SOTA Pyxi has arrived

[lsipes1965]

I’m very interested in how the upgraded DL MP7 compares to the Pyxi? Thanks!

I’m not going to claim I can make a this or that judgement. No way of A/Bing the 2. That said, I think the Pyxi is all many people would need. I like the Denons better with the DL and SUT than the Pyxi MC stage, But this may have been due to a higher load range with the Ned Clayton into the DL. The Pyxi is dead quiet, great soundstage. Nothing stood out, which is as it should be. Wyn would probably say and I’d agree, I just like the 2nd harmonic distortion the DL has. It sounds like my 12ax7 stage but without the noise I could see some people disagreeing with me though. They would pick the Pyxi for that reason.

 

[Genov]

I’m not going to claim I can make a this or that judgement. No way of A/Bing the 2. That said, I think the Pyxi is all many people would need. I like the Denons better with the DL and SUT than the Pyxi MC stage, But this may have been due to a higher load range with the Ned Clayton into the DL. The Pyxi is dead quiet, great soundstage. Nothing stood out, which is as it should be. Wyn would probably say and I’d agree, I just like the 2nd harmonic distortion the DL has. It sounds like my 12ax7 stage but without the noise I could see some people disagreeing with me though. They would pick the Pyxi for that reason.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[ThreeWay]

Pyxie (supposedly) arriving tomorrow, report forthcoming.

 

[wyn palmer]

Did you get it? SoTA doesn't keep me abreast of sales. I'll be sending them the latest MC/MM phono stage prototype shortly to get their listening impressions.

 

[ThreeWay]

Wyn,
Thanks for checking... but no. I literally just got off the phone with them, seems as though it was sitting in an Oak Creek Post Office for 6 days, then shipped from there. Who knows what happened? It is on it's way and is supposed to get here Friday, by their tracking and mine. I could have driven up to Delevan from Chicago and picked it up - round trip under 4 hours. Next time.

Naturally, I'm very much looking forward to its arrival, what with all the talk and feedback here and from the outside (very positive) reviews. I just had the 34C and the MC2150 checked at Stereo Rehab in Chicago and all systems are go on that end, so I'm anxious to see what the difference is between the straight phono input to the McIntosh and through the Pyxie. I'll keep everyone posted. I hope your new project does not blow the doors off of this one. Maybe I jumped too soon!

Thanks again,
Jim

 

[wyn palmer]

Wyn,
Thanks for checking... but no. I literally just got off the phone with them, seems as though it was sitting in an Oak Creek Post Office for 6 days, then shipped from there. Who knows what happened? It is on it's way and is supposed to get here Friday, by their tracking and mine. I could have driven up to Delevan from Chicago and picked it up - round trip under 4 hours. Next time.

Naturally, I'm very much looking forward to its arrival, what with all the talk and feedback here and from the outside (very positive) reviews. I just had the 34C and the MC2150 checked at Stereo Rehab in Chicago and all systems are go on that end, so I'm anxious to see what the difference is between the straight phono input to the McIntosh and through the Pyxie. I'll keep everyone posted. I hope your new project does not blow the doors off of this one. Maybe I jumped too soon!

Thanks again,
Jim

No, the new design is not a direct replacement. I expect, should SoTA decide to go that way, that it will be somewhat more expensive, although some of the characteristics- for example the extremely tight RIAA characteristic, and the use of an external AC wall art- would be retained.
As for how it sounds? That has yet to be determined.

 

[ThreeWay]

Well, well, well now...
The unit arrived a little "early", and I don't want to join the Hi-Fi Hyperbole Press by using terms like "Night-and-day", "Changes everything", "I couldn't believe the difference", and "OMG", but...
It was like night-and-day, and I could not believe the difference. Seriously. Immediately the bass response was greatly improved and tightened, mids and vocals pleasantly moved a bit forward, the soundstage more defined and widened. I really didn't get to any of my "reference" albums, after I put on "I Think Everything's Going to Work Out Fine" from the original pressing of Ry Cooder's awesome digital recording "Bop 'Til You Drop", I just started flinging on the platters. Each and every one sounded better than before. When I finally got around to the MOFI version of John Klemmer's "Touch", let's just say I was very satisfied with my purchase. Makes the good old AR3as sound rejuvenated, and I had to readjust the Hi and Mid controls, easing the Mids back a good bit and the Hi's slightly. I'm very impressed. Now, I don't have anything to compare or A/B this unit with, but then I don't think I ever will.

Just checking, but I have all the dip switches "up" with my MM Ortofon 2M Blue.

Great work, Wyn and SoTA!

 

[ThreeWay]

So things have moved along in the last year-plus, and I'm enjoying the rig more than ever. I had to replace the motor in the U-Turn, they sent me one with a new belt for $35.00, a couple, two, tree screws later... new motor. The price of what seems to be the most important part of the deck (aside from tone arm) concerned me a little, but it sounds fine.

Now I'm contemplating a cartridge upgrade as the restored AR woofers have broken in nicely. Will the Pyxie support the Ortofon Quintet MC cartridge? MCs have always fascinated me, and with the purchase of more remastered, 180g, analog transfers, I want to get as much from the vinyl as possible. Any alternative cartridge recommendations around that price range are also appreciated. Or is that cartridge outkicking the coverage of the U-Turn?
Thanks!

 

[Mr Boochie]

Is it the Pyxi MM/MC phono stage? You're okay.

From Mr Google AI:

Matching Specifications:

• Ortofon Quintet Output: ~0.5 mV (Red/Blue), ~0.3 mV (Bronze/Black).
• Pyxi MC Settings: 65 dB gain and 250 µV (0.25 mV) input sensitivity, providing excellent gain for these cartridges.
• Recommended Loading: >20 Ohm. The Pyxi allows for adjustable loading via rear panel DIP switches, including settings such as 150R, 220R, and 470R, which are ideal for the Quintet's requirement.

 

[muovimies]

Any alternative cartridge recommendations around that price range are also appreciated. Or is that cartridge outkicking the coverage of the U-Turn?
Thanks!

Unless you are getting a really good deal on a Quintet, I'd rather get the equivalent model from the new MC X series, they are priced the same or might even be a bit cheaper and by most accounts are an upgrade on the Quintets.

 

[ThreeWay]

It may be a moot point as U-Turn advises me that the tone arm on my Gen 1 Orbit Special will not support the mass of a moving coil cartridge and I cannot retrofit their new tone arm to the existing table. I'll move this to Turntables, but any suggestions on reasonably priced turntables that will play nice with a MC cartridge?

 

[Andyman]

How heavy is an MC cart? The two I have don’t seem much bigger than my MM carts.

 

[Nashou66]

How heavy is an MC cart? The two I have don’t seem much bigger than my MM carts.

Its not the mass of the cart its the compliance of the suspension of the cart . MC's usually have stiffer suspensions so they need a heavier mass arm.

Some add weight to their lower mass arms or to the head shell to make up for it.

Athanasios

 

[justjed2]

It may be a moot point as U-Turn advises me that the tone arm on my Gen 1 Orbit Special will not support the mass of a moving coil cartridge and I cannot retrofit their new tone arm to the existing table. I'll move this to Turntables, but any suggestions on reasonably priced turntables that will play nice with a MC cartridge?

What do you consider reasonable? I'm running MC carts on a vintage Denon DD, cost me about $400.

As @muovimies mentioned, the MC X series carts really are better than the Quintets. I have the Red, Blue, and Bronze. I also have the MC X10, and the X30. There's no contest. The Quintets are competent, but they're not terribly engaging. The new motor for the MC X carts simply does everything better.

 

[ThreeWay]

I consider $400 very reasonable...

 

[justjed2]

I consider $400 very reasonable...

As did I! And, there are many ways to acquire a good quality vintage TT. I do recommend a 'try before you buy'' approach, if possible. If not, or if buying online, buy from a reputable dealer/seller.

 

[ThreeWay]

And... what Nashou66 said. U-Turn states max cartridge weight for the Gen 1 tonearm is 7.2g, the Blue weighs in at 9g.

 

[elcoholic]

Based on weight alone a de-bodied 8 gram Denon 103 will be pretty close to the weight especially with nylon hardware @ $399. There’s an upgrade path with wood and metal bodies, potting and retipping. Nice Denon AU-320 step up transformers are available on the ‘bay for $200 for use with standard MM phono inputs. Very hard to beat for $600.
Mine is a DL-103r a bit more at $550 (mostly for the silver wire). It’s potted in a PPG Al Body and was retipped with the same line contact stylus that VDH uses. It weighs in at 25.7g plus 10 for the headshell. These venerable Japanese broadcast cartridges are amazing. It gives my Grace F9e with the SS Ruby OCL stylus a run for it’s money, but is much more forgiving of less than VG vinyl.

 

[ThreeWay]

Boldy Go...

That is a beautiful mechanism, reminds me of the Star Ship "Enterprise".

Things took a somewhat odd turn here with the purchase of a new turntable and cartridge. With a lot of help and input from many good folks here at AudioKarma, I wound up with an Audio-Technica AT-LP7 and an AT-OC9XEB Moving Coil cart. Kind of fell in my lap. Discussions with U-Turn had made it clear that not even their top-of-the-line table, the Orbit Theory, was suitable for use with a moving coil cart. So, moving on...

All of this is on another thread - "Cartridge Upgrade Dilemma" over on the Turntable section. Back and forth on new vs. vintage and cartridge recommendations, all very helpful. Couldn't beat a deal on a new-in-the-box AT, and went with the seller's choice on the OC9-XEB. Nicely set up free of charge. Called SoTA, they said "Left 2 Up, Right 2 Down, both sides" for my arm spec, flipped the front switch over to MC, and off I went.

It's now Monday (Happy Kazimir Pulaski Day, BTW). Got the gear on Friday, and had a Record Party on Saturday. Played late into the evening on Sunday. After a little attenuation on the 3a's, everything sounds markedly better in every respect than it did with the 2M Blue and the Orbit. Those were both nice and perfectly serviceable, but I must agree, moving coil puts everything on a much higher level. I'll be checking back in, but I may well have arrived at, or at least very near, my "End Game" setup. Maybe some cartridge additions/changes, but I'm pretty happy where I am right now!