Alternative names for "ZYX UNIverse" cartridge

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

;-)

Interesting question, Lew. Unfortunately, as we know, there's no solution that doesn't carry its own problems.

MI cartridges differ from MC's and MM's in more than moving mass. An MI propagates the signal by causing one magnetic field to induce a response in another magnetic field. The induced response is necessarily phase-shifted from the original, more or less depending on the cartridge's design/build characteristics.

The audible effects of this phase-shift will depend on these characteristics and of course on the transparency of the entire system. At one end we hear mere "smoothing" or "sludge" (think, entry-level Grado). At the other end we may hear a distinct "echo", very disconcerting, at least to our ears.

The first MI I ever played caused Paul and me to wince. His quicker ears and brain let him instantly describe the phase-shifted echo that was the reason for our discomfort.

After thinking (and wincing) for about 30 seconds he asked, "Does this cartridge generate signal in some unusual way?". I confirmed that it did, and described how MI cartridges work. He rolled his eyes and nodded.

Without knowing anything about the cartridge (he'd never even heard of an MI) and with no prompting whatsoever, Paul heard this inherent characteristic and deduced that the generator wasn't a typical MM or MC design. Scary but true.

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.

True. Of course the distance between them is a function of how far and fast the coils are displaced by a groove modulation. Now if coil A is has greater inertial mass than coil B...

Yeah, but the difference in mass between silver and copper is rather negligible, AND conductivity of silver is better by about the same amount, SO IF conductivity has any bearing on it, then one could wind a silver wire coil with correspondingly fewer turns of wire than a copper one with similar output. Ergo, the two parameters (density and conductivity) would cancel each other in terms of mass. But this gets back to my not knowing whether conductivity has a linear effect on the system. And my being too lazy to find out.

I am not gifted with Paul's hypersenses, but I do hear a very slight sonic character to MI cartridges that I do not hear with MM or MC. It does not make me wince, and I never roll my eyes; it hurts. However, there are distinguishing characteristics between MM and MC, as well. The very best MI cartridges I have heard... are very very good. I just search for what I like regardless of the technology. It's endless fun of a masochistic kind. But maybe a ZYX UNI will be my Holy Grail or Nirvana or just get me through the night (Frank Sinatra credit).