2. analog
  3. 150758-92835

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
redcars
11 posts
 

Hi guys,

I promised to report on the sound I am getting with my new Terminator from Andrey ( https://www.musicfromvinyl.shop/ ).

I have a large record collection of mostly classical records and opera. A lot of vocal, choral and chamber music. And a lot of recordings of pipe organs.

You may remember that before the Terminator I had two Clearaudio TT2 arms. Before those I had the predecessor TQI. Twenty years of Clearaudio happiness. The TT2 concept is also used in the TT1 MI in the Clearaudio Statement turntable.

I have a Clearaudio DaVinci and a Goldfinger Statement (GFS) cartridge.

I bought the Terminator to play other cartridges, and because I like mechanical things and wanted an affordable air bearing arm. I started with the DaVinci because my intention is to replace the DaVinci with another cartridge, perhaps a Miyajima mono cartridge.

The DaVinci sounded so good in the Terminator that I swapped in the GFS. WOW!

The largest improvements have been the sense of soundstage and space around voices and instruments and the quiet background. I thought the TT2 was very good, but the Terminator blows it away.

My room ( https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9362 ) was built for great sound and it has not disappointed. But the music never really filled the room. The horns are position sensitive and have a relatively small sweet spot. Now the room is alive and sounds good everywhere.

In comparison, it is 4D vs 3D.

Same turntable, same cartridge (GFS), same arm cable. A very impressive achievement, IMHO.

The “flow” of the music is more real, more lifelike; the musicians are in the room with you.

Bass is better and more lifelike. Everything is more clear and more precisely located in space. Choral music is uncanny. Are you getting the idea that I am thrilled?

I need to give credit to the rest of my system and the room, but it was the Terminator that turned the corner and brought out the best.

I am ordering a second Terminator arm. Both arms will mount on my turntable and rotate away from the platter to change records.

Best,
Don
ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
Don,

Buying a second Terminator certainly is a resounding endorsement!

We all  have come to the Terminator from other branded, more expensive, highly touted...etc. arms. For one reason or another bought the Terminator as a cost effective way to experience the linear tracking tonearm ( for me ) or to experience other cartridges ( for you ). The thinking was that if the Terminator did not work out, it was no real loss. And if it did, it would be a stepping stone to other, 'higher level', arms. What is unexpected is just how revealing an instrument the Terminator really is. And now you are buying more while I continue to improve on what I have.

Partly inspired by your incredible back-of-the-house heroics with custom valves, gauges, ..etc and my continued issues with my new cartridge, I started to replace compressors, add surge tanks, and insert measuring gauge to be more precise with setup. I will have more to share in the coming days.

Questions for you, the GFS is 15g. Are there any special weights and/or counter-weights added? The CF wand is working okay? Any problems with the heavy cartridge?
redcars
11 posts
 
Hi Albert,
Thanks for your nice words.

Did I mention that my regulator is designed for 0-2 psi, and the gage for 0-3 psi.  I think that it is important that these items work accurately under 1 psi.

No problem with the CF wand and the GFS.  And Andrey told me that the Ortofon Anna worked well.  I did have to take one of the extra brass weights and attach it to the top of the counterweight with double-stick tape.

Best,
Don

ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
Don,

I did pay attention to the gauge you employed, 0-3 psi. Unfortunately, for us in the metric universe, the smallest gauge I was able to obtain is 1 kg /cm2 or 14 psi. I have a 0-3 psi and 0-5 psi gauge on order. The reading I am getting obviously is not well calibrated, in the 0.75 psi region. I took a pressure reading at the tonearm end, and the gauge barely moved, so I am guessing in the 0.1 psi region. 

With the gauge, I can begin to answer the question posed during an earlier post on the relationship between increased pressure and surge tanks. The simple answer is that the Terminator operates at around 0.1 - 0.5 ( ? ) psi taken at the tonearm end regardless of  the amount of output pressure at the compressor end. Once the 0-3 psi gauge arrives, I’ll be able to be more precise.


ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
Over the past week, I followed old threads on the Terminator from the forum Lenco Heaven. Apparently there were quite a few early adopters of the arm circa 2009, pre - Tomahawk days. I’d like to share a few interesting notes:

1. Vic designed a custom wand for the SPU during the early days. This is a 30g cartridge, mind you. While it was not plug-n-play, the written, Daiwok, eventually got it to sing. That’s 30g !

2. There was a summary of the pressure levels required for the various linear trackers, e.g. The Rockport and the Kuzma operate in the 35 psi region, ET-2s’ around 5 psi, and The Terminator, MG -1, and other low pressure arms, less than 1 psi . This correlates with the actual useages of Don and Terry. Having received my 0-3 psi gauge, I am operating in the 0.5 psi range. 

3. Additional Surge tanks and air filtration are required to get the best out of the Terminator. And this does not mean just running long hoses. What is required are devices to modulate, damp, and minimize the air pulsation of the compressor.

4. Daiwok had done extensive comparisons between the Terminator and other top grade arms. At one point he had a Rockport ( not sure which model ) in his listening den. And according to him, putting the Terminator/ Lenco PTP in the ring did not produce a Rockport knockout. 

The above observations were from 2009 - 2010. Here we are at 2021. Don is the most recent adopter of the Terminator with positive results. I know this has been said before, but the Terminator has to be one of the audio gems with a bargain  basement price to boot!
More to discover