ZYX Omega or UNIverse?

How do you compare the universe to the ortofon?

The UNIverse is one of the very few real outstanding cartridges. It is sounding very close to the real thing. When you listen to demanding music (orchestras, pressings from the 60's) you get a view into the performance. It is also a silent tracker and able to transform even the most dynamic swings.
No Ortofon I ever listened to, comes close.
The Omega is a total different cartridge. Hard to describe, maybe when the UNIverse is absolutely not your cup of tea (for whatever reason), maybe the Omega is.

Interesting!

I would then get the universe.
Unfportunately I am experiencing for some strange reasons tracking is a problem on my linear (ZYX 4D on Terminator T3 by Vic and it was even worse on the VPI 10.5i), so I am afrid that with another ZYX I will be at square one in trying to solve this issue...so I am truing to discern what I should do.

Hi Stefanoo,
unfortunately I can't help you much, I have no experience with Zyx4D or Terminator Arm. I had a few Zyx in my System running, with various Arms and all were good. Also with Test records or different turntables. Zyx carts are in general easy to go, there are other carts which are more critical to Arms. But a distortion is mostly based on wrong Arm-Design or Geometry.
I know, Tonarms have a lot of influence and not every Design is really so good like fan groups or marketing suggest but unfortunately this is a endless chapter.

interesting. we can rile out geometry as I have set it up with a microscope and on the linear tonearm is preatty easy to verify as the cart will have to be parallel everywhere.
I was able to get an "idea" set up.
Distortion wise it is much better, but there is still a tad little on few audiophile vinyl that I don't know if any other system woul dbe able to track.
This is my doubt since I haven't had a chance to do 1:1 on the same critical vinyl.
As for the arm, I don't know. All I can say is that I find it to be way better than the well known VPI 10.5i.
Is the design wrong? I Wouldn't think so as it can extract a ton of micro info that I was unable to hear before.
The armwan is so short that talking about resonances of the card on the arm wouldn't make so much sense to me.
I am not an expert on tonearm's desing but my feeling is that the arm is doing a good job.

So my question for you is: do you EVER hear any sort of distortion on the high frequencies when the recording level go up substantially?
Maybe we have a common vinyl ;) and if we don't could oyu list the hardest one you have I will make sure to buy it to make a comparison?

Thanks.