Trans-Fi Terminator Tonearm: 2019 Update

It's fascinating to read the listening experiences of early adopters who have traded up to a brand new Terminator. It seems that the improvement over the earlier version is anything but subtle!

While we all have different supporting players to the Terminator, I can confirm  a much more tangible and precise soundstage over my previous SME V. I am, however, not quite there yet regarding image stability. This has led to my trying to optimize my La Platine's motor/thread drive ( reported on another thread ). And perhaps with a future upgrade in cartridge will get me there. 

The VTA adjustment through the Terminator had given me a new perspective on the differences in recordings. I find myself fiddling with the VTA, which can be done on the fly, more in order to 'dial in ' the sound. This convenience has added to my appreciation of the complex interplay between stylus, tonearm, table and recording. It is  the elevated resolution achieved through this arm that has allowed me to hear more into the music. Even digitally remastered Columbia recordings of Miles and Monk from the 80's ( och! ) has revealed new insights!

Marc, Please report back on the Bocchino upgrade. Together with your SS Strain Gauge, I am learning quite a-lot from your adventures. Thanks!

@bdp24 I just wanted to mention that I have been running a ET LFT-8b since late January. The addition of the new speakers, a new pair of tube amps and the improved vinyl front end with the Terminator has really elevated the listening experience. The GR Research OB sub's would be a most welcomed addition, though not at all necessary for my room for now. 

Ledoux, will do. Covid lockdown means the wait for the Kondo/Bocchinos tonearm wire will have to wait a little longer.
The Straingauge cart is really quite something. I've run a few carts in my time, Roksan Shiraz, Zu Denon 103, Lyra Skala and Parnassus, Transfiguration Temper Supreme and Orpheus...and now, Soundsmith Straingauge SG w different stylus profiles, and currently w LPS.
The SG is a real chameleon, getting right out of the way of the music, not enhancing any part of the frequency band, and allowing each lp to sound very different from the next. 
I always had a tendency to some homogeneity btwn lps, and that was fine when I liked the tonality of the cart (Parnassus, Transfigurations, Zu 103), not so much when I didn't (Skala, Shiraz).
And critically, once I "got" this tonal discrimination thing, each lp absolutely having it's own tonal and timbral character, despite many lps being revealed as sonically challenging, so many become absolutely compelling, with amazing levels of bloom and low level detail revealed, w the SG over all my other carts, I can't go back to homogeneity (even if that homogeneity is pleasantly euphonic).
The reason I'm stressing this so much on this Terminator 2019 thread, is that at first glance, you might easily give kudos to the arm but say it's gonna hit it's upper limit of performance only w cheaper, less discriminating carts on less ambitious tts/systems.
However my experience of this £1k arm hosting a range of £6k-15k cart/phono combinations, shows that it's absolutely not embarassed, and the better the cart, the better Terminator 2019 performs.
Totally stellar.
Guys, I have threads devoted to it and Trans Fi Salvation tt in the Analog sections of Whats Best Forum.
Under "New Terminator" rather than Teminator 2019.

@spiritofmusic very interesting read, your recent and past exploits with the Terminator. It's quite a treat to be able to audition at Vic's.

Your description of the chameleon quality of the Strain Gauge / Terminator combo is much appreciated. Isn't that what a playback instrument should do, revealing the nature of each recording ?

Through videos lectures and interviews, there is quite a bit of information from Ledermann on the Strain Gauge. However, I was under the  impression that it possesses a ' distinct sound' which a minority of listeners would not enjoy. This is according to Ledermann. He claims that a few days out of the month he could go back to a 'magnetic' cartridge. What you are experiencing is quite different. It's obviously more appealing to listen to as much of the recording as possible. On many recordings, with my current Terminator / ZYX combo, I am able to make out the different avenues where the recordings are made. Small recording studio vs larger auditoriums are easy to discern, which was not the case before the Terminator.

I would also agree that while the Terminator is an inexpensive arm, it is most definitely not the limiting factor in the playback chain. I am using the Terminator with a lesser cartridge in the ZYX lineup compared to my previous SME V / ZYX Airy 3 setup. But the SQ is way superior. A future upgrade in the cartridge department, I have no doubt, will only reap more sonic benefits. In so far as I am concern, this is the true brilliance of the Terminator. 

I realize that the users of the Eminent Technology linear tracking arm is a group that is loyal with tweaks and experimentation galore. But I wonder if a ET user who have heard or played with the Terminator might contribute some thoughts on the two arms? Or visa versa, if a user of the Terminator arm might have some experiences with the ET arm. I'll be grateful for any information on this front.