Alternative names for "ZYX UNIverse" cartridge

It wasn't really a dig (much!)... actually a pretty realistic comparison. Many people prefer a more rounded, relaxed sound... including nakatsuka-san himself! I'm told his personal preference is the gold-coils.

We were indeed buried up here. My Sat morning flight didn't get out until Mon night... 2.5 days shovelling snow instead of skiing it. We had 40" of measured snowfall, 5-6 feet in drifts. I couldn't open the house doors Saturday morning, it was up to the door handles. Had to climb out a window, posthole to the deck and dig the doors out.

I'm open to other explanations of course. The sound is as described. Wouldn't differences in moving mass explain it? Which accelerates faster and corners quicker, a motorcycle or a Mack truck? ;)

I note that you couldn't resist taking a shot at the Koetsu, any Koetsu...

The Koetsus - any - have 2 real advantages

No.1,
Based on their dominant midrange and weak frequencies in high and low they change any harsh, analytical analog System into something bearable.

No. 2.
*Ahem* .... I forgot.....

All three coil versions have the same frequency response out to 100KHz.

Coil mass has nothing to do with the difference. The stylus movements are greater than the coil.

Silver is only 17% heavier than copper. Gold 3X heavier.

Silver has the highest conductivity of any metal, higher than copper or gold.

I have both the silver and copper coil Airy 3 SB's on identical arm tubes (VPI JMW10), that can be swapped in 30 seconds for comparison.

Silver takes a couple of months longer to longer to break in. IMO very similar sound characteristics, with the silver slightly warmer with more apparent high frequencies.

The British ZYX distributor stocks and prefers silver. Copper coil versions are special order.

The choice is a mater of taste.

Syntax, Thanks for helping me out on the Koetsu.

Doug, I would have written much of what Don wrote, to justify my doubts about cause and effect, but I did not want to get into it. Also, altho the fact that the difference in conductivity of silver vs copper and the difference in density between them would effectively cancel each other out, if both were equally important in winding the coil of an MC cartridge, I am not at all sure that conductivity makes that much difference; I think the amplitude of the signal generated depends only upon the number of turns of wire, the strength of the magnetic field, and the distance between them. Yet it's not hard to fathom that conductivity may also play a role. But if lowest moving mass was a central factor in "goodness", then moving iron cartridges would hold sway. (But maybe they do.)

Don_c55's description of the silver coils as "slightly warmer" matches my experience.

Copper = most neutral and dynamic
Silver = 17% warmer
Gold = about 3 times warmer

;-)