Killing sibilance distortion - VPI & Jubilee

Just to clarify an earlier post.

The Universe is not the clearest and least congested cartridge on the planet.

I have 2 MM and 13 MC cartridges (Universe among them) here used with 4 different tonearms and there are at least 2 cartridges which easily surpass it.

Interested readers please send me a private email for more details.

Thanks.

Just to clarify Audiofeil's post about my post:

A. He's a dealer with a financial interest. Nothing wrong with that, but he should include a disclaimer when posting opinions about the superiority of his products vs. those of competitors.

B. There may be 2 (or 1, or 50, or 0) clearer and less congested cartridges. I can only speak about the ones I've heard, obviously. If the UNIverse is only #3, maybe I should move up. Are #1 or #2 available for < $4K?

Axel,

ZYX does use a micro-ridge stylus, and its ridges have the smallest contact radii of any stylus I know. (Audiofeil, please correct me if I'm wrong!) IMO this is a direct reason for its ability to trace smaller groove modulations.

If a stylus is physically larger than the curve it's trying to follow, it will contact only the two tops and never reach the bottom - producing a sort of clipping distortion. The finer the stylus, the higher the frequency it can trace accurately.

The finest styli of all are the cutting styli that make records in the first place. In theory we should be using them for playback too, though I wouldn't bet much on the lifespan of our records if we tried. ;-)

ZYX quotes seperate figures for lateral (15cu) and vertical (12cu) compliance. Whether those are at 100Hz or 10Hz I've never seen in any literature, but I understand what you're saying. (Of course for tracking sibilants, the compliance at 10kHz would be even more interesting!)

Just to clarify Doug Deacon's post.

I never claimed the other cartridges mentioned were in my line. I don't sell the Universe either.

I know that, relatively speaking, Doug has much less analog experience than many of us, hence some of the resentment in the posts. This is understandable and easily chalked up to youthful enthusiasm.

Dealer disclaimer
LOL

You guys are killing me with YOUR non-distorted sibilants --- like Daffy Duck :-)

Bill,

If those other carts aren't in your line then why not share your experience for the OP's benefit? Surely you must have learned something useful in all those centuries...

Thanks for the youth compliment by the way.
Boomer disclaimer