Schroeder vs. Triplanar VII Sonic Differences


All,

I have read a lot of threads regarding the "superiortiy" of these tonearms in the right combinations of tables and catridges. However, there doesn't seem to be a lot said about the soncic characteristics of each brand and the differences between them. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about their strengths and weaknesses, sonci characteristics, applicability to various types of music (rock, pop, classical, large scale, small scale, etc).

Will a Schroeder deliver dynamics, punch, bass suited to Rock music? Will a Triplanar deliver natural, timbral accuracy? Are both these arms suited to the same music?

Thanks in advance,

Andrew
aoliviero
Well, I took delivery of a Triplanar VII yesterday, and while I had no plans to set it up myself, I couldn't resist. (The guy I rely on to set up is oot). It wasn't too difficult. It seems straightforward in its operation- and tracks pretty well with a brand new Titan(i). The armboard for the TT (Kuzma Reference) was precut, so even that part was a cinch. The cartridge sounds a tad bright right now, but I attribute that to its newness and its sonic characteristics, and not to the arm settings. (Fiddling with the VTA is pretty nice 'on the fly,' too- something I couldn't really do with my old Well-Tempered setup.). Biggest difference so far, apart from the 'sock' of almost lifelike dynamics is the tonality of the lower registers- the combo brings a liveliness to the lower mids and bass that had altogether escaped my ears before.
Rick, SirSpeedy,

Thanks for your comments on the system. It sounds like a good one! It's good to stay away from the mainstream reviews. they can be decieving and plauged by specific owner system aspects and complications. The reason I like Audiogon is that you can better understand many perspectives on a particular component.
I just received more information on the Schroeder SQ. Here it goes; Nordost wiring, silver Bullet plugs, silver cart clipsrevised magnetic circuit(no change in VTF when altering VTA), even larger N52Neodymium magnets,Wooden/bronze sleeve base tower(even higher internal damping),VTF finetuning screw included. These are all extras that can be ordered with the reference but combining them together makes them a SQ. The arm is gorgeous. I have been told it is much easier to setup than some of the other models. One thing to consider is that many of the improvements can be accomplished if you don't adjust VTA often without the SQ update. If you are a set it and forget it person (I wish I was, but I always end up playing around just when I thought I was done) then the SQ update might be overkill. Just opt for the tonearm wire or some of the other updates. If you like to play the SQ update is probably a must.
My understanding is that the nordost wiring is cyrogenically treated, and that is an improvement on the thin copper. I thought i'd heard it at the London show, but the arm in the GTA Tron /exhibit wasn't a full SQ apparently. Still, impressive enough. I've got into the SQ queue...
Yes, Frank told me that the standard Nordost was a series of trade-offs, when compared with his solid copper. Neither one was categorically better.

Frank's take on the cryo'd Nordost is a whole other story however.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier