Tri-planar vs Graham

The Graham is difficult to set up but Graham consistently has made the best sounding arms decade after decade.

The Graham is so open and quiet with dense harmonics that are a religious experience.

The Tri-planar sounds sparse in comparison.

Duane: I live with the Phantom since a few years and I change turntables very often. I have never experienced an easyer arm to set up, and cartridge alignment is a children play with his clever alignment devices. Once everything is set up correct, nothing changes, even when changing VTA on the fly. I am very admirative to hear how good this arm sounds . It is very important to play with damping fluid, starting from none to the "ideal spot" where sound is the best. Every aspect of arm set up has been widely studied by Bob Graham.
It is even possible to mount it on an SME armboard.

I've owned the Graham 1.5t and the Tri-planar and like them both. I have not owned or heard the Phantom. Of the two, I've owned I preferred the Wheaton.

Wendell

Duane's wrong on two of his three points. I've owned three Graham's and they're not at all difficult to set up; if you've got half a brain. Tri-Planar's are also easy to set up and while sonically different than Graham, they're anything but "sparse."

Floyd ... try to hold onto at least one component in your system for a year.

When you get the itch to change, scratch it by playing with loading, setup, etc. Try another brand of cartridge - perhaps by starting with a lower end one in a company's lineup (to keep cost of experimentation down).

Most of the good manufacturers have a "house sound", so you'll learn a lot about how a Dyna XV-1t sounds by listening to (for example) a 17D3. The same holds true for the Benz and Lyra line.

Listen to Raul on this one ... there are magical combinations and you need to work to find them.

In my experience, the Tri-Planar has a sound that is very reminiscent of the great Japanese tonearms, with the Micro Max-282 coming immediately to mind. It is very robust, and to call it "sparse" tells me that Duane was very unlucky in the gear combination that accompanied his Tri-Planar. This is the first time I've ever heard anyone call the Tri-Planar sparse (warning ... dealer disclaimer here).

This by no means is intended to cast aspersions on the Graham Phantom. I have limited experience with it and would not even venture into making an intelligent comment about it. This is more about playing out your hand before re-shuffling the deck. The Phantom is a project I intend to pick up in the coming year.

From what friends tell me, the Phantom is a significant leap over the 2.2. People who like myself had difficulty warming up to the 2.2, like the Phantom. It sounds as if Bob has really made significant progress.

Really get to know it your Tri-Planar. Your opinion is the only one that matters, but you have to be willing to get to know a piece of gear in a serially monogamous way. Right now (to follow this metaphor), you're hanging out in singles bars and looking for the love of your life every weekend.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier