ZYX Universe Premium vs Ortofon MC Anna

lots of yeahs & nahs, but, yeahnah, i can relate.
I think the analogy of soft tubes & brittle ss is overworked but a rleiable one for people to relate to that is black & white from times past. Do you think the tonearms were up to it Mike?
 
Kev - yes, I think the tonearms were excellent - especially the Graham arm. I've had the ZYX Universe Premium longer than most. And, thanks to my clumsiness, I also broke it, so I'm on ZYX Universe Premium #2 and a much lighter wallet to boot. I like when friends bring over their albums and say, "ah hah, this album won't track on my ABC cartridge, let's try it on yours!" and, the ZYX Universe Premium sails right through with flying colors.

The ZYX is very neutra, but requires very careful system matching (phono pre), cabling, tonearm and proper loading/setup. The ZYX can go from wonderful to YIKES in a hurry. But, I guess the same can be said about pretty much any cartridge. But unlike some of the other good cartridges I've had, the ZYX Is unforgiving in the wrong system or with a less than perfect setup. I recommend pairing the ZYX with a full sounding phonostage, a rich full phono cable and VTA set just the width of a human hair lower. If the VTA is tipped up, even slightly, the top end can get very aggressive.

Regarding setup, I can honestly say I have never had to fight any kind of channel imbalance/azimuth issues with the ZYX. It's a VERY well balanced cartridge.

Oh, and one more thing, use the stylus guard - always.
 
To piggyback on Mike's comments. The comments in Mono and Stereo seem to be both honest and fair. Making comparisons in the analog world is a NIGHTMARE. There are way too many variables to make reliable/repeatable conclusions. Phono cartridge setup is critical. Phono stage, cartridge loading, cables, tonearms, turntable, turntable stands all matter. Best we can do is find experienced people with similar listening biases and make a guess. A few years ago. I compared a ZYX universe (not current model) with an Anna using identical Kuzma 4 point tonearms. I preferred the Anna by a considerable margin. Everyone is going to have a their own take. Key thing is to do the best you can to optimize what you have before jumping back on the product carousel.
 
This is my review on Zyx and the Anna, same system

On Schubert Winterreise - We started with the Graham-Anna. Loved it. Then we moved to the SME-Zyx, and the piano was immediately more organic. The vocals were slightly fuller. I liked this more, though difference was marginal, and I was happy with both.

On Bruch Scottish Fantasia (Oistrakh). While the tape was better, I don't think the Techdas gave up anything. One can live with both. On this, the SME-Zyx was again better, now by a significant margin, with the tremors, timbre, tone, richness, immersiveness, all better than the Graham-Anna.

On Scheherazade - I have been to multiple live concerts of Scheherazade and love many different versions. You can see me air conducting Scheherazade as I am walking down the street.

We played most of the first movement, and first half of the second, which moves from playing individual instruments to brass dynamics. On this I preferred the SME-Zyx much more. It was richer on the individual instruments, and when multiple instruments were playing together, it was giving a more immersive soundstage, involvement, musicality, and fullness. The Anna in comparison was thinner. Though former sounded more colored, the color was just enough, not too much that would ruin the fun. The brass was great on the Zyx too.

Then we moved to Argent Espana, which is extremely fast and dynamic. Surprisingly, on this piece, I thought the color of the Zyx was a negative. I preferred the Anna. Damn. Is anything in audiophila easy? More dynamics, cleaner, less colored, all factors that suited this piece more.

Now we moved to Pictures at an Exhibition. On this Gnomus is dynamic with bass impacts - but Old Castle is the float like a butterfly to Gnomus' sting like a bee. However, on both I preferred SME-Zyx, though I could by now see in certain systems, if the Zyx adds extra coloring, it could be a negative.

Then we took Steve's LP of Bernstein NY Philharmonic Mahler 2. One of my favorite orchestral pieces, I have tickets booked for both Barbican and Royal Festival Hall this summer, and will also try to get the ones a Concertgebouw and Vienna Philharmonic later in the year. Again, on this, we listened to the first movement for a good ten minutes, and I preferred the SME-ZYX

Conclusion: I can't recommend the Graham-Anna when compared to the SME 3012-Zyx. Better to try an SME-Anna, or Anna with a heavier arm like Kuzma 4P to see if you get more fullness, and immersiveness. I want to try a London Decca which is supposed to be another neutral, extremely dynamic cart.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...Steve-Williams&p=385049&viewfull=1#post385049
 
A somewhat flawed review as each cartridge was listened to on different tonearms. Over a period of a couple of hours not weeks like most reviews?

Is this what reviews have become now?


Why couldn't the cartridges have been changed over to the other tonearm and listened to for a week or so? Oh, that's right - neither Ron or Steve can actually set up a cartridge.

Just makes analog reviewers like Fremer and our Myles Astor well worth their time and effort spent reviewing and listening to cartridges.
 
XV-1 said:
A somewhat flawed review as each cartridge was listened to on different tonearms. Over a period of a couple of hours not weeks like most reviews?

Is this what reviews have become now?


Why couldn't the cartridges have been changed over to the other tonearm and listened to for a week or so? Oh, that's right - neither Ron or Steve can actually set up a cartridge.

Just makes analog reviewers like Fremer and our Myles Astor well worth their time and effort spent reviewing and listening to cartridges.
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which is why my review says SME+zyx vs Graham+Anna, and recommends not using Graham + Anna, and instead trying Anna on SME or Kuzma 4P. While one cannot choose between Zyx and Anna based on that review, one can decide to choose not having Anna on a Graham - and investigating further from there. For example I checked my findings with ddk and he too said it was the Graham holding the Anna back. It should also be seen as a collective review - for example Steve has heard it more than a couple of hours - he lives with those combos.
 
bonzo said:
which is why my review says SME+zyx vs Graham+Anna, and recommends not using Graham + Anna, and instead trying Anna on SME or Kuzma 4P. While one cannot choose between Zyx and Anna based on that review, one can decide to choose not having Anna on a Graham - and investigating further from there. For example I checked my findings with ddk and he too said it was the Graham holding the Anna back. It should also be seen as a collective review - for example Steve has heard it more than a couple of hours - he lives with those combos.
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Hi Bonzo. My main point is this is classed as a review and published in Mono & Stereo. Reviews are not generally published after a listening session of a couple of hours.

However, if the "reviewer"never bothered to change tonearms he had at his disposal, it can't seriously be viewed as a review imo.
 
XV-1 said:
A somewhat flawed review as each cartridge was listened to on different tonearms. Over a period of a couple of hours not weeks like most reviews?

Is this what reviews have become now?


Why couldn't the cartridges have been changed over to the other tonearm and listened to for a week or so? Oh, that's right - neither Ron or Steve can actually set up a cartridge.

Just makes analog reviewers like Fremer and our Myles Astor well worth their time and effort spent reviewing and listening to cartridges.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting your comments here as well as WBF. I'm blown away that people are referring to their listening impressions at someone else's house as a "review." I have much more to say about everything involved in this, but I shall refrain. I advise everyone here to go back and reread what has been written and think about the context and implications of the multiple situations that have played out. I will say my focus is not Bonzo.
 
bonzo said:
which is why my review says SME+zyx vs Graham+Anna, and recommends not using Graham + Anna, and instead trying Anna on SME or Kuzma 4P. While one cannot choose between Zyx and Anna based on that review, one can decide to choose not having Anna on a Graham - and investigating further from there. For example I checked my findings with ddk and he too said it was the Graham holding the Anna back. It should also be seen as a collective review - for example Steve has heard it more than a couple of hours - he lives with those combos.
Click to expand...

+1 --sorry I have to agree I agree with ddk (David) and Bonzo put the Anna in another arm--then it will shine:D!

Bruce
 
mep said:
Thanks for posting your comments here as well as WBF. I'm blown away that people are referring to their listening impressions at someone else's house as a "review." I have much more to say about everything involved in this, but I shall refrain. I advise everyone here to go back and reread what has been written and think about the context and implications of the multiple situations that have played out. I will say my focus is not Bonzo.
Click to expand...

Hi Mep

you should have your say as imo it needs to be said.

It insults the actual reviewers that spend time, resources and skill in living with and reviewing products.

Reminds me of when Tone audio spent an afternoon at VPI factory listening to the Classic Direct a couple of years back - then used it as a review and gave it Product of the Year - totally undermined his own magazine as well as VPI credibility.

Frankly this says more about Mono and Stereo that it does about the reviewer. How was it allowed to go to print? I always thought it was a coffee table webzine, this proves it.
 
As a reviewer, I have to be careful of everything I say on public forums. Very careful.
 
I have never had a ZYX Premium in my own system but have heard it at a friends home against some pretty big time rivals. The rivals did not include the MC Anna as my friend is not an Ortofon fan. But compared to the half a dozen carts it was my fav. It is one special cartridge. Maybe due to set-up I did not find the Premium to sound unforgiving as Mike described it. It was musically satisfying like no tomorrow - Tenor like!

Now I am an Ortofon fan and have owned the PW, A95 and Anna. The Anna was used in an SME V12 and it sounded glorious to my ears. I like to describe it as sounding like digital done right, so not for everyone I guess. And although a different system, my guess is the premium is a more of a classic analog sound compared with the Anna.
 
When I had my SMEV, I always detected a fullness in every cartridge I had it in.... you just might like that color... Have you tried the Lyra Etna/Atlas?... I heard these in a VPI 3D that I thought was fabulous.
 
I is not an Ortofon fan, my last purchaseAir Tight PC-1, Air Tight PC-3.
 
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