Replace OL Illustrious 3 with Graham 2.2?

The 2.2 is a very good arm and easy to set up.

The Graham 2.2 is indeed a nice arm. I have one that I picked up a few years back at a nice low price. I used it to nice effect on my Teres (link with pics):
http://www.theanalogdept.com/teresr1.htm

However when you say that your CDP rivals the TT in many respects this brings up another subject. Something isn't quite right and needs attention.

One thing about the DC powered Teres is that these can sound rather laid back. That is, they can sound somewhat lacking in energy output when the material is heavy on rhythm and other sounds which have explosive impact.

I suspect that this, uhm character trait of the Teres, is somewhat exacerbated by wear and tear on that Maxon DC motor. These motors are not like an AC synchronous that seems to live forever. The DC motors wear out. It could be that you could restore some vim and vigor to the player simply by replacing the motor...? Just a thought. I'd talk to Chris about this prospect. He may have some insight.

-Steve

Thanks Steve. This is info I did not know. What you have described seems to describe what I am hearing and the difference between the TT and cdp.

That said, I may have sold the TT somewhat short when it is not the TT's fault, but mine. I have made so many upgrades, with the TT being the first. It very well could be that I never have gotten the TT setup spot on and moved on to PC, etc.
The Teres does sound very good. AAMOF, there are qualities about it that the cdp cannot touch. However, That said, I need to play with VTA and loading. I've never really taken the time to play with these factors as I should

I also wonder if I have the TT plugged into the Oyaide. HMM. Very possible.

After I check this out thoroughly, I will call Chris

Artemus,

Why this haste to upgrade if you've done so little to optimize what you have? In addition to the adjustments you admit you haven't made, if your system photo is current then you also haven't optimized the drive system of your Teres. A 340 set up as in your photo will not match my 320 or any Galibier for dynamics, "oomph" or tonal clarity. It will sound comparitively soft, wooly and undynamic.

Your photo shows the stock Teres black drive tape. That is several generations behind the state of the art in drive tapes. We bettered that material on our 320 several years and tape types ago. Read this thread . Chris doesn't provide the optimal tape and neither does anyone else. You have to DIY (or I will, for $100 each! LOL)

The motor may or may not be an issue. Ours once had problems like what Steve described but no longer does, thanks to an upgrade provided by Chris. Ask him about gold brushes.

I think you'll benefit more from rolling up your sleeves than rolling out your wallet. ;-)

Doug

P.S. From experience I disagree that a 2.2 would be a significant upgrade from an Illustrious. IMO it wouldn't even be a lateral move.

Thanks Doug. Your last statement concerning the 2.2 vs OL was my main question. That said, I would buy the 2.2 if it were an upgrade. They are quite inexpensive right now and that was my reasoning.
The picys and listing of my system is out of date and I need to update the listing. I 've been really busy and so haven't had the time to update the listing. But I have updated quite a few other things. Its easy to see your dismay in light of the system listed. But here are the upgrades

Phono preamp is now Vacuum State JLTi. Got a defective one at first and had to work through that issue. Jay and Allan took care of it though. Both are good people and a pleasure to deal with.

Amp is a tube unit Dynaco ST-70 made by Bob Latino. Its kind of misleading since the only thing used of the ST-70 is the circuit. it has all the upgrades that are possible and sounds better than my former CJ by a good margin IMO

I am now running all "Pure Note" cables. I had Pure Note previously but I had a lesser IC cable on the TT. Duh!!! .

I've installed an Oyaide R1 AC outlet on my dedicate AC line. Stunning!

I have installed new AC cables. Still auditioning them but am towards the end of the 30 days. They are broke in and have made some improvement

So, One of my problems is that I have made too many changes for the time period and am trying to stay on top without fooling myself.
My big project has ended now so i will have time to really get the Teres zeroed in. My wife has given me the OK to build my room.

That said, is the new tape drive system a big upgrade? BTW, I'm using a clear one now. (The black one broke) I was planning on researching the new tape but just hadn't gotten around to it.

One other thing I should note is that in my experiment to separate digital fro analog, I found that my phono preamp was plugged into a regular 50 cent outlet running through a cheap surge protector (another area that needs attention).
Plugging it into the Monster which is plugged into the R1 has made a big improvement also.

Thanks for your input Doug. It is much appreciated. I guess I'll try to get around to updating my system in the next few days so my posts are not so confusing