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Jeff,
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I had the chance to hear the Airy2, Airy3 and UNIverse on the same weekend in my system which includes a Graham 2.2 and it was with the SB option. Personally, I would go with the SB option. I would be afraid to get the Airy2 without the SB option. I think this one is a no-brainer.
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If I were you, I would spring for the UNIverse if you can handle it from the financial side. As good as the Airy2 is, the UNIverse is just spectacular and would be a HUGE upgrade for you system and you would be set for a long, long time. It might be the best cartridge out there at any price.....
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Rgds,
Larry
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Jeff,
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First off, Doug did a great job of explaining what I was alluding to with regards the effect of the weight of the SB option.
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Secondly, you could consider the Airy3 if you would like greater dynamics more punch and more detail. The Airy3 was too edgy for me to live with in my system. The UNIverse had all of the detail, speed and dynamics and then some of the Airy3 but without the hard edge and brightness.
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Depending on what you are looking for the Airy3 could be an improvement for you, but it also could be to bright and overwhelming if your system is a bit forward/dynamic and your sonic preference leans toward warm / sweet. Keep in mind that the UNIverse is a dramatic step up over the Airy3
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Rgds,
Larry
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Jeff,
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Doug and I actually listened together to all 3 cartridges on my system which included the Graham 2.2 with a couple of other friends and we all had pretty much the same opinions of the Airy2, Airy3 and UNIverse. We all felt the UNIverse was by far the best, the Airy2 was smoother and more pleasant than the Airy3, and the Airy3 was quicker, had more energy, more dynamic than the Airy2.
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There are people that are quite happy with their Airy3 in their systems. A lot of the subjectivity of which cartridge is more suitable for you is system, music style (rock, classical, jazz, vocal) preference and sonic preference dependant. My preference has been for great detail without brightness or a hard leading edge (or too energetic to quote Doug). The Air3 was just too much energy for me and the warmth and musicality was overridden by the hard edges and energy (but that is not everyones reaction).
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If the UNIverse is anywhere close to what your budget will allow, the fool proof decision is to get the UNIverse. It really brings a ton of upgrade to your system. BUy a UNIverse and you will be done with buying cartridges until the UNIverse wears out and then you will probably just buy another to replace it.
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I have been with 8 different serious audiophiles with great ears for extended listening sessions and they all felt that the UNIverse was one of the best if not the best cartridge that they have heard. It is just magical and transporting in what it can bring to the music. It does it all. I have also spoken with a few others by phone and there is a complete consensus on how great this cartridge is.
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The Graham 2.2 is a great tonearm in many ways and I enjoy mine tremendously, but the match made in heaven is the Schroder Reference and the UNIverse.
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I would be happy to speak with you by phone this weekend. Just email me off line and we can organize to talk either on Saturday or Sunday.
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Rgds,
Larry
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Jeff,
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Raul has never heard a UNIverse nor, an Airy2, nor an Airy3, so I would totally discount any of his comments. This is another example of him jumping on a thread and writing about something he has no knoweledge of.
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Kurt,
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Overall, I would suggest that you wait and save for a UNIverse (for sure).
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Do put a good bit of time and effort on getting the damping fluid right. Sirspeedy and 4yanx are right on the money the improvements that can be wrought out of finding the ideal amount of fluid for your cartridge.
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Please list your system, music preference and sound preferences (warm, dynamic, hard attacks etc.) and that will make it much easier to make a recommendation between the Airy 2 and Airy 3.
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Regards,
et al
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Sirspeedy,
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I suggest you contact Mehran at Sorasound at mehranf@sbcglobal.net ( or do a search on Audiogon and he will work something out with you.
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Sorasound is the world wide (and only) distributor of the UNIverse and the sole U.S. importer of the Airy2 and Airy 3 for ZYX. Do tell him that I suggested you contact him. He is a good guy and very responsive.
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I can tell you the UNIverse is far, far better cartridge than my Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum ( $ 5,500.00 list). I loved my RSP, but the UNIverse is simply in a totally different (sorry) universe.
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And thanks again for your help with the damping fluid levels on the Graham 2.2
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Rgds,
Larry
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Kurt,
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I also have a Graham (2.2) have somewhat similar taste in music and your quote (listed below) sounded like I wrote it.
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["Like the smoothness of vinyl and tubes. Etched hurts my brain, so I probably tend towards warmer. Detail is nice but not at the expense of wincing pain."]
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In my system, the Airy2 was an appreciable upgrade over my Koetsu Rosewood Signature Platinum and yielded more detail, better attacks and more musicality.
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The Airy3 was a major improvement in the dynamics, level of detail and the attacks over the Airy2. As much as I appreciated the improvement of detail and we fiddled with the loading for the cartridge, we could not get it to the point where I could stand the sound of the Airy3 on my system. (I do think that their are systems and people with different taste that would be quite happy with the Airy3, and there are those people out there).
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The UNIverse yielded even more detail than the Airy3, had incredible warmth/musicality, terrific tight controlled and extended bass that was extremely tuneful, great sound staging and delineation of the performers/instruments. The sound coming from the UNIverse is just complete in everyway for me. A great balance of all the attributes that I want and all of them in spades.
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I just don't think you can go wrong with a UNIverse and I am quite sure that you should wait and save for it over the Airy2 or Airy3. I don't think, based on your comments, that you would like the Airy3, the Airy2 would be significant upgrade for you, but the UNIverse is a huge and dramatic leap over the Airy2.
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Contact Mehran and get an idea of what the cost will be. I don't know what the list price is or what price he is willing to sell for at this point.
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I would also like you to hear Doug Deacon's comments (he and Paul were present for the 2.5 day comparison of the 3 ZYX cartridges on my system). Hopefully, he will weigh in here and add to my notes.
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Rgds,
Larry
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Sirspeedy,
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I don't know what the list price or the selling price is for the UNIverse.
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Drop Mehran a short line and I am sure that he will be happy to fill you in. Do mention that I sent you his way.
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Sorry to hear about your table taking a dive and I hope it is back in your hands quickly. What brand/model do you have?
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Rgds,
Larry
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Sirspeedy,
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Lower your flag, Mehran is as honest as they come (more so) and very decent (to a fault) to do business with.
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I got my Universe (the second one made) as a beta test, so I don't know the retail price nor the selling price. Don't let all the mystery bother you. If I knew what either the retail list or his selling price was, I would tell you. Send Mehran a simple email with your questions and I am sure you will get a detailed answer (quickly).
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I hope your table returns soon.
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Rgds,
Larry |
Sirspeedy,
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You can keep your flag at half-mast until your table is back in your hands and up and running, but you can toss the Red Flag regarding the ZYX pricing.
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In response to your and my back and forth, Mehran posted all of the list and selling prices on his Audiogon AD (just click on the link that Joe/Jphii listed above).
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Kurt, I would suggest that you do your room first with some good advice from someone like Rives Audio, and save for a UNIverse....it is the only way to fly. The room is a must to get settled to allow you to make good future decisions on any type of equipment down the road (just my two cents).
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Rgds,
Larry
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