Suttlaw,
First, you are forgiven for your multiple sins! Nice find for your one last analog rig.
RE: Airy2
Right now I can say it has a wide and deep soundstage, great imaging, incredible low level detail retrieval, good transients, good tone.
Your impressions exactly mirror ours. As our Airy2 broke in we moved from a back row seat to the front row, since HF extension, speed and detail kept improving. This change was fairly steady and predictable from about 5 hours until about 50 or so. It seemed pretty stable after that.
My bass and impact seem a little lacking, but I think that is cartridge setup and speaker positioning changeable, so...
Somewhat, but it is also somewhat the character of the Airy2. It will rarely be a rocker's cartridge, unless everything is set up perfectly, the stars are aligned and the drinks are aligned too.
The Airy2's dynamics are very affected by SRA and VTF. Higher end ZYX's are all sensitive in this way. Fortunately your sin-ful JMW allows easy height adjustment so start experimenting with that. Very small adjustments become audible once you're attuned (by very small I mean .01mm in arm height or less). Getting SRA just right puts maximum weight behind the frequency center of each note or sound, which increases the apparent dynamic impact and focus.
Optimal VTF in two systems I know of was between 1.88g and 1.93g. It needs a bit more downforce OOTB but that range seems about right after break in, depending on temperature. Too heavy and the life is squashed out. Too light and HFs start to go fuzzy. The VTF sweet zone is always very small.
Impedance loading is also very critical when running through trannies. You're not, so maybe it won't be as critical for you, I hope!
I haven't heard the Airy 3 yet (didn't know there was an Airy 3 and what are the differences?).
The Airy3 is brand new, MSRP isn't even published yet. Check out SORAsound's ads for details.
Compared to the Airy2, the Airy3 is more dynamic and detailed. After break-in, which takes at least 75 hours, it has virtually all the Airy2's "integration" or "wholeness", but with more body behind the instruments and air between them. Harmonics, decays and overtones are nicer too. It will probably sell for $500-700 more than the Airy2, and it will be worth it. A slight veil of control over bass and dynamics are the only bad things anyone has ever said about the Airy2 AFAIK. The Airy3 corrects that.
