looking at upgrading my tonearm from a triplanar

My impressions are pretty similar to Doug's as they should be since Doug and Dan introduced me to the Talea ,on Doug's table ,many years ago. For almost a year I had the TP and the Talea2 mounted side by side ,on my TW AC . The carts were the Trans Orpheus and later , the Lyra Atlas. Having compared the 2 arms ,in the same system for over a year , to my ears there was no comparison and I sold the TP. In every conceivable parameter the Talea2 is a superior arm though I have not heard the later iterations of the TP, namely the 12" version. The Talea2 was intended as a 2nd arm but the differences were so stark it ended up as the solo arm.
YMMV
Best
Pradeep

So, Audiotomb, it seems you need a Graham Phantom AND a Talea2 to cover all the bases, if you replace your TP. I own a TP and have heard the Talea on a neighbor's system with which I am intimately familiar. I cannot say the Talea is better than the TP, because I would need both on the same tt and in my house, in order to compare them, but the Talea did sound superb, with a ZYX UNIverse.

Stating the obvious (and agreeing with you Lew), tonearm/cartridge auditions are the most difficult comparisons to make, and small differences in setup can dramatically influence the results of a comparison.

Your best bet is the experience of an audio buddy whom you can trust, and whose taste doesn't necessarily have to line up with yours as long as you can reliably map their feedback/comments into something that's meaningful to you.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a dealer for most of the arms referenced (Durand, Kuzma, Tri-Planar) so I will recuse myself from public comments about any of these fine tonearms, as well as the others which I don't represent.

Cheers,
Thom

The Schröder LT (linear track) tonearm is one worth some very serious consideration. You are likely to hear improved resolution in the lower registers.

Syntax - your comments (Graham vs. Kuzma/Tri-Planar) are very instructive.

I would state it differently: that the presentation of the Tri-Planar and Kuzma are dramatically different from the Graham's presentation.

I wouldn't call either superior, but I would virtually guarantee that someone would line up in one camp or the other, much as you have.

You probably know my biases, but that's not the point of this comment.

Cheers,
Thom