Kuzma 4 point

rockitman

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Fremer gushes over this arm. Who here is using one ? How is VTA on the fly adjustment ? How does it mount to the arm board (linn standard) ? I'm wondering if it will mount to a Graham compatible bd ( hole pattern) ? Finally for cart alignment, does it come with a pivot to spindle jig and it's own protractor for cart alignment ? TIA
 

Peter Breuninger

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I'm mounting one today for the Onedof review. I'll keep you posted. This will be arm #3 in a series of arms on the Onedof; Triplaner, Ikeda long, and the 4 Point.
 

Bill Hart

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That's the arm I'll likely add to my existin Kuzma set up. And, based purely on visuals, the VTA adjustment looks like the same arrangement I have on the Airline. Once it is set up, and you calibrate your standard setting (at '0' on the dial), it's just a matter of an unlocking lever on the Airline, a twist of the dial, and relocking. Easier than typing this, that's for sure. I'd have to go back to look at a pic to see if it uses a lever-style lock like the Airline. Yep, same set up, at least from what I can discern in the photos.
 

MylesBAstor

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Apr 20, 2010
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Thanks Peter. The four point bearing system for this arm is very interesting indeed. I look forward to your impressions.

Too bad Albert Porter's not posting here anymore :(

He's spent some time with the Kuzma though I seem to remember his having an issue setting it up on his table.
 

rockitman

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that's the arm I'll likely add to my existing kuzma set up.

What peaked my interest was reading about it in this month's Stereophile review of the Wave Kinetics NVS, Telos arm. In short I think he liked the 4 point better than any arm, Telos and Continuum Cobra included.
 

Bill Hart

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What peaked my interest was reading about it in this month's Stereophile review of the Wave Kinetics NVS, Telos arm. In short I think he liked the 4 point better than any arm, Telos and Continuum Cobra included.

and no pump/compressor! Kuzma builds interesting stuff, he doesn't follow one school of thought, he's sort of all over the place design wise, but i think almost everything he's manufactured is still offered and in production.
 

rockitman

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This quote interests me being a phantom supreme user:

."Comparing the Kuzma 4Point and Graham Phantom II Supreme on the Onedof clearly demonstrated that while these arms are both top performers, rivaling each other in terms of ultralow coloration and general detail retrieval, the Kuzma was simply faster, tighter, and more physically coherent, and its transient performance was ideal. It produced an experience like listening to open-reel tape, with imaging and soundstaging stability superior to those of any arm I've heard, including the Continuum Cobra.

The Cobra is a great arm, but the Kuzma 4Point is simply better - perhaps because, unlike the Cobra, it has horizontal and vertical damping. Combine the Graham's smoothness and coherence with the Cobra's speed and dynamics, and you have the Kuzma 4Point minus any of the Cobra's slight uncertainty." —*Michael Fremer
 

rockitman

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So I have addressed power amps, preamps, speakers, turntables, wires, carts and I thought tonearms too.... to my satisfaction and I thought I was done. I now have Kuzma fever. Anyone recommend a knowledgeable dealer ?
 

asiufy

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I have the Kuzma 313VTA tonearm, one below the 4 Point in Kuzma's lineup, and now I'm due to upgrade it to a 4 Point, along with the actual TT (from Kuzma Reference to XL2).
The 313VTA has the same VTA adjustment as the 4 Point, and it's just as described above. Very easy, simple, and best of all, repeatable.
I just wish it had a proper detachable headshell. As it is, it is detachable, but you must still plug the tonearm pins at the back of the cartridge, causing a lot of wear to the fragile pins...
 

Bill Hart

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May 11, 2012
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I have the Kuzma 313VTA tonearm, one below the 4 Point in Kuzma's lineup, and now I'm due to upgrade it to a 4 Point, along with the actual TT (from Kuzma Reference to XL2).
The 313VTA has the same VTA adjustment as the 4 Point, and it's just as described above. Very easy, simple, and best of all, repeatable.
I just wish it had a proper detachable headshell. As it is, it is detachable, but you must still plug the tonearm pins at the back of the cartridge, causing a lot of wear to the fragile pins...
Asiufy- I went from the Kuzma Reference to the XL and it is a dramatic difference. The bass is bottomless, and the 'aura' that you hear from most turntables is non-existent. It is just so quiet that the music is presented in deep relief. The trick is getting the thing isolated properly, it is very heavy. I ordered an HRS platform that is made a little larger than normal for the table, it is a 'standard' special order for HRS- they've done a bunch of them. You'll dig the table. I also put the power supply on two Nimbus isolator/spacer thingies, works very nicely and not terribly expensive. I've been fiddling with record weights recently- the standard screw down clamp is very heavy and lends a very explosive quality to dynamics; Kuzma offers an ebony weight that he suggests- it's not nearly as expensive these days as the Shun Mook weight. It's a great table; I think that review in the Absolute Sound against the Walker made it seem like the Kuzma was the lesser table, but I'm not sure that's the case. And, you can actually reach Franc Kuzma. Which is cool, if you have a question.
 

Peter Breuninger

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It's all set up. This is a very interesting arm... you'll see in the video. It's a different type of thought with the duel bearing and 4 point set up. Freshly set up it's producing an immense stage with pin point detail. It's very, very compelling. Very, very accurate. More to come.
 

rockitman

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Sep 20, 2011
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It's all set up. This is a very interesting arm... you'll see in the video. It's a different type of thought with the duel bearing and 4 point set up. Freshly set up it's producing an immense stage with pin point detail. It's very, very compelling. Very, very accurate. More to come.

Can you use the Feikert protractor with the pivot to spindle arm...in other words is there a detent point on the top of the pivot tower for the fiekert arm with the nail on the end to rest?
 

Peter Breuninger

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Can you use the Feikert protractor with the pivot to spindle arm...in other words is there a detent point on the top of the pivot tower for the fiekert arm with the nail on the end to rest?

Christian,

Yes, there is a opportunity for something to rest at the center point of the arm pivot, it's a 2mm ring but if you had a pointed object you could "eye" the center. The arm comes with a great set up protractor. If you have this arm (or are considering it) I suggest following me in the video. No need for a Feikert protractor, not with the amazing soundstage (and sound, and bass and upper frequency extension) I'm hearing.
 

Peter Breuninger

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asiufy

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Asiufy- I went from the Kuzma Reference to the XL and it is a dramatic difference. The bass is bottomless, and the 'aura' that you hear from most turntables is non-existent. It is just so quiet that the music is presented in deep relief. The trick is getting the thing isolated properly, it is very heavy. I ordered an HRS platform that is made a little larger than normal for the table, it is a 'standard' special order for HRS- they've done a bunch of them. You'll dig the table. I also put the power supply on two Nimbus isolator/spacer thingies, works very nicely and not terribly expensive. I've been fiddling with record weights recently- the standard screw down clamp is very heavy and lends a very explosive quality to dynamics; Kuzma offers an ebony weight that he suggests- it's not nearly as expensive these days as the Shun Mook weight. It's a great table; I think that review in the Absolute Sound against the Walker made it seem like the Kuzma was the lesser table, but I'm not sure that's the case. And, you can actually reach Franc Kuzma. Which is cool, if you have a question.

whart,

Thanks, mine should arrive in a couple of weeks. I have a friend who's got this set up (XL2 with 4 Point), and I've visited a couple of times, always impressive. He does use a solid base, from Symposium I think, but he said his best upgrade to the XL was with an outer ring, from TTWeights.


alexandre
 

Brian Walsh

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Jul 7, 2011
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I have had a 4Point here for quite a while and have sold several. As Peter replied, it comes with a mounting jig for setting the pivot to spindle distance. The spindle to VTA tower distance should be set to 212 mm, and the Kuzma turntables are set up for that mounting distance which makes it an easy drop-in.

A couple of more recent 4Point installations were on an SME 30/2 (a first for Kuzma, but now they make armboards for them so you don't have to pay the exorbitant price from SME for a blank one to machine) and on a Clearaudio Master Reference. On that latter, the 4Point replaced a Graham Phantom (original). Let's just say it took maybe five seconds to hear the difference, and my customer had a huge silly grin on his face.

Among the tools I use, I use the Feickert software, the Pro version, once the basic installation is complete. This is a step which, in my opinion, is crucial to getting the full performance out of the system. Recently I did an alignment on a high end rig in which the owner had used a Fozgometer to set azimuth, the setting for which is where the crosstalk levels are equal -- the curves cross over each other. But he had 52 degrees of phase error at 1 kHz. When my work was complete I had reduced that to 5 degrees and both of us immediately heard the improvements.
 

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