Agree with Syntax that Koetsu/TriPlanar is not the best match. I'm no fan of the classic Koetsu sound, which always sounds artificially smoothed to me. This is true of every model up through the Onyx Platinum (haven't heard the Coral). The stone bodies (especially above the Jade) are much more neutral than the wood bodies, which I find insufferable. Just me. Agree that a higher mass arm is essential to get the best from any of them.
I've A/B'd several Olympos's (Olympi?) with UNIverses in my system and in two other systems. The first thing to know, as Syntax implied, is that one Olympos is not necessarily the same as the next. A friend who's owned 4 of them confirms this. That said, the comparison in the most revealing system (mine) with the most neutral of the friends's 4 Olympos's showed that the Lyra was a hair less neutral. It brushed each note with a hint of mink (the owner's phrase, very apt). I could have lived with that one or with Frank Schroeder's. Not so sure about the others.
I've had at 10-12 UNIverses in my setup, 3 of my own plus others in for checkups as a favor to friends. While each one needed individual setup, especially as regards, VTF and SRA, once dialed in the performance was consistent from sample to sample. Reflecting on something else Syntax said, the UNIverse does not feed much energy back into a tonearm, which is why has such low sonic overhang and is easy to move around. If you want a cartridge that does a disapearing act behind the music, that reveals everything in the groove, and are prepared for the constant (daily) adjustments needed to achieve this, it will do it. Its sweet spots are tinier than the Olympos's, certainly tinier than a Koetsu's, so be prepared for that. If it isn't perfectly dialed in it's just a very good cartridge that does nothing wrong. With everything truly sweet-spotted it's really good, at least in my system.
Doug
I've A/B'd several Olympos's (Olympi?) with UNIverses in my system and in two other systems. The first thing to know, as Syntax implied, is that one Olympos is not necessarily the same as the next. A friend who's owned 4 of them confirms this. That said, the comparison in the most revealing system (mine) with the most neutral of the friends's 4 Olympos's showed that the Lyra was a hair less neutral. It brushed each note with a hint of mink (the owner's phrase, very apt). I could have lived with that one or with Frank Schroeder's. Not so sure about the others.
I've had at 10-12 UNIverses in my setup, 3 of my own plus others in for checkups as a favor to friends. While each one needed individual setup, especially as regards, VTF and SRA, once dialed in the performance was consistent from sample to sample. Reflecting on something else Syntax said, the UNIverse does not feed much energy back into a tonearm, which is why has such low sonic overhang and is easy to move around. If you want a cartridge that does a disapearing act behind the music, that reveals everything in the groove, and are prepared for the constant (daily) adjustments needed to achieve this, it will do it. Its sweet spots are tinier than the Olympos's, certainly tinier than a Koetsu's, so be prepared for that. If it isn't perfectly dialed in it's just a very good cartridge that does nothing wrong. With everything truly sweet-spotted it's really good, at least in my system.
Doug