Kuzma 4Point Tri-Planar

Haven't heard the 4Point but I have compared the Kuzma Airline to a Durand Talea. The Talea had a lower sound floor and was much more effective at keeping complex music sounding uncongested. Instruments and voices retained much more individuality. This was with an Ortofon A90.

The Talea is also notably superior to my TriPlanar VII in these same areas. We've compared twice with my ZYX UNIverse and all present were in agreement. If I had the funds and time to play as much as I'd like, a Talea would replace my TriPlanar, beloved though it has been.

Add the Talea to your shopping list. It's the best arm Paul and I have heard (with a UNIverse). Haven't heard a Phantom so can't offer that comparison.

Syntax already has the Graham Phantom II Supreme - I would name it the best uni-pivot so far.

i'll echo Doug Deaton about the Triplaner VII, but my experience was with the Durand Talea 1 not the Talea 2...i had only the "1" when i still had the Triplaner VII.

when the subject switches to the best Unipivot, then my vote previously was the Talea 2; however now it is easily the 12" Durand Telos.

For me the interesting comparison would be Graham Phantom II vs Talea. Two great unipivots, one with a wood arm wand, the other made of metal. Telos may be better than either (or not), but the price puts it in another category entirely, not that Talea or Phantom are "cheap". I heard the Talea with a ZYX on a Galibier table, in a system I know quite well, and I have to admit it was "unbelievable", mostly in the sense that I have never heard any analogue gear that sounded so holographic in the truest sense of the word. I felt that it might be possible for me to walk in behind the musicians, if I wanted to. Made me wonder whether I was being enchanted by some form of euphonic distortion. If so, give me more of it. The question in my mind: does the use of wood have something to do with this phenomenon?

Dear Mikelavigne, since your just delivered Telos already outperforms your Talea 2 on your just delivered NVS, you may give the Graham Phantom II Supreme a vis-a-vis chance versus the Telos on the rear left arm board.

Dear Lewm, as I am very familiar with the "phenomenon" you describe - in fact I could never do without that 3-dimensional soundstage presentation and have never since the early 1980s - I can assure you that it has nothing to do with wood of any kind as arm wand material.
Your were rather listening to a well aligned cartridge with very equal output in both coils and a speaker with less than average problems regarding phase response.
Most designers who use wood of any kind and shape as arm wand material do so because of certain aspects of dampening, weight/stiffness ratio and "certain sonic signature" inherent to wood in conjunction with fairly easy handling of the given material.
I for one prefer certain metals - due to the very same points just mentioned and some more aspects hardly mentioned at all in tonearm design so far.

But we will soon see in complete physical "Gestalt" ( if photos only ....) what I mean.