Graham Phantom vs Triplaner

Back on topic(for me),and hopefully with some "opinions" relating to a little "intuitive reasoning".....Also I want to warn you,I am home sick,with not much to do,so this is going to be a "long" post........I am NOT a mega "technical" school person,but am very much in the "practicality" school.Hands on,is a good way to garnish an educated "opinion"!!Admittedly there is always much to learn.
From some(not all) questions asked,from the originator's post..."more organic midrange/greater treble detail/plays music better"....here are some of my personal thoughts,which are arrived at from my own agenda,and way of looking at "what gives" in a product's design,and ultimate performance.
Firstly,make sure the arm fits your table of choice!!!(I once made this mistake).

Secondlyly(and most easily found out),make sure the cartridge of choice(whether it is an existing possession,or one you "want to get")mates well with the arm/s you are looking at.This info is usually found on website,or one can call the mfgr.Most current arms work well with alot of new cartridges,but some cartridges "need" the best mating for that... "absolute audiogon obsessive hobbyist approval" (that was in jest). Call it the Sudafed talking -:)

Some really fine cartridges,like the superb(I owned two)Koetsu Stone body designs work best with heavier arms!You are NOT going to "max out" a heavy Koetsu,or some others on an arm like a Graham 2.2.It may "work",but not at it's peak,and if you have a great cartridge(which is really what we "want" to "try" to hear,that is....the actual cartridge personality,"itself",with ALL OTHER EQUIPMENT just getting out of the way........this is how I view it)you won't get the absolute maximum performance from it!OK fidelity...but not the "best"!That is why some arms,like the Fidelity Research still are desired,by many for Koetsus.They work best with heavier cartridges.I remember loving my old MDC-800,here.Nobody posting here wants anything less than ideal performance,especially when we consider just how expensive some stuff can be!

Considering that the "best" arms are very well designed(especially those having been around for a while)lets give the benefit of the doubt, on the subjest of correct geometry to these designer works.Set up an arm correctly,and you are OK, on this subjest.Unless you ascribe to the school of parallel tangency(which is a darn good arguement)the vast majority of the "now" pivoting arms are fine....IMO!

Now,here is where I look CLOSELY at "what makes the most sense to me"(other than experience,which should be invaluable,and NOT overlooked....but sometimes you have to rely on a dealer to aid you with the decision,and hope he knows what is really the better choice,for you).........
.....Assuming all other parameters are met,which should be NO problem really,I like to look HARD at the subject of what particular arm design characteristics offer the best,and "most logical" means of negating/negotiating,or eliminating the "resonant characteristic" which comes with the act of playing a record!!Assuming you have a quiet table!IOW,where are those areas,in a particular design, most susceptible to "resonance"?What arm designs address this the best?
To my way of thinking(only my opinion)and from the experience of hearing a "superb" air bearing/linear arm,for so many years,playing so many familiar lp's,it is in the "bearing area" where the MAGIC is "most likely" found!....Assuming all else previously mentioned is taken care of(which IS the easy part)!
Of course we are talking about bearing friction!!! WE DON'T WANT ANY!!!!

So,based on simple logic....the design that seems to deal with this issue the "best" should yield the "best" sound...as in "most organic"!...Provided the other "not too hard to meet" standards are met.....When I say not too hard to meet,I mean that many competing designs have these issues fairly well coverd(well damped arm tubes,good cabling,good geometry,good material choices,which are put together carefully etc).

A great linear air bearing arm,like the current Kuzma should have this covered,though I have not heard one.I'd take one in an instant though!!
I DID read that Kuzma is about to release a pivoting arm,that uses "magnetics" in the bearing/antiskate area(this is just from memory,of what I read,last week).Very interesting!!

I really think my time listening to the Air Tangent was SO FABULOUS(and understatement)due to the "no bearing noise" issue,aside from the fact that all other areas were very well addressed(the pump had high pressure,and much more-so than the standard unit,and I know what I,and others heard,so don't even go there).
From what I have been able to digest...one of the gorgeous Schroder arms' biggest strength seems to come from the unique approach to the "almost non existant bearing".A REALLY GOOD THING!I have always loved the "thought"(since I did not think I had the patience to wait for it's back order,or extra cash needed for the model I wanted)of this arm,and have NO doubt as to how fabulous it must allow an lp to "sound".Even though it was reviewed in Hi-Fi Plus,and was not given the kind of enthusiastic review I had expected( I know,from good sources that "it" was not really maximized in "that" review,and I will be beaten up if some friends of mine read this,but "tough").The Schroder is too unique,and has been around too long,with refinements to NOT be fabulous,IMO!Way too much good word of mouth!Once again,I'd take one in a minute.

BTW....don't take my lomg winded posts too seriously!!!I don't want the same guilt that I had a long time ago!!

So,here is where the "rubber meets the road" for ME,and the "why" of my personal choice of a Graham Phantom as compared to the "gimballed ball-race bearing" types,like the Triplanar(an arm I am sure is everything "good" stated about it).....BUT the Graham Phantom has the "unique" feature of only ONE ULTRA QUIET/STABILIZED "to the max" contact point as it's bearing(so do the other unipivots,almost,but there is more)....The Phantom,with it's massive, almost completely non resonant material assembly(not to mention the absolute BEST/EASIEST means to "dial in all meaningful cartridge parameters")has that friggin' "Magna-glide" feature,which TOTALLY stabilizes,and damps the single point bearing(one reason why so little bearing fluid is needed,with some cartridges)!We are talking "REALLY,REALLY LOW FRICTION"!!This,SURELY is a BIG reason for it's non existant "resonant signature"(the MAJOR strength of the greatest arms,and those previously mentioned)!

I spent a year in denial about buying one,as my friend has the Phantom,which I re-set up,at his request....yet it was SO "audibly obvious",as to it's complete sonic superiority,AND uniqueness in playing "believeable" music,along with a staggering build quality/finish/attention to detail.Having been SO happy(and completely secure)with my Graham 2.2,once I had heard the "amazing" potential of the Transfiguration Orpheus,I could hold out no longer!!"IT"(the Orpheus) had to be maximized,to tha absolute MAX!With as little a "resonant signature" as could be had!In my own set-up,and with regards to what I could afford financially.The Phantom just made the most sense to me,with regards to least resonant signature,from "that" area most likely to have it....the "BEARING"!!Not to mention it's actual performance in my friend's rig,which was amazing(he has an Orpheus too,so it was not a big stretch,for me).

I know,as usual,I am getting long winded(I'm still home sick....how much TV can I actually watch?),but remember I had stated that ..."what makes the most sense"...(provided we understand some major attributes of the best sound attributes of the "best" arm designs)is how I decide on the BEST arm,for me!I don't think it is too big a stretch,but I have no question there will be doubters -:) Fine!
It seems "just logical" that, though the best "gimbal/ball race" arm designs,like the SME's and Tri Planars are wonderful(of that I have NO doubt)....if your cartridge/table parameters fall into the acceptable area of arms like the finest Air-linear,Schroder magnetic,Graham Phantom-stabilized and damped unipivot designs,then the "BEST" most life like music "should happen",in your listening space,with these designs!

Makes the MOST sense to me.

Best.

From Fjn04:
What is the max grams ideal for the Vector. FWIW, I use a Jade
and Vector3 and already have the heavier Vector counterweight.

I have had cartridge/headshell weight type combinations of up to 20 grams in the Vector Model 4 with great results. IMO, the Basis Vector is a very stable arm and an excellent tracker.

Dre

Sirspeedy, I don't think its been mentioned before, but the bearings in the Tri-Planar are a special super-polished super-hardened variety that have to be special ordered. Here in the US Tri tells me that there is only one manufacturer left who can even build them.

Calibrating the arm (setting the bearings) takes him several hours for each arm. In the end the wiring is by far the more important issue, not the bearings- something that is in common with the Phantom. IOW, the bearing type has no 'bearing' (heh heh) on the matter insofar as friction is concerned. I just had to say that :)

How the bearings *do* help is in maintaining absolute azimuth- especially important with record warp, extreme bass passages and if the table is not perfectly level. Azimuth is adjusted by a worm screw adjustment at the bearing end of the arm wand, so you can get it exact at all times.

Atmosphere,I had a Triplanar,and know how good(really so)it is for setting azimuth.In my post,I specifically stated all was "only my opinion".Also,the issue of bearing stability,as how it pertains to maintaining azimuth,with the Phantom/Magna Glide feature,is as good as it gets,IMO!Dead perfect,regardles of warps,AND on those warps the VTF IS maintained,where-as my other Unipivot(I don't know about a ball race bearing,but wonder if vtf is maintained on a warp there)would not do this!
Also,what I was alluding to was the number of contact points in the "all important bearing area"(to have "none" would certainly trump a very good one,no?).The Phantom has only "one",stabilized differently than all other unipivots!Logic would dictate that no matter how good a ball race design is,if it has more contact points than an equally well designed arm with fewer contact points,like the Phantom,"IT" would not sound as good.Also,obviously all other parameters are important,and I mentioned this,but alot of the best arms address the "bearing resonance issue",which attributes,big time,to the ultimate cost of that product.
I must assume all ball race gimballs have more than that,so the potential for resonances would seem more likely with those types.One reason I feel the other arms,like the Schroders/Linear-air line types sound so good.I'd put them above the Phantom.
This is all not to dismiss the fact that many(including me)like arms like the Triplanar,so there is no point looking at my post as some kind of "knock" to those types of arms.I was just killing time,as I was home sick. I felt I gave a "relatively decent" arguement in favor of some other type of bearing systems(other than a ball race,multi contact point,which IS still very good,btw)that have the potential to lower an arm's noise floor.That's it!Just my own logic(whether it is favored by some or not).

My ONLY concern is to actually view the arm as a NON FACTOR(sort of)!...Let it allow the cartridge to do it's thing,and be invisible(if that were only possible)!

It is,in reality,only about the cartridge!Yet,it must be attached to something...Something with as little resonance as possible.As few(stable) contacts as possible.
Who even cares about my choice of a Phantom,as I will readily admit that based on my arguement the Schroder,or better yet,the Kuzma airline would be taking it to the max!
Please don't view my post as provocative,but just some hobbyist's opinion.
Also,I could easily end up with a Triplanar,some day,and would be thrilled!!!....I just want to get back to spinning my records again!!
Best.

Hi Sirspeedy, I certainly don't regard anything about the Phantom/Tri-planar question provacative- really, you can't go wrong either way. As far as I'm concerned, the more vinyl the better :)

I'm not certain that the 'one bearing'vs'four bearing' issue is real though. It seems that a logical fallacy might be operating there. Its certainly worth investigation...