A visit to Z Axis Audio

I just thought I’d pass on some thoughts of a fascinating visit today.
Paul Stratton runs Z Axis Audio, based in Sussex, South Of London. His main trade is as a master furniture craftsman, but his big passion is high end audio, and under the name Z Axis he manufactures a range of audio components including a balanced power transformer, equipment racks/isolation and cables. He also is a main dealer for Concert Fidelity amps and dac from Japan, and runs a heavily modified Sony DD tt in a nested plinth he designed, with an SAEC506 12” tonearm and ViRa Aidas Panzerholz diamond MC cart, Allnic H3000 phono, Esoteric K07 transport. He has also heavily modded a pr of ML Spire stats, removing woofers and crossovers from the main spkrs and isolating these in beefed up seperate cabinets with upgraded parts.
Paul was a great host, happy to have me over despite me not being an immediate customer, putting up with my desire to hear good analog as a compare for my current tt reinstall.
We had been in intermittent contact for a while, and so when the opportunity arose to visit, I took it. Paul was gracious enough to drive me 50 miles to and from a distant destination due to train issues.
I took my “go to” lp, my desert island disc, Stomo Yamashta “Go”, an amazing exercise in continuous music covering atmospherics, ambient, symphonic, avant garde, percussion frenzy, funk and ballad, featuring Steve Winwood, Al Di Meola and Klaus Schulze, all wrapped up in mid 70s expansive production. Paul added some Ravel after for good measure.
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I’m a pretty critical listener, having heard some downright poor and unbalanced systems recently that couldn’t be redeemed.
But I also recognise a thoroughly impressive and consistent sound when I hear it, and that was the case today.
First I was truly struck by the seamless sound on offer, certainly a first in my experience of MLs. There was no apparent disconnect of stat panels and woofers, maybe a direct result of seperating the subs boxes/crossovers and beefing up cabinets. Whatever, this was hugely impressive, I just felt I was listening more to full range drivers, albeit with vastly increased frequency range. Music truly appeared with no hint of where from. Bass was highly impressive, mids went back forever, and treble soared but was never cutting. Here, the Concert Fidelity amps showed their mettle truly providing the music and getting right out of the way. All message, no messenger.
The analog setup was not as I expected it to sound. A 1970s Japanese DD could have been harsh, grey, mechanical. On the contrary, the sound was natural, warm, detailed and nimble. I was highly impressed, also with the 1970s SAEC506 arm, surely a great alternative to the SME 3012R. The biggest surprise was the little known Aidas MC cart, truly even top to bottom, and without doubt the best cart I’ve heard wrt surface noise - there was minimal evidence of this on my lp that is not that quiet in my system. A true uber performer.
It was hard to seperate out other aspects of Paul’s system, but the consistent, expansive, immersive and downright enjoyable sound must have been a synergy of carefully chosen components, superbly modded gear, and Paul’s very own personally designed balanced transformer, rack and cables.
Paul is a really friendly voice on varied topics on WBF, was even more charming and self effacing in person, and runs a truly exemplary system with fascinating components created with his personal stamp.
A wholly enjoyable day, thanks Paul.

Lloyd, unfortunately not. As usual, I didn’t have unlimited time, and I stupidly left a fave cd at home. Maybe another time.
What I’ve tried to get over in my mini review is that Paul has pulled off a thing that is pretty unique and very hard to successfully achieve in this hobby. That is a system that betrays no character in itself, but plays music full of character. For this one needs a speaker that is seamless from bass to treble, and Paul is to be commended on getting a hybrid stat/sub to be absolutely seamless. One also needs amps that fundamentally suit the speaker but get wholly out of the way, drawing no attention to a SS or tube signature. Here the 200W SS Concert Fidelity power amps and hybrid preamp does just this - I really never once thought “tubes or SS?”. One also needs a source that is fast and warm and truly forensic but forgiving, and here I was most amazed - the kind of DD tt that was scoffed at in the 80s to 2000s as belt drive gained preeminence (Linn LP12 aficionados back in the day would have spat on the Sony LOL), now modded to current day engineering standards to maxx it out, an arm I was only vaguely familiar with ie the SAEC506 which truly impressed (especially visually, what a combination of beauty and sheer engineering wholesomeness), and this amazing Aidas cart, which thru the Allnic, was an absolute paragon of excellent tracking, surface noise suppression, tonal eveness, and just sheer believability.
I’d sum things up as “power and grace”, very unusual in being highly neutral, highly expressive, not drawing attention to itself, yet truly riveting and immersive.
A total triumph.

Last word should go to Paul’s ancillaries, ie balanced transformer, racks and cables.
I know that from my expenditure on these areas, and efforts in getting these areas right, they can transform a system. So I’m confident in inferring that a lot of Paul’s holistically complete sound is down to his own brand ancillaries, esp balanced power that we both agree really is an amazing foundation for any good system.

Sure Paul, and I’ll save you the drive by coming down by car next time. Maybe when you get the Ayon transport?
I’m listening to my system now, and it’s fascinating to note that my sound is somewhat less “walk thru” than yours, not as neutral, w more overt “gear character”. And not by a small margin.
Normally when I’ve listened to systems touted as neutral or characterless, the music itself emerges as lacking in character. No names, don’t want to upset the fans of some so-called SOTA gear. This was maybe the first time I just couldn’t pick up on a system signature, was fully transparent, that didn’t send me to sleep. Indeed it was fully engaging as a pure result of an unadulterated musical signal hitting my ears, no hint of the reproduction chain.
Indeed, the music speaking for itself.
When I compare this to the roll out in the UK of the ML Neoliths fed by AF1 tt, Metronome cdp and Constellation amps, that was sadly lacking any togetherness, I really remain absolutely amazed by the holisticness of what I heard yesterday.

Well Justin, if Paul does another commission of modded Spires, I’m sure he will a/b them.
I can tell you from gut instinct what he’s done is spot on, that seamless thing does not come easily.

As a system at manageable cost, of manageable size, for manageable rooms, this one takes a lot of beating.
I’m sorry Justin, but despite me loving your sound, it’s too characterful, too forceful, in comparison to this one.
I’m finding systems can be very like their owners .

Yep, all three, and many more. I’m a complicated kinda guy. Truly unbalanced. Nature or nurture? Born this way, or an environment of audiophiles made me this way?

Justin, I’ve been with Zus for a decade now, happy for the most part. So I’m not always changeable.