Who will survive? One last table til I die.

Congrats also.

Have you heard the Airy3 yet? There's quite a difference from the already wonderful Airy2.

Anybody notice how Raul's English improved about an order of magnitude in that last post? Interesting...

Indeed. One wonders who actually wrote it. Is some SS amp builder ghosting for Raul?

I have a Teres 265, thanks partly to the heavy legwork and excellent argumentation of regulars like Twl. Well, actually there's nobody quite like Twl, but you get the idea. He's already made all the cogent arguments, the gist of them being that a Teres/Redpoint/Galibier meets all your criteria to a "T".

Two Teres project participants founded Redpoint because they wanted to push the design and especially the materials further. They subsequently split into Redpoint and Galibier simply due to the geographic distance between the two principals.

All three companies have continued to refine their designs and materials, though in different directions. About the only similarity between them now is their basic reliance on a simple, high mass, non-suspended design that is trivially easy to set up, maintain and repair if necessary.

For absolute stability over the long haul, a Redpoint or Galibier would be very safe choices due to their materials. The top Teres models are made of various exotic hardwoods, which makes them stunningly beautiful and they sound magnificent, certainly better than any suspended deck below $10K by all reports that I've read. Whether that will make them less stable in the long term, only time will tell.

Give these three companies a hard look. You wouldn't be disappointed with a deck from any of them. I've only heard my Teres so can't offer a comparison.

Stevecham,

You're the first person I've seen claiming that the ELP laser TT does an A/D/A conversion. Their own website very clearly states that it doesn't. What makes you think so?

BTW, if you'd said it looks uglier than a cheap CDP I'd agree of course. But that's another topic. ;-)

Stevecham,
Please re-read the paragraph you just posted. It is clearly addressed to someone who is playing a record on the ELP and THEN transferring it to digital.

The ELP itself does not perform any A/D conversion. It does not have the capability because it contains no DAC's. They say so in their FAQ's and nothing about the passage you quoted contradicts that.

And I quite agree, digital ain't analog.

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.

If you are serious about invest 3,400.00 on a phono cable, my advise is that put that money on a better phono preamp or better cartridge/tonearm combo or a subwoofer, before you change that cable.

I agree with Raul. The phono cable can't play what the cartridge doesn't provide. If you like the ZYX's neutrality but the slightly muted dynamics and bass of the Airy2 become a problem, think about the Airy3.

Raul made another good point about cartridge/tonearm synergy. I don't know if a JMW can handle the Airy3's intense dynamics. A Graham 2.2 can't, not even with careful adjustment of the damping. A TriPlanar can.

I actually heard the Airy2 sound strongly dynamic once, but that was on a very dynamic system in a small and lively room. It was easy for this system to overpower the room, so the Airy2's "politeness" was not noticeable. That was an exception of course. Few people willingly pair a small and lively room with a highly dynamic system.

Gregadd,
Excellent and well-argued post, at least when I read it through my many-colored glasses. ;-)

Suttlaw,
Glad to hear the Airy2 is breaking in well. The choice between it and the Airy3 really is a matter of system synegy and taste. If it gives you ample dynamics then it's presumably a good match for your system. Since your tastes are, "unencumbered by any surplus of technical knowledge", I presume that leaves them free to like what sounds most musical without other prejudices. Sounds like a short path to enjoyment to me. You are living the life!