Tonearm choice for Kuzma Stabi M and ZYX Universe II

bazelio

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Sep 26, 2016
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Thanks for the response. I did ask Franc about the cables. He said, it is a matter of taste, and he would rather not give any advice:)
I also told him, my system is very revealing, the room is not treated, and sometimes I wish the sound would be a tad warmer. In this case, he said, I should try Cardas.
I have my doubts about Cardas. Standard silver or Kondo would be a safe choice in my view. Crystal Cable Mono-X is the most expensive option, but I have not heard anything about this brand.

I'll play devil's advocate and suggest to get the most revealing tonearm wire, still. I caution against making the tonearm cable a limiting factor in system resolution (e.g. Cardas' typical coloration), and would still suggest to aim for transparency. You could then tune the system (and room!) to taste downstream. The Crystal Cable interconnects and speaker cables have good reviews, and would be interesting to hear IMO. But I don't know anything about the tonearm wire.

PS Rumor has it: Franc is soon going to offer sapphire cup upgrades for 11" and 14" 4-points. I'm thinking about giving that a try. When I do, I might see if I can get Franc to reveal a bit more about the cable choices and consider a change there, at the same time.
 

Ron Resnick

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. . . Every Zyx cart I've heard has been too warm . . .

I just saw this. Very interesting! I look for clues like this so we all can better understand each other's preferences!

(Every ZYX cartridge I have ever heard has been "just right.")

Have you ever directly compared, in an apples-to-apples way, a 4Point to a Graham Phantom Elite?
 

bazelio

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2016
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I just saw this. Very interesting! I look for clues like this so we all can better understand each other's preferences!

(Every ZYX cartridge I have ever heard has been "just right.")

Have you ever directly compared, in an apples-to-apples way, a 4Point to a Graham Phantom Elite?


I haven't Ron. I've heard almost all the other Graham arms, but never the Elite. I'm very interested in hearing the Elite given ddk's recent comments.

I will also say that I've only heard a few of the Zyx models. The Zyx Omega Premium I heard via needle drop and found it to be very lush. I spoke to its owner (LOL - that sounds off) and he told me that he even applied a high shelf to his transfers from that cart in order to brighten them up. The Universe line is less colored.
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
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Thank you very much! :)
 

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