ZYX Ultimate 100 Phono Cartridge | Review

There is something about a curry. Sorry, but for some reason when I started making serious notes about the sound of the ZYX Ultimate 100 moving coil phono cartridge, I thought of food. I love Indian food. I find it incredibly satisfying. It must have something to do with the sheer number of spices that have to be skillfully blended to result in a concoction with the effect of a single, complex explosion of flavor to the taste buds. Other culinary experiences are of a simpler nature. A piece of fresh fatty tuna sashimi that melts in your mouth. The bowl of perfectly prepared black beans and rice. Lightly steamed, fresh organic broccoli served with a squeeze of lemon. Homemade flour tortillas, hot off the pan. In a vinyl oriented system, I like to think of the phono cartridge as not only being the first part of a complex chain to retrieve information out of the groove, but also the spice that defines a certain kind of cuisine one might choose to metaphorically use when cooking up one’s system. Hisayoshi Nakatsuka: Parts Unknown To those of y’all unfamiliar with the ZYX brand (pronounced ZICKS and made in Japan), it’s a company devoted […]