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
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.
I have to agree with Rfogel. The Tri-Planar has great leading edge energy but listener fatigue is not from the Tri-Planar. IMHO, there is not a better value in a tonearm. It seems to get the most out of a wider range of carts than the Graham. I am listening to a Koetsu Coralstone mounted on a Tri-Planar right now. Magic!

There are a handful of great arms on the market today. The Phantom and the Tri-Planar have to be included in that list. However, they sound quite different. To answer a few of your questions, the TP has better bass and treble for my taste. The Phantom is warmer and more laid back. To answer the rest of your questions, you need to listen for yourself and pick your own poison!

Cheers, Steve
Ask 5 Audiophiles and you'll get 6 opinions :)
Each of them has some strenghts and some "weaks", it depends on your cartridge, your Phonostage, Turntable etc. how they will show it to you.
I am always ready to learn, specially about that drift from the Kuzma Airline. I use it for a longer time now, but I never had something like this, but I guess, it is because my TT is level.
That's important too.:)