Graham Phantom vs the Graham 2.2

Dear Doug: The changes that the people of SME do on the V were to do their tonearms more accesible, in price to everyone, that's why exist the IV: that has the same one piece contruction but different quality bearing ( ABEC 5 instead ABEC 7 for the V ) and that the IV is statically balanced and with no oil damping. SME don't change the design.

" arms just because the original version has been enhanced? "****** Doug, the SME V was not enhanced ( in his design ) never.

The SME issue is a good one because this company is not only a very serious tonearm designers ( turntables, too ) but they are top rated in the world manufacturers for weapon items and space/aeronautic items and many more.

Can you explain why in more than 20 years that they design the V, they don't do it any up-date to it?.
Well, I think because the V is a truly finished design. It is perfect?, certainly not. There are some things that can do on the V for it will be more user friendly, but for a better performance I don't know.

I think that many tonearms designers have not the 100% know how about all the tasks of the tonearm and how to reach it and I think that not all tonearm designers are so critical and strict on testing their designs before they put on sale.

***** " Raul's beloved Moerch DP-6 (a fine arm by all accounts) has at least two obvious weaknesses: it has breaks in the wire and its... " *****

Doug, everything in this world is a trade-off. One of the heavy advantages of this tonearm is that you can change different effective mass arm wands, I can't imagine ( I would like ) how to do this with out breaks in the wire.

When anyone is in the design of anything, he is in a complex process where he has to think in any single point that affect his project for the best or for the bad. The development of a project ( a serious one ) is a hard task where you have to know all the rules for to have success. This success have to be reflected on the time, like the SME V.

The Breuer, Ikeda, Dynavector and Audiocraft ( I think ) tonearms are still on production with out changes.

I'm not saying that I'm against " changes ", no I'm not. I dislike the unfinished products because I feel that this unfinished design it can't give me the 100% of performance till it will be up-dated again. That's all.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Sirspeedy: Like I told to Doug, all in this life is a trade-off.

Which are yours? Airtangent?. Great!

If at this moment exist a perfect tonearm, I think that anyone would have it, and if that tonearm really exist I'm sure that all others tonearms designers maybe has to decide stop their tonearm production. Till now this is not what it happen.

Now, you really like the Airtangent and this is the important issue because I think that this tonearm goes better with your graded musical priorities, soundstage for example.

Regards and enjoy the music.
Raul.

Larry: I will wait, too.

Regards and enjoy the music.
raul.

You guys ALL make very good points.I'd love to have the kind of animated and passionate listening sessions with some of you,as I do with my current pals.However the points made here apply to virtually any Hi-FI component.Amps,Preamps,cabling,especially tubes(I have done my fair share of tube rolling).Who is to know all of the variables?Sometimes a really good product stands out on it's own(look at the Quad)and that was my point regarding the Air Tangent,so I don't think it has to be all that technical.Actually the only reason I keep harping,ad nauseum,on the AIR TANGENT(even though I probably never will own one) is that I've heard it like"a million times"on some of the finest and earliest pressings of some of the most sought after discs (some of which I never knew existed,and I've got a ton of them),and through considerable component,including arm, changes.I suspect the KUZMA is at least as good,and from the word on the street,as they say,maybe even better.The other 2 air bearings that are also considered in the top tier,though not sold individually,I believe,are the Rockport(that was criticized,in comparison to the KUZMA when Roy Gregory reviewed the KUZMA)and the defunct but supposedly very good FORSELL arm.I heard the forsell for a very short time so can't comment.The table looked flakey to me,but is supposed to be GREAT if you get to know it's idiosyncratic nature.I believe these are the best of the lot in linear trackers,and anyone willing to purchase one would be silly not to want to deal with the drawbacks of proper set up,even if it's Royal Pain.Time will tell and if we stay on the vinyl highway(I do have digital for the new stuff)than getting so obsessed with getting that last degree of analog performance won't seem so "nuts".I can think of worse things out there that people get carried away with.At least this is all harmless fun,and when you discover a really GREAT new piece of music on a totally new album,that also happens to be well recorded,you ALL know what I mean!

Just a small comment. I have heard a few people mention in private that certain tonearms and components are put out prior to the desine being fully complete. Raul is not alone in his commentary (I am not referring to any specific tonearm manufacturer). I myself have experienced this with CD Players as well where they supply updates, chips changes etc for the Cd player to work. Also in computers sometime you need to do a ROM update for it to function as promised. This is just a fact of life in so many designs. If we are willing to accept it, it is a personal decision. Sometimes we are forced to accept it without even knowing (a new item we assume works, but really needs to be updated in the factory to achieve full functionality).

As for sounds of different tonearms, I myself am very curious about many of the designs from an engineering aspect. The limitation lies in the cartridge tonearm commpatability, and the superiority of a pivoted tonearm in some areas over a linear tracking, a 12 inch tonearm over a 9 inch tonearm, and a 9 inch tonearm over 10.5 inch and any variation of the above. Sound is personal taste and consensus, and synergy and truth.

I hope someone can post some commentary from their comparisons between tonearms specifying cartridges. We should be smart enough to know that this is based on an individuals system and how well it is set up. I am very exceited behind the engineering of the Phantom. I have heard some people say that they had some problems with the design once they received the tonearm in terms of calibrations of tracking force etc. But I am also understand the Phantom has an entirely new perspective on the tracking force at the record plane. We are lucky to have so many choices in equipment.

Lets all enjoy this hobby