VPI Classic and ZYX 4D

Now, I tested the system with 3-4 gr on the headshell.
Tracking is a little bit improved.
By Increasing tracking force up to 2.1gr I am tracking clearly one ch of the 14dB's while the other ch is in distortion due to lack of antiskate force.
I tried to compensate untwisting the wire on the lemo connector.
Situation improves on the 12dB's and a little on the 14dB's but not enough to let me track that one.

The most "interesting" thing I found are the 3 spaced tracks at 15dB.
I cannot track any of them, of course, since the maximum I can track, I guess, is 12dB BUT while the 1th and 4th track are distorted but still they are coming through somehow, on the last one the pick up won't even try to stay on the grooves but it will skip directly to the end.

That is really bad. It shows lack of ability to track grooves.

I don't know what else is left to do in order to improve this aspect!

What I wonder then, is where does the blame for such get placed? Is it then the sole fault of the Cartridge, the possibility of a mismatch of Arm Mass-Cartridge, or is it perhaps also a fault of the Arm design, being a Unipivot?

I know Myles previously mentioned the attributes of the use of a Damping Fluid being nothing more than a bandaid, and he is probably correct with this classification.

I know a number of times, Doug Deacon had made mention of not liking ZYX with Unipivot Arms, and I seem to recall the term used by him in his listening tests as "wooly".

Would/could this what Doug is perhaps getting at, because of the Unipivot Design, its lack of being able to be a compliment, and compatible to such a Cartridge?

It was the initial reason I suggested to perhaps try Damping the Arm slightly. Might be worth a try, and the results can always be easily reversed if not favorable. Mark

Hi Mark,

thanks for your post.
If have noted there is another user that had the same exact result but using a SME and Gra tonearms.
Neither one of them is unipivot.
So I guess it is not the toneare none is the matching since I have ran resonance (later and vertical) test and it is withing range.
The sound in outstanding, don't get me wrong.
I am just trying to understand if there is way to match the test tracks ot not.
I am starting to think that ZYX are designed not to track those tracks...I don't know it is something strange.
If the cartridge is extracting a Looott of details and information, why can't it track those test tracks that instead my old rega and denon did with much less retrivial information and detail and everything.

I will probably try damping fluid too.

Thank you for your tip.

Funny - your problems sound EXACTLY like mine with my UNIverse - I'm the guy who posted about the SME and Graham arms. I'm mostly using it in the SME V which of course is not a unipivot arm and my tracking results are exactly the same as yours - with distortion coming in the right channel no matter how high I track and how high I set the antiskating. I also hear occasional mistracking on normal records - more commonly towards the end of the side and most common with either dynamic piano or female vocals. On the other hand - I concur with you on the cartridges incredible ability to extract detail - I just wonder if there's anything I can do to improve tracking and extract even more distortion-free detail!

Please do keep us posted - especially if you find some sort of solution. Goodness knows I've tried EVERYTHING and basically just "given up" and put up with occasional mistracking...

right....I saw your post here and I was referring to you.

A question though:

I assume that sme has an antiskating system on the arm.
Do you have it down to zero or set?

I personally start thinking that ZYX are so particular that they are meant to be this way.
Nevertheless after I got the 12dB right and increased tracking force to 2.15gr I don't hear any mre noticeable mistracking..but all in all I have been listening to it for few hours.

I will definitely keep you guys postet on the eventual progress.

BTW speaking with Mike from VPI he told me that I should be able to get the 14dB and 16dB's one..but I don't know if he was being optimistic or what :)

I will find that out hopefully next week.