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TEST CONCLUSION
For
listeners to jazz, opera, and classical music, ZYX’s new Ultimate 4D-X is a
winner. Its sound is smooth, with great body to the mid- and bass ranges, and
sweet, clear highs. It has the ability to track and organically reproduce the
evolving notes, both subtle and dramatic, of most musical genres, render
complex and shifting timbres, and reproduce the many different sounds of a full
orchestra in a coherent soundfield. There is something flawless about its
overall sound. One of its chief attributes is a fine frequency balance: no
portion of the audioband is boosted or shortchanged. There is no hint of the
forward midrange that many find pleasing with some music, nor are the highs
heated up to artificially emphasize detail in jazz and rock to the detriment of
orchestral string sound or operatic voices. While the Ultimate 4D-X is not the
most consistently rockin’ cartridge I’ve ever heard (though it sounded great
with more recent rock records), it conveyed orchestral dynamics extraordinarily
well, with solid, stable imaging, and soundstages that were consistently wide
and deep.
In the
range of cartridges available for a similar price, the ZYX Ultimate 4D-X is my
favorite for the kind of music I most prefer. I encourage anyone looking for
sophistication, a wide timbral palette, and evenhandedness throughout the
audioband to seriously consider it. Its merits don’t leap out at you, but its
rewards are rich, deep, and lasting. With it, you can hear more of what’s in
the music. I think it’s a significant upgrade from the prior 4D-X. I like it so
much that I’ve made the ZYX Ultimate 4D-X my new reference cartridge.
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