Graham Phantom vs Triplaner

PS Sirspeedy,
The distributer in Australia for the Triplanar arm is in fact the CEO of Continuum Audio (Dr Murali Murugasu) and he has listened at length to the Triplanar vs the Cobra and Copperhead.....not good news for you Triplanar fans?
However this is understandable.
The Cobra and Copperhead arms were designed by Mark Doehmann of Continuum from first principles and early prototypes were tested against the Graham, Triplanar and Schroeder arms to ensure that these benchmarks were exceeded by a LARGE margin.

The sad fact is that most of you in the USA will probably never get to HEAR one of these arms let alone own one?!
Because of the sorry state of the US dollar, even the Copperhead is more than twice the price of the Phantom or Triplanar.
Continuum can't keep up with world demand and even though I know Murali and live close by, it even took ME in Australia, 6 months to obtain a Copperhead?!

Until other manufacturers understand and impliment the new design principles discovered by the Continuum team, the majority of the audiphile world will NOT be aware of the true dimensions of the information contained in the grooves of the simple vinyl record.

Regards

Yes,Halcro I did read Fremers comments.Hey,if something pushes the emvelope.... "great".I don't recall Fremer doing a "real" comparison against the Copperhead,as it was itegrated into the Criterion(gorgeous table,btw).
He did make mention of the Phantom vs the "16,000" dollar Cobra(Hmmm),and though the Cobra seemed to be his preferrence(I did not get the impression he thought it was a huge chasm),he did not seem to make a big deal about this.I have no interest in E-mailing him,as to his preferrence.His tastes are "his",and his music of choice differs from mine.I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this scenario!....But I DO hope you are right!!...Actually I did hear the Continuum/Cobra,at HE 2006.Sounded superb,with the given system.So did the Walker!
I truly am happy if there is something else "pushing the envelope".My point of view(from experience,and just my own taste)is...... #1-I would have to hear it enough times,in familiar systems,with program material I know well,and...#2-If item #1 cannot be easily done,then there "must" be enough good word of mouth,by enough experienced folks(that I respect),to create "believeability" in that product.Of course this would take quite some time,to develope such a reputation!No?
The Phantom is highly regarded,and I know it well,but it's only been around for about two to three years....The Triplanar has been around for around thirty years(and refined to the max).Not to mention I had one for three years.Even with a not so hot coupling with my table,it was "way" good enough to not be so happy seeing it go(to my accountant,as a barter-:).....That's a serious track record!!!
We'll see!!

Btw,you are SO right about general value,as it relates to the US dollar!I love alot of stuff,but must think HARD about getting something that is inflated.Either by economical considerations,or by high profile reviews.
Best.

I want to make one more comment regarding the Triplanar.Just hobbyspeak,and only my opinion.
Although I now have a new,and wonderful(not much for me to find fault with,in a "sane" world)Graham Phantom,the Triplanar reminds me of the irreplaceable,and CLASSIC Leica Rangefinder cameras.
Built to an amazing standard.Built and refined for years,and performs spectacularly!Collectible as hell!!
One does NOT see too many owners getting rid of them,for the latest gadgetry!!
Best.

Sirspeedy i always wanted a Leica but had to settlle for a Pentax. I had an older SME 3009 series 3 and was still using it. And in the modern era a VPI 10.5i.

Tri Planar 7 is one for the ages. I had my SME for 30 plus years. I know now Tri Planar will be the last tone arm I will ever need.

It still amazes me when i drop the needle and hear absolutely no distortion. I am still going through my new lp collection one at a time. Awesome and more.

Sirspeedy,

I have followed this forum with great interest because I am considering a second turntable in my system, the first being a Walker turntable with a Linear tracking arm.

The Triplanar and the Phantom are high on my the short list of arms I am considering.

Throughout this wonderful dialog, the results are fairly evenly divided between both arms making it difficult to draw a conclusion... and you have made it clear you prefer the graham. But in your last comment you go back to salute the triplanar as the leica of tonearms, quite a comment, that makes me think you are not 100 % sure that the graham was the right choice!

So I will serve up the question one more time, with the finest associated equiptment-great tone arm wire, and Air Tight or Titan or Koetsu assuming everything is top draw, what is the best sounding arm between these two heavyweights.