conclusions.

As to TT tweaking and isolation platforms... In my case, I live in a city in an earthquake-prone zone. There are trucks and cars rolling past my building constantly. The difference between my SX-8000 (or my other non-suspended/non-isolated tables) on an air/magnetic-bearing isolation platform and the table on its own is night-and-day obvious. Despite your suggestion that the SX-8000 does not need isolation, I will go with what my ears in my environment tells me is right (rather than trying to dampen the tectonic plates, the rumbling of magma deep under Mt Fuji, or decouple my apt. building from its foundations). As it happens, I also work on other parts of my system (and I imagine others do too) but I don't feel the need to post that on threads about Micro Seikis.

I am obviously ill-informed because I don't your site or system. I am, however, curious as to why you would have a "daily driver" cartridge which different (and probably lesser) than your "reference" cartridge. If it was really worth listening to your reference cartridge on all kinds of music, would you not use it on a daily basis? I listen to the carts I want to use on the music I want to listen to. That's my reference.

Nilthepill,
I agree that is indeed a stroke of luck when the system clicks. I have found a few table/arm/cart combos where it just clicks, but I am also inclined to say that "it just clicks" is also largely a state of mind.