Experience w/ Trans-Fi Auio Terminator Tone Arm?


How many of you have the Trans-Fi Auio Terminator Air Bearing linear Tone Arm? Or the older Trans-Fi Evolution Tonearm. What is your experience with this arm, how satisfied are you with this arm, and how does it compare with other tonearms you have tried?

I am seriously thinking of getting the Terminator for my VPI Super Scoutmaster with Rim Drive, but have no experience with linear tone arms. I have found just one person on Audiogon who has this arm and loves it. This fact is somewhat confusing to me, since if the arm is so great, as some people say it is, you would think more people on Audiogon would have it or at least tried it out.
Thanks,
jbcello
I ordered a T3Pro without the pump etc. But seconds after submitting the order I got an email from Vic (to whom I had written about all this stuff) telling me:
"After Xmas, Fedex lowered their transatlantic costs (£35) so it makes it worthwhile to go for the all in price including tank/tubing & pump. Your only outlay is a cheap $10 or less voltage converter for the pump."
So I wrote back to him telling him to include the pump and tank too.
Luckily I had not yet ordered the Rena pump.
Just to add my opinion here. I'm listening to a T3 mounted on a HW-19. Sounds just fantastic. Running a Sumiko Blackbird into a DIY Phonoclone3. Bass is deep and tight, cymbals sound as good as they ever will through my 50+ year ears. The music has a flow and ease to it that is not evident through my TNT/SME-V/Glider set-up. The air supply is also easy, don't fret it. Aquarium tubing is what fits at both ends. Just buy from any pet shop. Only issue here is the noise from the pump may bother you without a box or another room to locate the pump in. Mine is in a cupboard in another room and is silent from the listening position. There is a thread over at the Lenco forum that may help you out. The air pressure that is needed is minimal. I backed mine down until the it skipped and then dialed a bit more in. 0.15 PSI is all it takes!
Now my question to those that have experience with this arm. How do you accomplish setting VTA "on the fly"? I have loosened the set screw, but as I raise and lower the arm, the cartridge skips. Also the thumbscrew seems hard to turn, it raises and lowers the arm but with difficulty. I hate to break something. Any suggestions?
it doesn't skip, but you should be careful as it is an airbearing tonearm.
since you minimized the air flow you might want to increase it a little bit just to allow the stylus to sit solid on the groove.
Also maybe your cartridge trackl light so it migh be more sensitive.
On mine I can adjust on the fly but I would recommendo to lift the cartridge up and make the adjustment and then put i back on again.
Franz456, Sorry if I got the tube size wrong. It is aquarium tubing,whatever size that is. Congratulations on your new tonearm.

Wntrmute, VTA on the fly has to be done very smoothly,but adjustment knob is not very hard to turn on my table. Why don't you check with Vic? I do not always tighten the setscrew.

I guess I need to get a pressure Gage and play with air pressure to see how it effects the sound and tracking. I just plugged it in and started listening.
Wntrmute2, It's great arm, but the on-the-fly VTA feature should be approached with caution. After each change in VTA the clamping screw should be retightened to ensure solid coupling between the air manifold and the core block. Recheck zenith after arriving at optimal VTA. Remember that with a short wand, any change in VTA will push/pull the stylus off tangency/zenith to a greater degree than with a conventional long wand. Notwithstanding these housekeeping issues, the variables of a linear tonearm are simple and deterministic compared to a pivot arm.