Graham Phantom vs. Phantom II

Gmorris, please read my initial statement: the effective mass is not DETERMINED by the distance of the counterweight from the pivot.
There are a lot of tonearms - past and present - which do feature different weight counterweights to match different weight cartridges/headshells.
This is done to situate the counterweight (technically preferable (if not sonically in the ears of some audiophiles.....) as close as possible to the pivot.
So the distance is of course ONE factor/parameter of the effective mass, but it ALONE does not determine the effective mass of a tonearm.
A tonearm in static vice versa dynamic mode has different effective mass (and here in this model the distance of the counterweight is usually indeed the ONLY variable parameter in comparism, as the other parameters are fixed).

If an audiophile does only use or look at a tonearm with one fixed mass counterweight only (Graham....) he may overlook that there are other options (Triplanar...).

On the subject of the Phantom II and its virtues...I was wondering if anyone have experience with the Phantom II on an Avid Acutus Reference. After reading that Conrad Mas, the designer and builder of the Avid was not fond of and was not recommending the use of a unipivot arm for his TT, I felt conflicted about my decision to purchase the table. Part of the upgrade path/plan I have is to run a Graham arm, one because I like the arm and two because one can set up multiple arm/cartridges, of course (mainly mono and stereo). It turns out I wrote Mr. Mas recently and he felt that after an acquaintance of his had run the Phantom with its magnetic stabilization in the lateral plain he was not willing to count all unipivot designs out of the running. So I'm looking for further experiences, if there are any out there. Opinions would be appreciated too.

Happy Listening!

Personally I always have a problem, when there is a discussion about a Tonearm which has "a or no synergy" with a turntable. What does it mean?
A Turntable which has lots of internal vibrations can't be used with a clever made Tonearm, which has none and it is obvious after a short time, that the TT is the problem? Or a Tonearm which has average bearings mounted on a clever made Turntable which can show what is on it?
The Phantom Arm is probably the best Arm made today, it works with a lot of cartridges on a very good level, not with everything, but most. Clever design and excellent from quality.
Turntable Design can have a lot of differences (Material mix, suspension, Platter quality ....), but Designers are Humans like you and me and they have their favorites, too. When someone thinks, this Arm is the best for his turntable, why not..Lots of people are happy with units I would never touch...try it and learn :-)

Syntax, if you happen to be commenting on my previous post to your thread, I would like to add a little insight.

Likes or dislikes play into it I'm sure. I admire the Swiss watch like fit and finish of the entire Graham line, it is truly very alluring. It is also truly rare, even amongst a history of many great tonearms and tonearm designer/manufacturers. I also understand and appreciate the fact that Bob Graham makes a tonearm that has functional precision that leaves most others in the dust, IMHO. My concern and my understanding of Conrad Mas's concern with unipivot arms on his table is that his clever suspension is also essentially, unipivot, which together create some basic engineering challenges, and very possibly a poor result in combination with a basic unipivot tonearm. It is an issue of basic mechanical compatibility not synergy to the subjective listener. Personally, my experience as an industrial designer and analogue Hifi enthusiast tells me that Mr. Mas also has a strong command and insight on turntable/tonearm physics.

In the words of Bob Graham:"Once Neutral Balance is chosen for use in a unipivot tonearm, one must remember that both the vertical and lateral planes will be affected the same way; without proper lateral stability, such a design would not have consistent, proper vertical alignment, and the pivot would tend to flop over to one side or another (usually in the direction of the weighted cartridge offset angle mounting). Obviously this condition must be avoided. The answer to this lies at the very heart of the Phantom's design." In brief, the Magneglide system which completely changes the paradigm of how a unipivot arms responds. This could very well be the key for my success with the Avid and on a grander scale be beneficial to almost any TT set up.

A thought about vibrations, the very nature of all record players works on physical vibration, obviously from the source (Lp). It would be naive to believe or suggest that turntables themselves or tonearms for that matter, do not have inherent vibrations both from the source and from the loud speakers or foot falls or a truck driving down the street near by. The object is what you do with them. Material dampening alone is a cave mans analogy to solving this tricky puzzle. Vibration management on the other hand is the ability to control where and when particular menacing frequencies resolve and the properly dissipation of them in areas that don't adversely effect the music. It is a science that is still being pioneered by those with outstanding insight and technical skills. It's obvious that Mr. Graham is unique in that he has shown a strong command of these skills and an amazing standard for both taste and quality.

Lastly, my inquiry was that of supporting observation and opinion on the given subject... I felt this might be a pretty good forum for some help from those intimately familiar with this tonearm in many different applications. What it was not was an attempt to divert the main discussion tangentially. Just looking for a little help.

Happy (analogue) Listening!

>>10-21-09: Syntax
The Phantom Arm is probably the best Arm made today<<

There is, of course, no best of any component and tonearms are no exception.

I have my favorites as well but hyperbole such as this should simply be ignored.