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Trans-Fi Terminator Tonearm: 2019 Update

In reading a few related posts on linear tracking tonearm, in general,  and Trans-Fi Terminator , in particular, I thought I would give a brief update of the Terminator.

I purchased the arm directly from Andrey in Moscow two months ago. From what I understand, Andrey has taken over production after Vic's retirement. What I received is the most up-to-date version of the arm with the carbon fibre wand and brass counterweights, the direct wire leads from cartridge to  phono amp, and a new brass manifold ( not evident from the main web-site). Both the wand and the new manifold are Andrey's contribution to the continued refinement of the Terminator.

Also,  please visit this site: https://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/terminator-tonearm-new-arm-mount/. This gentlemen from NZ has developed a new arm mount for the Terminator which advanced the arm's sonics even further. It was reading through the the development of this new arm mount that convinced me to order the Terminator after much prior research. I did not purchase the arm mount from NZ as it would not readily fit my Verdier La Platine, instead Andrey made a custom arm mount. It is in essence a two point support mount rather than a single point support rod that is commonly used. 

My previous arm was a SME V of 1990's vintage mounted with a ZYX airy. The Terminator is several notch above the SME V. All the accolades given to the Terminator seem justified. My main point in writing is that the new developments by Andrey, i.e. the carbon fibre wand and the newest brass manifold, seem to improve upon the Terminator even more ( see link above ). This is the news that I wanted to share with existing Terminator owners. I asked Andrey to start a blog on all the new stuff that is happening with the arm, but it seems that he is busy making 'things'!




ledoux1238
spiritofmusic
828 posts
 
Why is this 4" PVC tube an improvement over the other tanks suggested?

Re Eheim, strange you should mention that...a client of mine into aquariums as a hobby suggested this very make to me.
jtsnead's avatar
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jtsnead
217 posts
 
I was one of the original owners of the Terminator and worked with Vic all the way up to the T3. Went back to pivoted arms and could not accept the difference in sound, I finally looked into pivoted linear arms and have found an equivalent to the air bearing linear arms the Thales Simplicity II incredible sound comparable or better than the Terminator albeit at a cost
terry9
2,333 posts
 
@spiritofmusic

Why 4" PVC? It’s cheap. It’s good. It’s easy to tap threads. Wish I’d thought of it before. Thanks Ledoux.

I use HiBlow pumps. Bulletprooof, low maintenance. I even use one for a mid-pressure (270mm Hg) system.
ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
With all due respect to @terry9 , I feel a larger volume tank, preferably squarish with filler is still the more effective method. I only mentioned the PVC tube as it seems to be used in ET arms. If the goal is to smooth out unregulated pulsating air flow, then some form of impedance and disruption will be required.  A larger diameter tube is still directing air flow not disrupting it.

A squarish tank with inlet / outlet situated in a diagonal relationship and fillers in-between seems to offer the air path of most resistance. I liken the process to water filtration. You want the filtration tank to be large and the outlet to be small. Water flow then slows, with greater amount of sediment, and hence cleaner water out the other end. Anyway, that's my unscientific two cents worth :)

@spiritofmusic The Eheim seems to be the gold standard in the aquarium hobby. The Sera 275  that I am using has an output of min. 275 liter / hour. There are Eheim models with 200 l / h or 400 l / h. And it's the 'min.' in the Sera specs that is throwing me off. Are the Eheim specs min or max? I wondered if  your client could shed some light?
terry9
2,333 posts
 
Agreed, a filler is required. One way to break up air peaks and troughs is to run a perforated hose from the inlet, inside the tank. Just add cotton balls ... Another way is to put a precision regulator in front of the surge tank. I do both.
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