Congrats rossb. Looks very nice. Are you satisfied with it's performance? What tonearms have you used in the past?
I am still getting a grip on the sound of the 4 Point 9. It is very detailed, very transparent and fast, but a shade less dynamic than the Stogi Reference and PU7. But the Stogi Reference is also a little rolled off on top and has tubbier bass. The PU7 is probably just as neutral, a bit more dynamic, but not quite as transparent. It is still early days, since the internal wiring is still running in.
Also i am interesting in PU7,
i think that at that price there is anything better
Hi,
Nice to see someone with same turntable
I am using the Triplanar VII with mine.
Best,
Bill
It is. I used to have this combo for years and was extremely satisfied with it. But when I bought the XL4, Triplanar was unfortunately no longer good enough or was not a good match. So I bought the 4Point. Need to listen and compare this new baby to the 4Point 11 one day...The Kuzma/Triplanar combination is said to be an excellent one.
Now that was quick. Are you sure you gave it enough time? Don't think the tonearm cable show it's best in a week unless it's been trough a cable cooker...Well, the 4 Point 9 has been boxed up and is being returned to the dealer.
Now that was quick. Are you sure you gave it enough time? Don't think the tonearm cable show it's best in a week unless it's been trough a cable cooker...
You are right that the cable will not have fully run in. However, I don't think the issue was to do with the cable. I have been doing this long enough (around 30 years) that I have a pretty good idea when something is not going to work out. As I said, it was a very good arm. A few audiophile buddies who heard it thought it sounded fantastic and better than my two other arms. The same day I boxed it for return one of them came round to hear it and described the Stabi Ref 2 and the 4 Point 9 as his "end game" turntable. However, with experience we all know what works for us and what doesn't, and unfortunately the 4 Point 9 did not suit my musical priorities.
Rossb, couple of questions since I am placing the new Kuzma 4 Point 9 on my short list. First, you say that you owned a Linn with Ekos Se, how would you compare the Ekos Se to the 4 Point 9?
Also, as the 4 Point 9 is supposedly designed for the LP12 ( which is what I would plan on mounting it on),why did you choose that arm over the standard 4 Point for your Kuzma TT?
Lastly, although I know that you said you gave the arm enough time to “mature”on your TT, what changes did you hear from when the arm was originally mounted to when you decided it didn’t work for you?
I can't directly compare the Ekos SE to the 4 Point 9, because it is over a year since I owned my LP12/Ekos SE, and there was no chance of hearing the arm on the same turntable. That said, the 4 Point 9, while very detailed and very neutral, had a fast but somewhat lightweight sound which did not appeal to me, although I can see that it might (and clearly does) appeal to others. (I also understand that this is very different to the way the 11 inch 4 Point has frequently been described.) The Ekos has a more substantial, dynamic sound in comparison. I am confident that I would much prefer any version of the Ekos or Ittok over the 4 Point 9 on an LP12, but again your preferences may be different.
I chose the 4 Point 9 over the 11 inch version for the simple reason that I went to a hi fi show, my Kuzma dealer was there (I had just bought the Stabi Ref 2 turntable), and he offered me the 4 Point 9 he was displaying at the show at a very tempting price. After living with it for a week, I decided it wasn't for me, and my dealer graciously agreed to take it back and exchange it for a 313 Ref VTA, which I really do like.
Over the week I owned the 4 Point 9, I noticed no change in sound.
If you are looking for a new arm for your LP12, I would recommend the Audio Origami PU7. It's about half the price of the Ekos SE, and sounds at least as good. Although I own one, I did not get a chance to hear it on my LP12. But I think the PU7 combines the heft and dynamics of the Ekos with some of the fluidity of the ARO and 4 Point 9, and is a drop in replacement for a Linn arm on an LP12. The Kuzma arms are extremely good - I own two of them - but the Audio Origami is I think a better fit with the Linn sound.
On the other hand, if you are considering a departure from the Linn sound, for about the same cost as an Ekos SE you could get a Kuzma Stabi S with electronic PSU and Stogi Reference arm which I think craps on any version of the LP12 from a great height. But we have already had that debate on Audiogon ...
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