Tri-planar vs Graham

I never heard the Phantom, but I did have a 2.2. I did not warm up to is as it was thin in the midrange and lacked low end weight

Thom made the perfect response and Raul asked the key question which cuts to Thom's point:

"What do you dislike on your Tri/Xv-1? or what are you loking for/ want to improve?"

Well, Ian has never heard his new TriPlanar, not even for a minute. It's sitting in a box waiting for a turntable, so he has no idea what he's looking for or wants to improve. When I got my TriPlanar before my table was ready, I spent four hours investigating it, handling it and learning how all the compenents interact. Such is not Ian's way. He prefers gear-swapping, which he's posted himself is "lots of fun".

Ian, you should dump the TriPlanar and buy a Phantom. I've never heard a Phantom, but whether it's "better" or "worse" or how it differs is moot. As long as it's different (and it's bound to be different from a TriPlanar you've never heard) you'll have scratched your itch one more time. Should the Phantom arrive before the Raven, you'll have time to do it again. I say go for it.

Hello again. I'm sorry I made the differences sound so big. I was referring to the Graham being so textured that other arms do sound less dense in comparison even though they are both incredible.

As far as me having half a brain, I loaned my other half to Rush.

Part of it is that I have always had difficulty messing with omni pivot arms. I have poor eyesight and my hands shake when I'm nervous. LOL

In a way, I agree with Doug. If you've got something that's very good already, there is much more to be gained by optimizing its performance than by starting over with something else that is also very good but built on a completely different design philosophy (unipivot vs gimbal). As for me, I bought my Triplanar in the early 90s, had it upgraded along the way, and am very happy with it. If you already owned a Phantom, I would say keep the Phantom. You're comparing a very good apple with a very good orange.

Thanks for all the responses. Doug is correct - I hadn't even heard the Triplanar and was already wondering about the Graham because I probably read to much into some of the threads here. This wasn't so much about gear lust or desiring something new but wanting reassurance that synergy wasn't going to be an issue. I've made some huge mistakes when it comes to synergy...

In any case, I adore the Tri-planar. I've had it for a few weeks now and while awaiting the table I explored it and got familar with it the best I could. Yesterday I set it up on my new Raven One and was blown away by how easy it is to adjust the various parameters (e.g. you can adjust azimuth without messing up VTF). I was not impressed by the setup instructions and had to cry out for help (many thanks to Jeff at High Water Sound and Doug Deacon for coming to my rescue).

In any case, I've crossed a threshold in terms of analog performance. With my fairly quick alignment (adjusted the cartridge ONCE and once only - that alone should tell you a lot), zero damping, middle of the road VTF/VTA I finally listened last night and my jaw dropped. What I heard was right up there with the some of the best sounding systems I have ever heard. I finally heard beautiful extended highs full of detail. Overall frequency balance was wonderful and all instruments sounded tonally spot on. I could turn up the volume without any grain or harshness. I guess I never really 'heard' an XV-1s before. I admit I'm shocked to find a table and arm could make this much difference. I can only imagine what it'll sound like when I get it setup properly.

I'm pretty close to being 'done' with the wanderlust. I have hours in front of me packing up gear that I've sold or need to sell. My basement feels like a warehouse and I'm tired. But I've finally got a system that gives me enjoyment (both digitially and analog) and apart from deciding between two preamps and some interconnects, I think I'm done.

Oh and Thom: you've been very gracious and always given me great advice - I've been meaning to thank you.