Speed and dynamics
It’s not the yesterday news,
that turntables and for that sake the whole paraphernalia of analog are not
dead. Somehow in the middle of the digital revolution analog reproduction still
finds a strong spot in the high-end audio market. There is no doubt, that
digital is making it’s strong pace towards the future, but vinyl replay holds a
lot of attention and hearth of many audiophiles all over the world.
Enter the world of Zyx
There are quite few famous
and well-known cartridge manufacturers coming from the land of the rising sun.
There is a strong reputation for these Japanese jewels of miniature art of
designing and manufacturing the small, yet most important tools that captures
secrets of what is below the vinyl surface. Zyx Corporation is one of them.
President Mr. Hisayoshi Nakatsuka holds a unique and
personal view about analog and digital reproduction. For him analog universe is
the place where music simply follows the right path with the dedicated
knowledge and understanding of audio reproduction at highest plane.
Zyx Omega X
Even from the first encounter with Omega X cartridge
and package I felt, that there is something different about it. Radiant blue
enclosure, precise engineering and few of special and unique design principle
makes Omega more then interesting cartridge in the quest of analog synergy. X
nomenclature stand for X = 6N crystal copper, 0.035mm dia., cryogenically
treated wiring. We’ve seen cryogenically treated products making their entrance
in high-end audio world in past few years. It’s hard to argue about benefits,
but at the end there are always sound, which matters and should be the final
frontier of any high-end audio quest.
First connection
My reference turntable was
ready with Pole Star PS-UNV2 universal tone arm. Zyx Omega
X was easy to install with Pole Star. I tried to combine Zyx Omega X
with few different head-shells (ebony etc.), but stock PS-UNV2 performed best
with this cartridge. I found best results with 2.0 g pressure of the stylus.
With the 0.24 mV my Tom Evan phono stage matched loading perfectly. Tom especially
matched loading to my specific desire. With MC cartridges I cannot urge enough
the importance of right loading with phono preamplifier. It will make your
cartridge bloom with music or simply damp the real possibilities. Any analog
fan knows well how all the little things make all the difference in replay.
Installing
Installing Zyx Omega
X was a breeze. Recommended tracking of 2.0 g was right on track although I
experimented with 1.9 and up to 2.2 g. From the start Omega X tracked without a
problem. I just changed VTA few times when trying to set for the optimal height
and balance of the tone arm and cartridge.
Performance
Zyx Omega
X is a contemporary cartridge. I would go even that far and called it
non-typical or traditional sounding. It’s very neutral and dynamic in the right
circumstances. Omega X needs a proper phono stage combined with the very fast
and open preamplier to get the best out of its performance. This is a true high-end
cartridge, that needs a careful setting to achieve the top performance. Without
proper loading, correct tracking, right VTA and a ultra dynamic system you’ll
might miss all that X is capable of.
Mactone MH-300B amplifier in combination with Lamm LL
2 preamplier perform ultra fast. MH-300B is a true stand out and it gives hard
time to most of solid state amplifiers. High gain output of Lamm LL2 in
combination with Mactone offers a tremendous power, detail and speed. The
synergy of whole system with Omega X cartridge was remarkable. In the time of
test I had few of well known DAC on my hand. While their performance showed an
enormous step forward for digital, there was a clear distinction with all
analog setup and with Omega X connected. It seems, that times of warm-pleasing
character and some sort of colorations of cartridges are the thing of the past.
Many of modern top of the range cartridges are state of the art products with such
precision build and design technology, that not only rivals most of the digital
players, DAC’s, but quickly transcend them. While there is a constant grow and
improvement in the digital filed analog is still a medium that behold many of
the best attributes and emotions of music. You’ll still have to spend quite a sum
of the money to get close to analog.
It’s true, that with turntables and cartridges there
is a lot of involvement and settings. Let me look on to the other side of
digital spectrum. These day, you’ll have to invest quite some knowledge and
time to set up a well balanced digital system. From carefully selected players,
buffers, digital cables, solid state drives, etc. Times of simple CD plug and
play are going in vain.
There is no magic needed in setting up the
cartridge, tone arm and everything associated with turntable. There are still
basic option with come contemporary turntables, that makes very easy setting
all things needed for the balanced vinyl replay. If you want to go more in
depth, then you’ll have all the possibilities open. Even with entry-level
cartridges you’ll hear the little changes in cartridge VTF, VTA etc. When
you’re climbing ladder higher in the upper analog cartridge echelon things get
even more intimate and down to the micro levels. So every little thing is more
then important.
Musical journey
There are few of the vinyl records, which show me
very quick what can be expected from component under review. It’s not always
everything about the perfection of recording, but about the different moods,
that records tend to revive from the original event. I would never miss to exam
the correctness of timbre, sense of natural scale, speed etc. Additionally I do
prefer, that especially under the high-end labeling and pricing, component
under the scope will take inside of certain musical event and evoke some of the
emotions connected to the specific happening. Assuming all the engineering and
technical details are well versed (as they should be in the upper level price
range) we should be only left with the challenge of right impendence, loading
and tracking.
John Coltrane’s Love supreme attacks you with the
merciless power and crescendos of both sublime and power notes coming not only
from maestro himself but drum battery, piano and double bass. Incredible
language coming from this musicianship is a floating poetry of emotions impact.
Zyx never seems to hold or stop any notes. Speed is one of the most important
constants of every high-end audio component. We can argue about it all day
long, but correct floating of speed uncover all the musical micro details and
reveal the sense of space and time.
Zyx Omega
X managed to stayed a fixed constant through my listening notes. Even with
classical recordings (Toscanini etc.) both old and new wave (like for example
excellent 2L) Omega never showed a specific audio spectrum being overblown.
There were no additional artificial warmness associated with many well known
and highly priced cartridges. When going ultra high end and trying to stay as
neutral as revealing, there is no place for messing with certain frequency
range. I can safely report that Zyx Omega
X is genre-less cartridge, that extend to all of the flavors of music.
Conclusion
I didn't have a chance to
listen to ZYX entry and top of the line cartridges, but Zyx Omega
X represent stand out cartridge, that combine all of the demands of
contemporary cartridge; namely the speed, the depth, broad dynamic range, the
ability to respond to the quality of tone-arm and turntable and never the less
to be a via-medium for the music hidden in the grooves of black vinyl. Vinyl
reproduction have came a long way and it’s great to see companies like Zyx
pursuing the advancement of technology and know how in the favor of analog
playback.
Taking into the account prices of some exotic
cartridges Zyx Omega
X is actually well priced and represent the new wave of analog components. Zyx
is taking vinyl reproduction to the 21st century with both technological
advancement and consideration of music.
Not many knows about Zyx phono stage and MC preamplifier. Here are few details:
Not many knows about Zyx phono stage and MC preamplifier. Here are few details:
| CPP-1 TIME DOMAIN PERFECT SeriesCryo Processed Pre-Pre (Head) Amplifier for MC Cartridge   |
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| Features: 1. Input Resistors made by ZYX: The input resistor is a very important part of the pre-pre amplifier. It is the first load of the generated signal of MC cartridges. The minute signals should go into the resistor without any influences from resistor noise and inductance. So that we recommend the resistor made of pure copper wire. CPP-1 uses world's first Cryogenically Purified Crystal Copper Wire which is the same one as the coil wire of our R1000 series X type cartridge. The resistor is made by winding the wire to a coil that has no inductance in special process. Then our resisotr can transfer the output signals with no noise and no inductance at all. You can hear its impact in the pure sound of CPP-1. 2. 100% Playback Circuit: In order to play back the sound information of MC cartridge in 100T fidelity, CPP-1 has a special circuit in the simplest amplification circuit. Normally electric part has its own time domain, and it gives unbalanced sound in result. So ZYX had to correct each time domain by applying our own circuit. 3. Noiseless Power Circuit: CPP-1 works with 10 pcs. of Ni-Cad batteries in order to avoid normal power circuit noises. So the minute signal of MC cartridge can be clearly amplified in the circuit. 4. Low Noise Charge Circuit: You can listen to music at any time. Normally you use CPP-1 with battery power supply, but you can use it while chargeing from AC, too. 5. Electrically Skeleton Wooden Box: A metallic shield box makes the sound signals distrubed by some eddy current generated on the shield surfaces. So, CPP-1 has no metallic surface around the circuitry. It will enable you to listen the effect with fast response in the sound presence. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Artisan, Artisan-2 Phonostage MM/MC Equalizer Preamplifier CR type RIAA Equalizer    Artisan-2 | Artisan -r (red) Artisan-b (black) Artisan-c (clear lacquered)
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Features 1. Input Resistors made by ZYX The Artisan preamplifier is designed using the resistor made by us. The resistor is made of pure copper wire, world first Cryogenically Purified Crystal Copper Wire which is also used in our R-1000 series X type. The resistor is made by winding the wire into a coil that has no inductance through a special process. Then our resistor can transfer the output signals with no noise and no inductance at all. You can listen to the effect in the pure sound of the Artisan. 2. CR type RIAA EqualizerArtisan employs a simple but most appropriate CR type RIAA equalizer circuit. Figure 1 shows RIAA recording circuit. As shown therein it has to be noticed that this circuit is comprised of CR configuration, as there is no necessity to employ other type of equalizer such as LCR or NF type. For precise reproduction of time information in musical elements, restoration is required to be made under the condition equal to original sound through CR type circuit. Because, music reproduction to natural sound equal to the reality is made best only by correctly reproducing time factor. 3. Noiseless Power Supply and Rectifier CircuitsArtisan works with 9 pcs. of NiCd batteries in order to avoid normal power circuit noises. So the minute signals from an MC cartridge can be clearly amplified in the circuit. In addition, the Artisan is equipped with 2 types of stabilized rectifier circuits. One drives the linear amplification stage, and another equalizer stage. Thanks to these, extremely stable operation and noise-free amplification with wide dynamic range are secured. 4. 2 types of Inputs, MC and MMArtisan accepts both MC and MM phono cartridges at respective input connectors. Figure 2 shows the Input Switch which enables you to use 2 turntables for comparison. For a listener who wishes to use an MC cartridge in the future, MM operation assures you of fine and unwearied performance of Artisan. MM input mode allows connection with an MC cartridge through ZYX CPP-1 pre-preamplifier, or an MC step-up transformer, or a head amplifier, so you can use 2 MC cartridges simultaneously. Please refer it to Figure 3 wiring diagram. 5. 100% Playback CircuitIn order to playback the sound information of an MC cartridge in 100% fidelity, Artisan has a simple but special amplification circuit. Normally each electric part has its own time domain, and it gives unbalanced sound as the result. So, ZYX had to correct these each time domain to the perfect one through our own circuit. For example, we never use all resistors and capacitors with normal way. (patent pending) 6. Electrically Skeleton Wooden BoxA metallic shielded box makes the sound signals disturbed by some eddy currents occurred on the shielding surfaces. The Artisan has no metallic surface around the circuitry. It enables you to listen to the effect in the fastest response in the sound of MC cartridge. Further, in order that Artisan can match your audio system, 3 different colors are available for choice; Japanese Red semi-matt finished with genuine Japanese traditional 'urushi' lacquer coating, matt Black "urushi" finish, and natural Clear wooden finish with urethane coating. Artisan-r: Japanese red, Artisan-b: black, Artisan-c: clear Handling Hook up RCA audio cables to a turntable system and preamplifier. Make sure that the tone-arm grounding wire is connected to the GND terminal of the Artisan. Connection of the grounding wire from the phono motor is subject to your listening result. Be sure to lower the output of the speaker with the level control before cable hook up. Note: Please do not open the wooden box of Artisan, otherwise the input resistors will be damaged soon, since they are made of very thin wire. Also, do not touch the batteries to avoid electrical shock on you. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matej Isak Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine All rights reserved, 2012 www.monoandstereo.com
