Mine knows not to touch!Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
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Mine knows not to touch!Quote:
Originally Posted by Alex_UK
My Missus is probably more careful with my system than I am, she had right go at me the other day when I forgot to put the lid back on the Thorens... :eyebrows:
My noo Zu arrived yesterday. :)
... Zu modified Denon 103 cartridge.
I've previously owned a standard 103 and a re-bodied one. And loved them both, although the re-bodied jobbie was clearly a step or two up.
Marco commented recently on another thread when I mentioned this one was in the post to me ...
Spot on, Marco - it sounds absolutely fabulous.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I'd say it was a fair bit better than the re-bodied one I'd had previously.
Solid, articulate, forceful, great at separating out instruments from the mix. Hugely musical. Mmmm, I'm tempted to say it's the best cart I've ever had, but it's early days yet!
I don't think I'll be playing many CDs for a while! :eyebrows:
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...100/Zu1031.jpg
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...100/Zu1032.jpg
Looks the dog's bits, Jerry. Having heard Marco's 103SA some time ago, these carts sound infectiously compelling.
Yep, thanks Martin. My DV10X5, excellent though it is, has definitely been relegated to 'spare' status!
Hi Jerry,
Nice one, mate... The Zu-bodied 103 is superb and shows just what the basic 103 is capable of, and indeed also how much the stock body-shell restricts its performance! That was the reason why my 103SA sounded so good, because of its fibreglass composite housing. Underneath that, apart from the 6N OFC wiring, it was just a bog-standard 103.
Comparing the effect of body-shells, like this, makes you understand why Koetsu put their exotic housings onto basically the same cartridge design, simply because the former makes a huge difference to the sonic presentation, as no doubt you're discovering with the Zu. It's all to do with the respective resonance properties of different housing materials and how they colour the sound, to varying degrees, of the partnering cartridge. Some shells do this more than others, and often in ways which impart an alluring sonic signature.
I think that possibly the ultimate 103 would be to use the judiciously modified (by Highphonic) 103-Pro as the donor cartridge, with its improved high-frequency response, and fit it inside a Zu body-shell. I suspect that it would be quite something and a real giant-killer!
Or perhaps, get Dominic, from Northwest Analogue, to fit one of his superb Nickel cantilevers to the existing tip, if you want to retain the, in some ways, addictively musical sonic signature of the 103's sphercial stylus, and/or fit, say, an elliptical tip (or something even more posh) at the same time as the nickel cantilever. There is lots of potential fun to be had! :eyebrows:
Anyway, for now, enjoy the Zu. I think it deserves to be a keeper ;)
Marco.
Richard Gromit's Pioneer PL-71 has arrived. :)
OhMyGawd - it sounds fabulous! :eek:
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/i...0/DSCF7371.jpg
Richard asked for "1st dibs" to buy it back if I decided to move it on ... you'll have to wait a while, Richard! :D
The PL-71 is probably the only piece of HiFi kit that I genuinely regret having to sell. Not just a good DD TT but an excellent arm to go with it.
I swapped the silly spring loaded feet with some more solid rubbery type feet and felt it was better.
If I'd had the space I'd have kept it and asked J7 to fettle the arm but as it is I think it went to a good home.
Enjoy your new toy.
Yup, thanks Martin - I'm surprised at how good it is. Def sounds better than my Pioneer PL600X and my old Techie 1210, both of those being quite similar, imo.
I'm just playing with it 'as is' at the moment, with the standard mat - I just plunked it down on my level TT platform and installed the headshell/cart.
Will play games with feet / mats over the next little while. As one does. :)
More listening to the ol' PL-71 last night.
Gosh.
I'm beginning to understand why the Richards (Gromit & Dunn ... sounds like an old fashioned tailor shop :eyebrows:) like them so much.
A spacious sound but not overblown, very clean dynamics, superb soundstaging with excellent separation and focus of images with fine depth.
... but the main thing is it just locks on to musical rhythms and is hugely engaging.
I'd hoped the Zu-ed Denon would be happy in the arm, and it def seems to be. :)