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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
thom_at_galibier_design's avatar
thom_at_galibier_design
729 posts
 
The damping trough is becoming a vestigial device, as I've yet to run a cartridge on this arm where I prefer it with damping.

I think it's smart for Tri-Planar to continue to provide the feature, as there's no telling when a cartridge will crop up which benefits from it. Still, in my humble opinion, it is a solution for cartridges of yesteryear.

We can discuss issues of rigidity until we are all blue in the face. Would you say that the thin bar that supports the damping trough is more rigid than say, a ... tuning fork?

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier
dougdeacon OP
3,338 posts
 
In the past year much of this thread has been filled by posts from people who won't take fifteen minutes to try a simple, reversible tweak. Some timidly seek explanations, others boldly assert them. Neither will try or trust their own hands and ears.

Such abstraction wants to believe (and by posting asks us to believe) that a tonearm is an idea pure enough to be understood without the messy realities of handling it as a tool or even hearing it as an instrument. That has not been my experience.

Timidity and chutzpah,
Insecurity and overconfidence,
Inverse and obverse,
Of one counterfeit coin.

This thread addresses mainstream investors:
Put up real money,
Post audited results,
Shareholders will notice.
paperw8
165 posts
 

08-27-10: Thom_mackris
We can discuss issues of rigidity until we are all blue in the face. Would you say that the thin bar that supports the damping trough is more rigid than say, a ... tuning fork?
I won't speak about all tuning forks, but the tines of a fork have properties of a tuning fork. I would say that the trough on the Triplanar is more rigid than are the tines of the fork.

However, you have to keep in mind that there are several factors that influence the resonant character of a tuning fork. Among those factors are the geometry of the object and the material properties of the object. I would encourage you to read the comment by Atmasphere:

08-23-10: Atmasphere
The Triplanar has a extensional damping material on the arm tube to reduce mid and high frequency resonance artifacts. This is one of the reasons this arm is so neutral- most arm manufacturers do little to address this issue.
This is an example of a statement that makes sense to me. To my observation, when I tap the Triplanar at various points, I found the tonearm to be very dead. I can believe that the material properties of the Triplanar dampen vibrations. So my empirical observations support what Atmasphere is saying. It is hard for me to imagine that such an apparently dead tonearm would be picking up the resonances that some here have claimed to be the case.

You are correct, people can discuss this stuff until they are blue in the face, but ultimately what counts is whether a person knows what they are talking about. In my case, I tend to make that determination based on whether I can make sense of what the person is saying.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Paperw8, did you TRY listening to the TP with that trough removed? Atmasphere posted that he also has removed the trough, or did you miss that?
dougdeacon OP
3,338 posts
 
... ultimately what counts is whether a person knows what they are talking about.
Agreed. In this case the measure is how music sounds with and without the trough. We know. You don't.

The OP requests that you avoid further postings on his thread, which he started to help people willing to help themselves, not to argue anyone into something they're unwilling to try.
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