Macdadtexsas, the Zephyr continues to amaze me. Other cartridges might have done an ok job of separating Roy, the background singers, and the band, but nothing like the Zephyr. There's almost space in between Roy, the background singers, and the band. Same with my old symphonic records. The instruments are hanging in space.
And, sorry to repeat this point, but for some reason the cartridge doesn't pick up all the hiss and pop garbage from my old vinyl. Raquel, another A'gon contributor, is pretty knowledgeable about stylus configurations. He/she (not sure) may want to speak to why the Zephyr elliptical stylus could do such a good job. Perhaps, the diamond size or shape is such that the stylus is riding on "virgin" vinyl parts of the grooves.
Another point goes to the JMW arm. It seems that the JMW uni-pivot is generally well respected. However, I find the need to make so many adjustments annoying. So far, my experience has been that adjustments relating to azimuth and VTF are a particular PITA, and those types of adjustments have to be dialed in with precision when using certain cartrdiges, e.g., the Ortofon 2M Black (with the Shibata stylus -- a line contact type).
By contrast, there seems to be a natural synergy with the JMW arm and Zephyr, which is no surprise because Peter Lederman and Harry Weisfeld collaborated in the design of the Zephyr. So far my experience is that dialing in azimuth and VTF is a lot easier and more forgiving. I don't know how "transferrable" this synergy is to other arms. So anyone using another arm who is contemplating buying a Zephyr should make appropriate inquiry, perhaps with Peter Lederman.
Macdadtexas, as far as audio life beyound the Zephr is concerned, I suggest that you source as much quality vinyl as you can and just enjoy it. BTW, if you are thinking about tweaking cables, send me an e mail through A'gon. I think I may have sourced a well respected vendor who can custom construct high quality I/Cs at a very reasonable price.
Cheers
And, sorry to repeat this point, but for some reason the cartridge doesn't pick up all the hiss and pop garbage from my old vinyl. Raquel, another A'gon contributor, is pretty knowledgeable about stylus configurations. He/she (not sure) may want to speak to why the Zephyr elliptical stylus could do such a good job. Perhaps, the diamond size or shape is such that the stylus is riding on "virgin" vinyl parts of the grooves.
Another point goes to the JMW arm. It seems that the JMW uni-pivot is generally well respected. However, I find the need to make so many adjustments annoying. So far, my experience has been that adjustments relating to azimuth and VTF are a particular PITA, and those types of adjustments have to be dialed in with precision when using certain cartrdiges, e.g., the Ortofon 2M Black (with the Shibata stylus -- a line contact type).
By contrast, there seems to be a natural synergy with the JMW arm and Zephyr, which is no surprise because Peter Lederman and Harry Weisfeld collaborated in the design of the Zephyr. So far my experience is that dialing in azimuth and VTF is a lot easier and more forgiving. I don't know how "transferrable" this synergy is to other arms. So anyone using another arm who is contemplating buying a Zephyr should make appropriate inquiry, perhaps with Peter Lederman.
Macdadtexas, as far as audio life beyound the Zephr is concerned, I suggest that you source as much quality vinyl as you can and just enjoy it. BTW, if you are thinking about tweaking cables, send me an e mail through A'gon. I think I may have sourced a well respected vendor who can custom construct high quality I/Cs at a very reasonable price.
Cheers