Couldn't disagree more

Posted by Curious (D) on August 20, 2014 at 08:16:40

In Reply to: RE: Another VPI Classic and SS Zephyr thread posted by dirtyvinyl on August 19, 2014 at 20:14:55:

I'm an SS dealer too. In my showroom, I have three carts on display that, to my ears, sound the best in their respective categories. I have a VPI Traveler with a 2M Black, a VPI Classic II with the Classic wand and a SS Zephyr MK II, and then an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze on the Classic III wand. I switch mode and gain on the phono preamp when I swap wands.

I'm breaking in a new pair of B&W 802 Diamonds, and a friend/audiophile/client of mine stopped by after I closed the showroom to help me get the speakers positioned just right and then listen to some music over beers. I played everything on the Zephyr MK II, and it sounds terrific. Mine has about 150 hours on it, so it's a really smooth presentation with great detail. Bass is excellent. It's solid, palpable and tight. We were playing Maria Muldaur- Richland Woman Blues, Stevie Ray Vaughn- Texas Flood, and the recent Mercury Living Presence 1812 Overture reissue. I have not heard a high output cartridge that can touch the Zephyr MK II at the $1200.00 price point, and that's why it's on display.

So, I think it's system dependent. I'm using the Lehmann Audio Decade phono preamp by the way. Interconnects are the Audioquest Leopard from table to phono pre and phono pre to preamp. I find AT carts on the whole to be brighter than what I've heard from SS or Ortofon carts.
"Hope is a good thing. Maybe, the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Another VPI Classic and SS Zephyr thread - FSonicSmith 05:16:18 08/19/14 (10)

RE: Another VPI Classic and SS Zephyr thread - dirtyvinyl 20:14:55 08/19/14 (6)

Couldn't disagree more - Curious 08:16:40 08/20/14 (4)

How does the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze .... - Greg Gale 12:36:17 08/23/14 (0)

RE: Couldn't disagree more - FSonicSmith 11:26:30 08/20/14 (2)

Thanks man - Curious 11:46:31 08/20/14 (1)

RE: Thanks man - FSonicSmith 11:52:15 08/20/14 (0)

RE: Another VPI Classic and SS Zephyr thread - FSonicSmith 06:07:03 08/20/14 (0)

FWIW, I always found Dynavectors to be a great match for the JMW arm. - Opus 33 1/3 07:05:03 08/19/14 (2)

RE: FWIW, I always found Dynavectors to be a great match for the JMW arm. - FSonicSmith 07:11:15 08/19/14 (1)

Went a different direction. Well, not quite. Went back to Rega, my 4th. - Opus 33 1/3 10:15:25 08/19/14 (0)

Follow Ups

Couldn't disagree more - Curious 08:16:40 08/20/14 (4)

How does the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze .... - Greg Gale 12:36:17 08/23/14 (0)

RE: Couldn't disagree more - FSonicSmith 11:26:30 08/20/14 (2)

Thanks man - Curious 11:46:31 08/20/14 (1)

RE: Thanks man - FSonicSmith 11:52:15 08/20/14 (0)

Couldn't disagree more

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