New ZYX Premium cartridge line

I believe the use of a magic gizmo by ZYX pre-dates the use of a magic gizmo by Walker. An earlier ZYX TOTL cartridge had it already several years ago, if you are talking about a sapphire-colored sphere, said to be a crystal. Of course, one could always say that one's magic gizmo is superior to that of another.

Tad, That sure is a very beautiful looking cartridge!!
Stringreen, Lapis Lazuli balancing weight.

Frankly, Isochronism, I wasn't that enthusiastic about the look of the cartridge, specially with a Lapis ball in front. I still am not but I am looking beyond that as it is the sound that I am looking(hearing)at. After 3 days of playing, putting in about 12 hours of playtime, the sound is getting better with better imaging and more air around instruments. The good thing about this cartidge is that it never sounded harsh or edgy even when new. Bass seemed to extend deeper than the 1st day and the top frequency has more shimmer and air. The whole frequancy range is well extended with good timbral accuracy. Vocals sounded very lifelike. I will give another comment when it reach the 50 hours mark.

Stringbean only knows Benz, Ayre, and Vandersteen.
Everything else is guesswork.

Just noticed this thread. I hadn't heard about ZYX's new "Premium" line and can't say anything about it.

My own current cartridge is the ZYX UNIverse II, which handily outplays the original UNIverse in a number of areas (see the review beneath my signature). It's easily the best cartridge we've heard.

We demoed the original Omega (the model with the lapis lazuli ball on the front) when it first came out several years ago. It didn't compare with our original UNIverse and we weren't tempted to keep it.

Agree with the recommendations to check with Mehran at SORAsound. He's fair, honest and bends over backwards for his customers.