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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
sirspeedy
738 posts
 
Halcro,NOW a 12 inch DaVinci TOO? You're such a tease! -:)
zieman
339 posts
 
Mr Mai does not give or loan tonearms. There were so many at CES this and every year because the people in this business want the very best to demo their product. They pick Triplanar. With their wallets! Z.
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
Good point, Z. Of course one should also consider that the easily adjustable, repeatable VTA & VTF adjustments make it easier to optimize for varying weather, humidity, LP thickness, etc, which allows for the associated equipment to be shown at its best advantage. IOW, it might be the best value arm that's widely adaptable to changing conditions. Not that I do not think it is a great arm. I haven't heard that many, but it is a great arm!
larryi
3,988 posts
 
The common use of a particular component at CES or any show does not necessarily mean it is the "best" or is being endorsed by all those folks. Sure, the Triplanars are not being given away, but, anyone who loans gear to others at a show will find plenty of takers.

Some manufacturers, like Wilson, loan a lot of stuff out in order to be seen/heard in a lot of different places. That is a good business practice, not necessarily a measure of anything else.

Just for the record, I think the Triplanar is a very, very good arm.
zieman
339 posts
 
Guys, I have spent alot of time with Mr Mai. He seems to have a reason for the trade offs he takes to make his price point. He has the engineering, design, and manufacturing experience to be placed (by others) at the pinnacle of a select group. Most rags and table mfgrs use SME, GRAHAM and TRIPLANAR in the same sentence when discussing "the best". I watched the owner of PAD bring Tri a cable to take and listen/critique. His opinion is obviously highly valued in the biz.

I have also noticed more HRXs than one might think one would at CES. At last count there are 84 TT mfgrs. Harry sells all he makes, doesn't have review tables much, so again dealers and MFGRS go into their own pockets to use this table at shows. Does this make either of these the best? No, but it says something...
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