Zyx Universe. O.24 mv vs .48 mv with low eff spkrs

Well the Ulysses are getting the V2 upgrade right now
I cant wait to hear this synergy

We swapped in another cartridge today and no woofer pumping, arm is tracking vertically just fine

Looks like I will need a repair or step up to Universe II

Thanks for all the insght

Tom

Hi all:

The reasons why a designer may want to make low-efficiency speakers is usually because he needs to make a lot of bass from a small enclosure, or is striving for a very flat frequency response, and is using the crossover to burn off (correct) the resonant areas of the speaker drivers.

Also, maximizing the signal-noise ratio of an audio system requires that the first component in the signal chain has the most signal gain, and each following component has a lesser amount of gain. This is because each component amplifies the noise of the earlier components along with the signal, and the higher the gain of the following components, the more the noise and hum and buzz of the earlier components will be amplified.

Since speaker efficiency is also a kind of gain, using a low efficiency speaker makes sense if the overall goal is low noise. Conversely, super-high efficiency speakers (the maximum that I have ever encountered was 116dB) can take a very long time to get right, and require ultra-meticulous choosing of all of the amplification components.

I am not trying to imply that lower speaker efficiency is better than high efficiency, but rather than each is a tool, with its unique advantages and disadvantages. Either path involves trade-offs of some kind.

Incidentally, moving your listening position closer to the speakers is minimal-cost way to gain more listening volume, dynamics and resolution (since air is an effective filter).

Regarding the Universe, typically (but not always) the suspension is secured by a couple of tiny grub-screws inside a metal tunnel, which allows it to be moved fore and aft (together with the cantilever and coils). Pushing the suspension deeper into the cartridge body firms up the compliance by compressing the damper discs more, while pulling the suspension out more loosens up the compliance by compressing the dampers less. IOW, if no components have been damaged by the punishment inflicted by Tom's faulty tonearm bearings, it may be possible to correct the cartridge suspension through a readjustment only - without replacing any internal components. And if no component replacements are required, it could be that ZYX is willing to do the readjustment work for free, or for a nominal fee.

No doubt that ZYX understands their own designs far better than a third party retipper who will not have access to any of the correct replacement parts, nor the detailed documentation that describes how the cartridge needs to be built and repaired, nor the knowledge why it was designed the way that it was designed.

If I were Audiotomb, I'd describe the situation to Mehran and see what ZYX's reply is. It is free to ask.

kind regards, jonathan

Almarg,

Thanks as always for your willingness to share technical knowledge. Most of my postings are based on what I hear and seat of the pants "thinking". It's always helpful to hear from someone who actually understands what he's talking about.

Jcarr,

Great post. I concur with your suggestions, particularly the one that the best repair/adjustment of a UNIverse is likely to be provided by ZYX. Aside from Nakatsuka-san himself, there are 2 or 3 people in the world who are fully trained on the inner workings of ZYX cartridges. They're all in Japan and they all work for him. As an official ZYX distributor, Mehran has access to them.

If this were an entry level model, a third-party repair might make sense. But this is one of the world's premier cartridges (by performance, regardless of price) and Tom has already stated that he's unwilling to give up what it does for the music.

Anything's possible, but I wouldn't expect someone other than ZYX to have the knowledge to bring it back to original condition, if possible, or even to know what the original condition actually was.

There's certainly no harm in asking Mehran about an inspection before deciding to replace.

05-22-14: Dougdeacon
Almarg,

Thanks as always for your willingness to share technical knowledge. Most of my postings are based on what I hear and seat of the pants "thinking". It's always helpful to hear from someone who actually understands what he's talking about.

Thanks, Doug. And likewise with respect to your uncommonly knowledgeable posts about turntables/tonearms/cartridges/vinyl.

Best regards,
-- Al

I will second that on Doug, Almarg and everyone in this thread

This is what I love about the online audio community

I heard what I needed to hear, the .46 mv isn't going to cut it and my course is moving in the high efficiency speaker / tube amp domain

choosing highly desireable pieces of gear can be an issue if they are not in a symbiotic synergy. Lesson learned.

thanks everyone

I plan to touch base with Mehran, we have been down this road before

All the best

Tom