ZYX Omega
May 11, 2010. ZYX Omega for Free. The lowest one has cost me is $1,380. The highest I have paid is $2,000. Yours FREE.
April 23, 2010. ZYX Omega from $1,495 to $2,695.
April 19, 2010. SORAsound is now selling NEW ZYX Omega cartridges from $2,600 to $3,250.
April 7, 2010. SORAsound is selling a ZYX Omega X Copper with less than 20 hours on it for $2,650 to its existing customers. ($2,950 to new customers).
April 8, 2010. A ZYX Omega Silver (said to have less than 40 hours on it) was auctioned on Audiogon by an ex ZYX dealer and sold at $2,430.
As of Jan. 29, 2010 SORAsound does not recommend ZYX Omega. Audiophiles I absolutely trust have listened to ZYX Omega and provided feedback for SORAsound. Instead, I recommend you consider ZYX Airy 3, or ZYX 4D (if it is same or similar to ATMOS which I tend to believe is).
Note: As of Feb. 7, 2010. Table below shows retail (un-discounted) prices in North America, Japan, and three European Countries.
| ZYX OMEGA G | Notes | |
| North America | $8,300 | ex. Tax. see March 1 note below. |
| Japan | $4,450 | ex. Tax |
| Country A | $6,240 | ex. VAT |
| Country B | $2,695 | ex. VAT |
| Country C | $3,040 | ex. VAT. Omega verbal quote |
[note. March 1, 2010. As of this date, or about this date, I have noted that ZYX North American retail prices are the same regardless of coil. It would be interesting for someone to explain why they had such absurd premiums for silver and gold coils for the last 10 or 11 months. ZYX Omega now retails $6,500 based on a few websites I have seen. Based on the feedback I have received regarding ZYX Omega, this cartridge still appears to be over-priced.]
ZYX omega is the ZYX with one ball, lovingly referred to as a boil (see below). The ball supposedly serves some purpose. Although some think extraneous stuff on the cartridge body could only cause anguish, it demonstrates Hisayoshi Nakatsuka san’s courage to experiment with new ideas and unchartered waters. We respect Nakatsuka san’s enthusiasm. We will be providing more information for you here soon.
In year 2009, the north american retail price for this cartridge is $7,500 for the ZYX omega X (copper), $7,850 for ZYX omega S (silver), and $8,300 for ZYX omega G (gold) although distributor costs for each unit is the same regardless of the coil. Judging by my knowledge of other ZYX products, the gold version is possibly the mushiest of all.
ZYX omega 2009 retail price in japan is 399,000 yen ($4,500 given the weak dollar).
comparing 2009 japan retail prices with 2009 retail prices in north america and a few other countries, one can easily deduce that ZYX omega gold in north america costs about $4,450 over ZYX 4D copper in japan ($8,300 for ZYX Omega gold – $3,850 for ZYX 4D copper as shown in the ZYX 4D section = $4,450).
Another way of looking at it is that ZYX omega in japan retails about $650 over ZYX 4D in japan regardless of coil (please allow for some variance in calculation due to daily exchange rate fluctuations). It appears this gives Japanese audiophiles a good choice between ZYX 4D and ZYX omega at a seemingly “reasonable” price difference.
[Feb. 11, 2010 update. The pricing comparison above now seems like a moot point now when you compare ZYX Omega and ZYX 4D prices in a country in the European Union and you see ZYX OMEGA GOLD IS ONLY $350 MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ZYX 4D COPPER. How can one explain a differential of $350 in a European country, $650 in Japan and $4,450 in North America? Even if the cartridge sounds great, this differential is possibly indicative of other issues.]
Disclaimer: It is important to know that SORAsound is not a ZYX distributor now. I believe however that SORAsound remains your best source for ZYX cartridges. We are qualified to give you our opinions, so you can make informed decisions regarding purchase of a ZYX and possibly comparing it with other options you are considering. You can read a bit more about ZYX omega and ZYX 4D here. also, for further info on ZYX, always check ZYX CHATS, and call us please. we also have a posting specifically devoted to ZYX Omega pricing and its potential value to audiophiles.
[Additional Notes: Jan. 29, 2010. SORAsound does not recommend ZYX Omega now. People we respect very much have listened to ZYX Omega now.]
For further reading, click on ZYX Omega postings.