Graham Phantom vs Triplaner

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...

From Kdtran's post it sounds like the Triplanar retrieves all of the information in the grooves while the Graham ignores some of it to make a more "musical" presentation?

thanks Kdtran

based on your listening experience I would prefer the tonal balance of the Phantom.

I live in Sydney in the eastern suburbs.
Copperhead has VTA 'on the fly'.
You're very welcome to come over to hear the arm which has the Dynavector DV1s attached.
I have the Hadcock GH228 with ZYX Universe also attached and am waiting for the arrival of the Schroeder Ref tone arm to replace the Hadcock.
The only Cobras you can hear are mounted on Caliburns and all the other Copperheads are mounted on Criterion TTs.
Email me if you want to come over?

I totally disagree with Kdtran's description of the Tri-Planar. It certainly retrieves what's in the grooves but if he found it to be "very aggressive", he'd better check elsewhere in his system. Also, ain't no way it causes "listening fatigue"; what a crock!

Over the years, besides owning other "name brand" arms, I've owned the Graham 1.5T, 2.0 and 2.2, each in somewhat different systems. All were mounted on very pricey tables and used with numerous cartridges such as the Clearaudio Insider, Insider Gold, Koetsu Rosewood Sig., three different Onyx Platinums, several expensive Benz's, a couple VDH's including a Black Beauty and a few other names that escape me.

For me, none of the Graham arms delivered the musical goods. I found all of them to be pleasant but quite boring. I was never able to just sit back and enjoy what I was hearing because the music never sounded believable. I was constantly making adjustments trying to get more out of cartridges that I knew to be better than what I was hearing.

A dealer friend of mine who happens to carry Graham, Clearaudio, Basis, Aestetix and some other very nice gear went through the same tedious exercise trying to get Graham arms to sound good in his own system. We both love the ease of setting up a Graham but neither of us would own one.

I presently own a Tri-Planar VII mounted on a Galibier Gavia table using an XV-1s and I can't say enough good things about this set-up. I have had other analog systems that sounded wonderful(not using a Graham) but tracking error with all other pivoted arms used to bother me. It was always a distraction but I figured it came with the design.

It was after reading posts from guys like Thom Mackris, Ralph Karsten and other Tri-Planar owners, mostly on Audioasylum, that I decided to investigate Tri-Planar. Reviews in the audio rags don't mean squat to me but when I saw people I respect using and talking up a product like Tri-Planar, I took notice.

Besides making my record collection sound better than it ever has, I no longer notice tracking error with the Tri-Planar. I have no idea why this is but I've had others tell me the same thing. I can now play entire sides of albums and just sit back, relax and enjoy music without distractions. I thought this would only be possible with linear trackers and had once considered the Kuzma Airline. Unfortunately, it has it's own problems with compliance issues and would limit my cartridge choices. The Tri-Planar will accommodate pretty much any cartridge worth considering .

Down the road the XV-1s will wear out and be replaced (perhaps an Orpheus or Universe) but the Gavia and Tri-Planar will stay!

One last thing, I went to CES again this year and was amazed at the number of Tri-Planar arms being used by numerous turntable manufacturers. I counted maybe twenty of them including Allen Perkins(Immedia Turntables) who had one mounted on his $15k SG2 table and Merrill who had one on his $24k MS21. In years past Grahams were everywhere but this year I counted maybe three. I think the word is getting out.