Zyx Ultimate Dynamic
We at ZYX have designed many cartridges in our history. However, the Ultimate DYNAMIC design is the first model which incorporates a magnetic circuit that is very different from previous models.
Dynamic Cartridge
We at ZYX have designed many cartridges in our history. However, the Ultimate DYNAMIC design is the first model which incorporates a magnetic circuit that is very different from previous models.
As the coil bobbin is a non magnetic material, the signal output is only 1/6 of the required level. For this reason we have to use bigger magnet and have three times more windings on the coil in order to obtain the correct level of signal.
The reason for designing the Ultimate DYNAMIC model is that the non magnetic coil bobbin is similar to that of the cutter head on a record cutting machine.
This cantilever is of course a C-1000 carbon cantilever and the non magnetic bobbin is also made of a rigid and light composite carbon fiber plate.
When listening to the Ultimate DYNAMIC models, you will be lost for words to describe the superb sound quality.
Composite Carbon Terminal Board
This world-first hard terminal board has been employed as the terminal board to lock up output terminal pins and statically holds the unit against any sorts of extraneous vibrations.
And besides this terminal board can be grounded to the phono-stage amplifirer through the ground line of right channel output.
You must listen the purest sound by eliminated capacitance between 4 terminal pins.
World First C-1000 Carbon Cantilever in Moving Coil Cartridge
The ZYX Ultimate series (100, Airy, 4D, OMEGA and DYNAMIC) use a carbon cantilever for the very first time in a moving coil cartridge. The carbon rod is made from 1000 pieces of composite carbon fiber, hence the name C-1000 carbon cantilever.
This composite carbon fiber is more rigid than aluminum, iron and titanium. In addition, its specific gravity is just half that of boron. Therefore we can be sure that the C-1000 carbon cantilever is the ultimate and ideal cantilever material for analogue record playback.
The carbon cantilever gives us the widest frequency range and a superior tracking performance. A further major benefit is that the mechanical sound signal picked up at the stylus can travel through to the coil in a straight and direct fashion by way of the 1000 pieces of mechanical carbon lines. This ensures that reflected, repeated or modulated mechanical sound signals are completely absent. The overall result is that you will enjoy the finest, most natural, most dynamic and true to source sound that you have ever experienced.
Cartridge Case For REAL STEREO
Item 11,12 and 13 of the vital design points make very complex demand of the body's electrical properties. Non metallic body which has two kinds of hard material is necessary in order to achieve these properties, and to prevent external disturbances from influencing the generator system and also it prevents eddy currents in the case from effecting the generator output signal and the resonance occuring on the body surfaces.
Super High speed reproduction engine
This circuit is specially processed to null magnetic resistance within magnetic gap, and enables high speed power generation against signals over entire bandwidth straightly without time delay. And besides this circuit can perfectly eliminate any eddy currents remaining at once.
Micro-Ridge Stylus
The stylus used Ultimate series has the edges of the diamond shank set parallel to the sides of the cantilever. Using this type of stylus, the hardest axis of the crystal is aligned to act as the contact point with the record groove. This gives stable and smooth tracing and produces a very refined sound, with the additional benefit of giving the stylus an extended life time 2000 hours.
The stylus is of the Micro-ridge type, which was originally developed in Japan and offers the highest performance. The contact radius is always 3μm by the ridge made with 6μm thickness.
Pure 6N OFC Crystal Copper Wire Generator Coils
This perfect crystal copper wire produced by special process, in order to achive an even sound balance across the entire audible range.
Superior Performance and Excellent Value for Money
The cartridges we sell have been selected from both personal experience and the opinions of trusted dealers and reviewers.
For this reason the range offers superior performance and excellent value for money.
Please note that we cannot send cartridges outside the UK – the only exception being our own Origin Live cartridges or cartridges less than £400 in value when ordered with an Origin Live arm or turntable.
How to choose your cartridge
One of the most common enquiries we receive is ‘What cartridge should I use with this arm/deck?’ There are many options so we try to simplify matters by offering a “hot list” of tried and tested cartridges, particularly recommended by those with wide experience. However we do provide most brands of Hi-Fi cartridges should you wish for something else.
To help your selection process the following aspects should to be considered:
The overall sound of your system – cartridge brands tend to have distinctive sound balances which we outline below. This aspect should match your system and affect your choice more than almost anything else.
The effective mass of your arm and cartridge compliance? This really depends on what arm you have – in short there is much more to matching than compliance and it’s quite rare that this has much serious influence on your cartridge performance so we do not advise on it. Origin Live tonearms seem completely impervious to the issue of compliance.
The quality of your phono stage – Budget phono stages (up to £600) tend to work best with moving magnet or high output moving coil cartridges. Most high end cartridges are moving coil or moving iron but due to their low output (0.5mV or less), you need a very good phono stage to realise their true performance. Poor phono stages usually lead to disappointment with MC cartridges. It’s worth adding that expensive phono stages are no guarantee of performance.
We suggest the phono stage should be around 2 to 5 times the cost of your cartridge if you are to get the best return on investment and so you might want to consider where you place your budget.
Abbreviations
– MM = moving magnet cartridge with high output and 47 Kohm impedance
– MC = moving coil cartridge with low output usually and 100 ohm impedance
A number of the high output moving coils use moving magnet input at 47 Kohms
Cheap cartridges?
There are sources that offer seemingly amazing prices on cartridges – we would urge caution on these purchases as you may not know what you’re getting. For example some Kouetsu’s are made specifically for the Far East market. These Kouetsu’s have a suspension system suited for hot climates and will not give optimum performance in colder climates.
Hot List of Cartridges with Strong Recommendation
It’s quite hard nowadays to purchase a “duff” cartridge so the choice boils down to personal taste, compatibility and system matching. For this reason we can only offer guidelines on which cartridge to choose.
Higher-End Cartridges
High end cartridges such as Dynavector, Lyra, Benz Micro, Zyx, etc. all have their various strengths and reviews help to clarify your choice depending on your system and priorities. We particularly recommend Dynavector and Lyra cartridges but there are many other excellent cartridges which will work as well depending on your system and phono stage balance.
Mid-Market Cartridges
The Dynavector Karat 17d3 and XX2 are a moving coil cartridges which represent great value for money. The Lyra Delos has also gained an excellent reputation and is a safe choice.
Slightly lower in the range, the Dynavector 10X5 is almost without peer at the price point.
Cartridges Below £600
The Goldring 1000 Series – have excellent tonal balance with warmth, good bass and a nice top end.
The Goldring 2000 Series (£145-599*) – introduced because some listeners with more bass oriented systems wanted greater clarity and detail – the 2000 series brings this but at the expense of warmth. This series is not better than the 1000 series, just different.
Audio-Technica have an exceptionally good range of budget cartridges (£39-599) – exhibiting good tonal balance with punch and a lively performance.
Cartridges above £250
Brand sound descriptions
The remarks below are by no means definitive and are only intended as a guide to help those in no position to audition the multitude of options available.
Audio Technica – noted for definition, speed, clarity and detail – can be a little lean in the bass in some arms (seems most suited on Linn LP12 / Ittock or Akito combinations).
Dynavector – Excellent all-round MC cartridges – high output versions are 10×5 and 20XH suitable for moving magnet inputs, low outputs are also available higher in the range. Dynavector 17D Karat is a very highly regarded at its price point. The XX-2 is almost the same price as the Karat close and also a wonderfull cartridge. The choice comes down to preference but most prefer the XX2 for edging a better all round performance. The Karat however is preferred by some for its speed and transparency.
Goldring – Rich sound with plenty of warmth and bass depth – a popular phono cartridge with Rega arm users – a very safe choice that sounds good on most systems.
London – Outstanding Cartridges that lead the entire field in terms of vivid realism, dynamics and lifelike sound. Unique in construction and performance these cartridges have developed a loyal following for good reason. Drawbacks are poor tracking on damaged records and slight crackle on very worn records due to the fact that they pick up every tiny detail. The sheer dynamics, of these cartridges can cause compression effects and show up failings in poorer systems. This manifests itself in brightness and lightweight bass. In spite of these things many reviewers give Londons the highest praise. The benefits are so great that once heard there is no going back for some.
Lyra – Great tacking cartridges that deliver an organic presentation. May not always go quite as deep as Koetsus but have the edge in most other aspects such as transparency and imaging.
Ortofon cartridges are probably the most varied in terms of sound characteristics. High End Ortofon cartridges above £1000 are well balanced in their virtues and good value. Below this price there are various ranges some of which are ultra-clean and clinical with loads of detail like the Kontrapuncts and others like the Blue and Red which are the opposite in terms of capturing more warmth but which sound slightly thick in comparison to others.
Sumiko – A good choice for systems that are slightly bass heavy and need speed and agility adding, these cartridges have great resolution and are improved over previous models that tended to be lean in deep bass and low in warmth for some systems
Zyx – Very good tonal balance with slight emphasis on dynamic and deep bass. One of the most natural sounding mid bands available, excellent clarity and separation of instruments, sweet top end without the explicitness or slight overemphasis of some high-end contenders. Slight question on longevity of the suspension which may start to fade slowly after 3 years.
Please contact us to place an order or obtain a quote on the pick-up cartridge of your choice