Graham Phantom vs Triplaner


Wondering about the sonic traits of both these arms compared to each other.

- which one has deeper bass,
- which one has the warmer (relative) balance
- which one is compatible with more cartridges
- which one has the better more organic midrange
- which one has the greater treble detail.
- which one plays music better ( yes this is a more subjective question ).
- which one goes better with say the TW acoustic raven TT.
downunder
OK I'll bite!....I do love the Phantom,with the experience of using one(my friend's/with my own on order)in conjunction with the Transfiguration Temper-v,and the Transfiguration Orpheus.It is SO good,that I finally gave up on my beloved(boy,I really liked it)Graham 2.2(which is a steal on the used market).
The only reason I decided to go for the Phantom was the amazing performance(way beyond the Temper-v,which seemed fabulous,to me)of the Orpheus.Yes,I have received personal E-mails from a dealer who sold both the Orpheus and the Air Tight PC-1,and he stated emphatically the Orpheus was superior.It was just hobby talk,with NO hype,or expectations.Just his opinion,but that resonated with me,so (if you can believe this,which is true....and a bit pathetic...unless one is a vinylista)when I vacationed in Vegas this past summer,I decided that all gambling monies would go to the Orpheus purchase,and was a "cheap bastard" at all gaming tables/slots.The crupiers hated me!!I think I spent a total of 60 bucks that week gambling(a scratch out lottery ticket is BIG TIME gambling to me,btw)but knew my Orpheus would come that much sooner!On the monies the The Mirage was "not" going to get-:)...Had a great time at the restaurants and shows,but the "easy loser monies" went to the big "O" fund!
So I came home(this "does" lead to something,about the Phantom,btw)and ordered the big "O"!Got it in two days.The importer,Bob Clarke is an amazingly fine person to deal with!I was actually shocked at his good naturedness,in holding the old pricing,and traded in my Temper-V!
Happily I mounted the "O" on my Graham 2.2.My friend now had the Phantom/Orpheus combo(which I set up),and I had the 2.2/Orpheus.We both have the same set-ups,except he has the Magico Mini,and I have an Avalon Ascent MK-II/Rel Stentor combo(believe it,or not,there is an amazing similarity here,from about thirty five hz on up).My room is larger,and is dedicated to two channel audio....OK....thought everything would stop there,as I have spent way more on new stuff(Exact Power EP-15a/Ultrapure,amp upgrades,new tubes,accessories,turntable updates,P/C changes,new circuit box etc,etc....I really wanted to be done with it,and get back to collecting new,interesting vinyl.My first love,which took a back seat for too long!
In went the "O",and yes I was happy(I thought).Then I realized the "O" was so good,I simply heard a different "tracing/tracking/noiselessness" at my friend's home,which I knew was the difference in the two arms.Sometimes you just know stuff from experience.If this was three years ago,I'd have been clueless about what I was hearing,but knew the Phantom "had" to be gotten.
OK...it was amazing in dynamics,tone color,detail,stage width and stage height(which literally jumped up the back wall).There was a "hugeness" to the sound,which was had with his older Kharma speakers too(the Phantom was in "the Kharma set-up as well").I NEEDED "that" aura,in my set-up,and knew how to get it!!
I played around,alot,with the Phantom(at my friend)and we played my reference discs aplenty.There is no doubt in my mind(as of now)that I really believe this arm is on par with the performance I remember the the Air Tangent got,in terms of "no noise artifacts" riding along with the music.THIS IS a BIG deal!!NOT the linear advantage of the Air Tangent,but the "absolutely no noise/resonance" which many pivoting arms seem to have,to some degree.
Now,sadly(I mean sadly,since I am reaching my patience/ limit in tweakery,and just want to spin some damn discs again)I knew I was not going to be happy until I got a Phantom(which my armboard is drilled for,as there is always a financial consideration in equip purchases).
I don't know if a gimbal bearing is as quiet,but am willing to give the benefit of the doubt to those in the know,who say these new "best" ones are super.I just know the Phantom is great!
My own audio pals group is laden with lovers of different arms,from various mfgrs,and I respect their choices.BUT I still go for what I like.So should you!
Intuition and good logic,with a decent set of ears seldom screws up!
Hope this helps.
Good luck(btw,Hewitt won't last long...field is too deep)

Hey Downunder,forgot to mention I have a close friend with the Art series II!What a great pre!!!!!!I think it is amazing!!!!!!
Best of luck.
Hey Downunder......I can't believe that being in Australia, you don't take advantage of having access to the Continuum Copperhead tonearm?!
This arm quite frankly, moves design parameters to a new level.
It's big brother (the Cobra), is the REAL reason that Michael Fremmer is hearing his Continuum Caliburn as a reference vinyl source like no other.
I've got the Copperhead mounted on my Raven AC and whilst it did take over 6 months to actually obtain one (Asia is taking all the Caliburns and Criterion tables that Continuum can build)....it is a bargain for us in Oz at AUS$8000 compared to the US$12000 price in USA.
There are many advantages to living in Australia.
For audiophiles, Halcro and Continuum Audio Labs are 2 more!
Heh Halcro

Do you live in Sydney. I would luv to hear the raven and copperhead.

Can one get a demo of tyhe copperhead or cobra??

Does the copperhead have VTA on the fly??
Downunder,

I had both tonearms on the Teres 340 which accommodate 2 arms and did them under very similar conditions so it was a very fair comparison - i tried to match them very close for this comparison (using both Dynavector XV-1s, same phono cable with Audioquest Leopard and going to the wonderful steelhead which allow me to hook up both tonearms at the same time and with only a simple switch i can go back and forth). Look at my systems setup to get a better idea of my other equipments.

This is my conclusion about the 2 arms:

Phantom: a warmer and laid back sound; tonally sweeter and better midrange and more musical in my opinion. If you crave dynamics, details and live sound, this is not the tonearm for you. With the Koetsu, it's too laid back - i found this arm match better with the Dynavector or the Lyra (tame down these cartridge).

TriPlanar: a very aggressive, live and dynamic arm. Give you all the details you want and very neutral - too neutral in my opinion and can lead to listening fatigue. Very well match with warmer cartridge like the Koetsu.

It's nothing wrong with getting both arm as they are very different in my opinion, i don't think one was better than the other, it's just a matter of taste.

I ended up getting the phantom for a while as i am a midrange freak but when i heard the Kuzma Airline, i am SOLD. Hope that help...