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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
ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
@redcars2, Don, thank you for finally posting your adventure here. I eagerly await your input on the Terminator. 

Over the weekend, a quick research was done on the Clearaudio TT2 arm(s), I believe, that you are using. It is a roller-bearing in a glass tube design, not air bearing. That’s a big difference, although the pump and surge tanks you’re about to buy should be a good start.

The arm tube in the TT2 and the arm wand in the Terminator are also quite different. While both are made of carbon fiber, the wand is a flat perforated plate. It’s relationship to the tonearm wires is unlike that of the arm tube of the TT2. The wires are threaded through the arm tube in the TT2, if I am not mistaken, very much like a pivot arm arrangement. The wires are exposed, dangling, and not affixed to the wand in the Terminator. The contact of the wires on the wand therefore varies as the arm travels through an LP. This is the varying contact force that I was referring to in earlier posts, hence the varying VTF.  I think the VTF issue with the Terminator is a bit different that what you have solved with the TT2. 
ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
@terry9 Fascinating choice for the wand! Panzerholz is reputed to be a very stable wood species. Had you ever considered ebony ( environmental concerns aside )? Is the wand perforated to reduce mass? The tapped alum disc is a nice touch. Would it be possible to link to an image of the wooden wand? Very curious.

Being new to the Terminator, I finally changed cartridge last week from a ZYX Ulitmate 1000, 5g, to a Audio Tekne MC6310, 7-8g ( ?). It was rough going to get the cartridge to track properly. Two issues: One as to do with the wand and the brass counterweights and the second was pump and surge tanks. I had to remove one of the smaller surge tanks to restore enough pressure to allow proper tracking. And while making adjustments, I thought that a stone body Koetsu, 10+g, would be a nightmare to install. More research on pumps and surge tanks required!

@terry9 What kind of issues were you having before the Panzholz wand? A Koetsu Stone will be an eventual purchase for me. I’d appreciate your input.
terry9
2,333 posts
 
Ledoux, Panzerholz is a trade name for an exotic German plywood: half millimetre slices of beech hardwood embedded in a matrix of phenolic resin. It’s dead, dead, dead.

I built the wand out of blocks of 3/4" thick ply, epoxied together to form a stick, then shaped. Actually, I had that done for me because you need carbide tools and/or the kind of skill that comes from daily practice to shape the stuff without making a mess. The pivot was made from a 0.375" bar of Nickel Silver, and the screws were Vic’s nylon.

My Koetsu is the Rosewood Signature Platinum with diamond cantilever. Another thread discussing K’s leads to the conclusion that the diamond cantilever is the last big jump in the K line, not the stone bodies, which are fine, but relatively less important.

The Tomahawk wand is good, but wasn’t made for a 12g cartridge. It needs weights and damping material hanging off it, it looks plain messy. Also, on some recordings there appears to be some distortion which won’t go away, so I thought I’d try changing the wand. That’s not intended as a criticism of the Terminator, I still think that it’s the best deal in high end - just that I want the performance of a 70,000 Euro SAT.

I’m also going to try a more exotic captured bearing design, which should allow very fine adjustments to be made easily. That’s in the future, but I’m having some parts fabricated now.

Wish me luck!
ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
'Another thread discussing K’s leads to the conclusion that the diamond cantilever is the last big jump in the K line, not the stone bodies, which are fine, but relatively less important'

Terry, Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the stone body with the diamond cantilever the end of the line for Koetsu?


'Panzerholz is a trade name for an exotic German plywood: half millimetre slices of beech hardwood embedded in a matrix of phenolic resin. It’s dead, dead, dead."

Got it. 
Seriously, Is there anyway you can link a photograph of the panzerholz wand. 


' The Tomahawk wand is good, but wasn’t made for a 12g cartridge. It needs weights and damping material hanging off it, it looks plain messy. Also, on some recordings there appears to be some distortion which won’t go away'

I gathered that the latest carbon fiber wand had not graced your system?
But in terms of mass and damping for a heavier cartridge, carbon fiber probably does help.


redcars
11 posts
 

 @ledoux1238, Thanks very much for your reply. The CA TT2 is as you describe it except that the wires are attached in one place to the tonearm carriage and from there to the shielded part of the cable which is anchored to the arm carrier. The wires are not threaded through the tube. In that respect it can be identical to the Terminator (or vice versa).

The TT2 also has varying VTF using any normal gage. The only significant difference I can see is the flexibility of the wires. I will wait until I get my Terminator installed before trying to explain the gage again.

On another subject, I asked Andrey about using the arm with a heavy cartridge like my Clearaudio GFS or the Ortofon MC Anna, both of which weigh about 16 grams.

He replied: “The tonearm works perfectly with Ortofon Anna at the setup of my bosom friend.”

Are users with the CF arm having issues with heavier cartridges. Which cartridges over 7 grams will work best; which cartridges have problems?  Any comments would be appreciated.

Don


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