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TriPlanar Tips

The manual that comes with the TriPlanar Mk VII tonearm is fairly complete, but there are a few things I’ve learned only by living with the arm. Note: I do not know which if any of these would apply to previous versions of the arm. My only experience is with the Mk VII.

1. NEVER raise the cueing lever while the arm is locked in the arm rest. This pressures the damping cylinder and could cause a silicone leak. For this reason and also for safety, whenever the arm is in the arm rest the cueing lever should be DOWN. This is backwards from most arms and takes some getting used to.

2. If your Tri-Planar doesn't cue straight down there's a quick fix, which may be included on some new arms. The problem is insufficient friction between the arm tube and the hard rubber cueing support bar. Just glue a bit of thin sandpaper to the underside of the arm tube. Make it big enough and position it so it hits the cueing support bar at all points across the arm’s arc. (Note: after doing this you will need to adjust the cueing height, see Tip #3.)

3. When adjusting cueing height (instructions are in the manual) always do so with the arm in the UP position. This adjustment is VERY touchy, since the cueing support bar is so close to the pivot. Be patient and be careful of your cartridge. (Note: after doing this you may need to adjust the anti-skate initiation point, see Tip #4.)

Chris Brady of Teres told me of a way to improve cueing even more by re-shaping the cueing support. Moving the cueing support point farther from the pivot improves its mechanical advantage and makes the cueing height and speed adjustments less touchy. This mod is easier than it sounds and requires only a length of coat hanger (!), but I don’t have pix and haven’t yet done it myself.

4. Changing the cueing height affects the point where anti-skate kicks in. (Yes, it's weird.) Once cueing height is satisfactory, adjust the short pin that sticks out of the front of the cueing frame. That pin controls where the anti-skate dogleg first engages the knot on the string.

5. The Tri-Planar comes with three counterweight donuts of differing masses. Many cartridges can be balanced using either of two. The arm usually tracks best with the heaviest donut that will work, mounted closer to the pivot. Of course this also reduces effective mass, which may or may not be sonically desirable depending on the cartridge. It also leaves more room for Tip #6.

6. For fine VTF adjustments don’t futz with the counterweight, there’s an easier way. Set the counterweight for the highest VTF you think you’ll need (ie, close to the pivot). Pick up some 1/4" I.D. O-rings from Home Depot. To reduce VTF a bit just slip an O-ring or two on the end stub. Thin O-rings reduce VTF by .01-.02g, thick ones by .04-.05g. Quick, cheap, effective. (For safety, always lock the arm down while adding or removing O-rings.)

7. When adjusting VTA, always bring the pointer to the setting you want by turning it counter-clockwise at least ¼ of a turn. This brings the arm UP to the spot you've selected, which takes up the slop in the threads. You can easily feel this happening.

Hope someone finds these useful. If you know any more, please bring ‘em on!
dougdeacon
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Nandric, I have obviously misunderstood you. I did not wish to continue last week as I felt that my doing so would only detract further from the purpose of this thread. It is often difficult to convey ideas and meanings through written word, at least for me, and I find it even more difficult if I don't stop to consider that other English speaking people don't have the same exposure to colloquialisms as me. Some phrases and words tend to impart a bias one way or another on my thinking based on how I have learned to use English, or American if you will. ;-) Perhaps this is why I sometimes sense antagonism from posts by what I'm guessing are Europeans. I say this because I work with many English speaking Asians and have never felt this urge to say "hey, wait a minute!". In the future I will try to keep this in mind.

Back on topic. I would agree with Nandric that the TP AS weight would appear too heavy based on my experience with this arm and the XV-1s. However, the need for AS is directly related to how well one has the cartridge aligned and the stylus profile in my opinion. I say this because these seem to be the two factors that determine how much static drag there is. If this is true there is no wonder why AS could change from LP to LP, and even from inner to outer groove. I hope all of us TP owners have at least figured out that inner/outer adjustment by now. Again, it appears to be a "one size fits all" weight.

However, I have never tried to calculate what the AS curve looks like as the weight is moved out on the stub. I would expect this to be linear, while the effects of applying AS may not be due to the issues above.

As for making weights, not everything need be metal. I have even used woodworking plug cutters to make small weights out of different hard woods. (Tip: drill them before breaking out of the stock.) This method allows for many differences in mass due to wood densities between species and does provide some weights between nothing and the stock AS weight. So you do get some finer adjustment. The slight downside is that the wood can impart a hint of coloration, and I bet brass does as well. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, just to be expected. Heck, I've talked to a TP owner or two who don't like the o-rings because they feel this use dampens things to much. No wonder AS is regarded as a near "mystical" adjustment.

Good to hear we have another "smart gay" in our midst. :-) :-) Sorry, that struck me as just too funny to pass up!
lewm
13,307 posts
 
Rumors that I am a "smart gay" are exaggerated.

Nandric, if you re-read what you wrote and what Dan-ed just wrote, you will see, I hope, that there is no way that Tri could accommodate, or indeed anticipate, all the neurotic needs of us audiophiles as regards the AS weight. I hope you eventually find happiness in that regard. Because of the fixed-angle headshell with respect to the pivot, there will always be at least some skating force with any cartridge. So I start with the idea that some amount of AS makes sense. That's why Herb put his AS device on the tonearm in the first place. Perhaps, to those who choose to remove it, the apparatus itself imparts some sonic signature that is more objectionable than the effect of no AS, where skating force is very low. Using the Urushi and the Colibri in my system, I prefer not to live without some AS compensaton.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,957 posts
 
Hi Lew, I run the Transfiguration Orpheus at home. Here at the shop we use the ZYX Universe and the Anti-skate weight is set at the absolute minimum.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Dan_ed, No harm done but I need,I think, to apology to Lewm
for the 'smart gay'. I have also seen this but to late. In any case I am to old for Freudian 'slips'. BTW I live in the Netherlands and here it is no problem at all wich kind
one is. I am originaly from the Balkans so I needed some time to 'get' the 'Dutch way' of thinking. But I have more
problems with your,say,'Europe attitude'. May I remind you that Einstein,Godel,Tarski,Carnap,e.a. come from Europe to
the USA and all of them were not 'perfect' in your language. But all of them were university teachers in your
country. So am/was I in Holland.
But this thread is about the anti-skate and I forget to mention the Sony 1500 (?) tonearm. It was in the 80 that
I have seen this arm. I was then 'in' the ADC carts,still own the 25 with 3 styli (sic!)so this arm was to heavy for
the purpose. But I still remember this remarcable anti-skate 'provision' that was variable,depending on the record
radius. Never seen such an construction since.So I assume that the most tonearms have,say, an constant 'AS force',irrespective of the record-radius. So this is an problem because this force is not equal on all of those radiuses. So I think that our search for 'near perfection'
will result in some kind of 'second best' solution. Anyhow
we are trying our best.
Regards,
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
I understand Nandric, and I am not saying it is your fault, or anyone's fault. It is the international learning curve. ;-) It is what little direct contact I have had with some Europeans that caused me to realize that certain grammatical phrases can take on a completely different tone than what one may have intended. Sometimes just by changing the order of a few words. Live and learn.
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