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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
terry9
2,333 posts
 
Interesting about the new wand. I don't think that it should work, because the cartridge is not rigidly connected to anything but the plate, which is suspended by O - rings from carbon bars.

I say should - but the final word is empirical evidence, that's just science. I trust Vic to be pretty careful in his experiments, so it's definitely something to take seriously.

That design could address the 'equivalent mass' issue in cartridge matching. Just need to change the plate to higher mass. But I'm still concerned about maintaining precise registration of stylus to record, especially tangentiality.
dover
2,243 posts
 
Yes, I think it's crazy to mount a cartridge on a trampoline.
You are trying to measure the groove accurately.
Imagine jumping up and down on a sprung bed and trying to meaure the height of a mark on the wall.

The only way it would sound better would be if his system is so flawed, that dumbing the resolution down to a molten mess is preferable to recovering what is in the grooves.
redcars
11 posts
 

@ ledoux1238

I recall you mentioning that your TT2 will only work with the Goldfinger, 15 g.    And in order to try other cartridges, you decided to try the Terminator. Did I remember correctly? If so, why is the TT2 so restrictive in its cartridge choices?

This is embarrassing. I thought that I had set my forum preferences to notify me when someone asked a question, but that has not happened, and I just stumbled on the thread again tonight. My apologies.

As far as the Clearaudio TT2 goes, it is a superb tonearm with any of the Clearaudio MC cartridges. Other cartridges, in general have problems to one degree or another. I have been advised by a knowledgeable dealer to get a Clearaudio pivoting arm for any other manufacturers’ cartridges. I am not an expert on this; just following what I think was good advice.

 Are you in in possession of the Terminator? Please report back. Thanks!

Yes, it arrived a week or so ago, and I have been building an armboard to allow it to be used with my other arm(s). I’m also still waiting for the air regulator which had a three week lead time. I want to make sure that it works as I expect before giving an update. If you have a specific question in the meantime, please send me a pm.

I will try again to adjust my preferences to follow this thread.

Best, Don


ledoux1238 OP
280 posts
 
Don,

It looks like a good month before we’ll get a report from you.  Looking forward to it.

@dover 
I emailed Vic regarding the new wand. It really is a trampoline! Adjustments of cartridge and counterweight are done by sliding ‘O’ rings. He developed this particular wand to deal with resonance together with a new isolation mat which I don’t see on his website.  The first things he said in his reply though was that I should stick with the CF wand if I am happy with it, no need to get the new wand. I too feel there is plenty of questions regarding on efficacy of the new wand.
redcars
11 posts
 

Hi Albert, Terry, Marc, and others,

I am now busy listening to my new Terminator from Andrey.

I have posted pictures of the installation at https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9362 

See pics #31 to #40. (The last ten pics).

I think that you will find that this is a very different installation:

It allows for the arm to be pivoted away from the platter so that multiple tonearms and record ring weights may be used.

It has a different VTA readout that attaches to the arm board, rather than the tonearm.

The arm board is supported by a single ball bearing in the top of an (unused) Clearaudio turntable spindle.

It is locked in place by a one half turn plunger that locates on a rubber gasket so that no vibration is transmitted.

The arm mounting is adjustable in two directions rather than one, and is held down by two solid fasteners and can be adjusted with one hand.

The phono cable was robbed from my second Clearaudio TT2, and is as completely flexible as it looks.

The cueing device has been modified for use on the left rear corner of the turntable. There is also a stop added (not shown) for the beginning of play because of this more awkward location.

Picture #40 shows my modified VTF gage that I spoke about before. I get consistent readings that are identical both with and without the air supply running. The suspended scale prevents any side forces from affecting the reading.

The Clearaudio DaVinci cartridge, that was previously in a second TT2, is vastly improved by this tonearm (based on two evenings of listening). More on the sound when I have a bit more experience with it.

My air pump is similar to Terry9. More on that at another time.

I hope that these new approaches are helpful.

Best,

Don


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