Bad experience with ZYX AIRY 3

Andre,

I held off posting so you could get responses, positive or negative, from ZYX users other than me. The concensus is pretty overwhelming, but I wonder why you started this thread?

When you asked me about your Airy 3 it had only 10 hours on it. I suggested the following before you made any judgements:

- put at least 150 hours on it, preferably 200

- try increasing VTF in small increments (.04g) over a wide range (1.85-2.15g)

- try reducing arm height in small increments (20 on the TriPlanar dial) over a wide range (from level to tail down)

- try a small degree of damping using the TriPlanar's trough (this only as a last resort)

That was just three days ago. You haven't had time to do any of this very thoroughly. What exactly are you asking for?

Top level MC's require exacting setup to perform well. This requires thought, patience and persistence.

Doug

Thom,

Extraordinarily good post. Lots of great info there. Just one teensy correction:

Maybe trannies work well with ZYX's and you've never heard these cartridges strut their stuff because of this?

A ZYX doesn't require an SUT to perform well.

My UNIverse, the Airy 2 and the Airy 3 all sound better with my gain stage than with the 3-4 trannies I've heard used. (That is only because this gain stage is better than those SUT's, nothing to do with the cartridge.)

Again, thanks for a wealth of solid, real comparisons,
Doug

Hi Doug,

I had to wonder whether or not Andre's post was a troll - especially with the thread's title ... not even a question mark at the end. Can one be anymore provocative?

This did give me an opportunity to think out loud however ... about issues I've been working through privately.

Thanks for reminding me that you've found a great phono stage with MC gain.

One thing that continually gets lost in the mix with respect to equipment commentary is the "smile factor". At the end of the day, you either want to listen to your tunes, or you don't. It's really that simple. All of our gear has some flaws in it, and if we focus on that instead of the joy it brings us, we are hopelessly tortured souls.

Obviously, we need to characterize it in some way in order to have some sort of meaningful discussion, but we need to be able to return to answering a very simple binary (thumbs up thumbs down) question.

Rather than drag all of this out with repetitive babble, anyone interested can link over to my Rants page - to a rant entitled "Evaluating Audio Gear - You Shouldn't Have to Get Used to It". The theme is "balance" and avoiding a de-constructionist approach to this stuff. When you start thinking in this way (as opposed to in a holistic way), you are doomed to misery.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Thanks guys,one more reason for me to step up the ZYX line,using the FUJI R-100 FS and loving it!Quick question if you can help.How do I decide between,example Airy 2 S and Airy 2 X?Also I own an Aries 2 and JMW10 is the SB option a good idea for improvement?Thanks Mike.

Mike,

I've had the copper and silver UNIverses side-by-side in my system. The silver was slightly slower/smoother on leading edges. It slightly rounded off initial transients. Some people find this sort of thing pleasant. I find it distracting. YMMV.

The copper is more neutral and has more lifelike microdynamics. It does not round off (or exaggerate) transient leading edges. Notes sound like what was cut in the grooves, neither more nor less.

I haven't heard a silver Airy 2 or 3 so I can't be certain this characteristic translates to those models, though I would expect it to. The Airy 2-X is already a somewhat gentle sounding cartridge. Gentling it more might really be too much. OTOH, the Airy 3-X is very free and powerful. Gentling it a touch could be helpful in some systems.

Whichever coils you choose, the SB option will yield a major improvement on a JMW. Strongly recommended.

Doug