I installed it a few weeks ago in early February. I placed my order in August, before they were unveiled in October.
I replaced a Graham 2.2. In comparison, on acoustic jazz the Phantom had more air around the instruments, a more precise midrange, and definitely more mid- to low-bass. By "more precise midrange" I mean better clarity and harmonics/tone. Piano notes were better defined. When I played Steely Dan's "Do It Again," the electric guitar notes were rounder and fuller than I recalled with the 2.2 -- almost bell-like in a funny sort of way. Maybe I'm hearing the Koetsu more exclusively here.
I found the Phantom to be an audible improvement over the 2.2, more noticable than swapping cables, power cords, or preamps. Order of magnitude (but not in the same way), it was comparable to getting the right VTA after being off. When I took it out of the box, seeing the magnet move around by itself was a little strange, but it apparently does its job. It's a good-looking piece of engineering, and it looks bigger than the 2.2, although the pivot to stylus distance is the same.
Installation was challenged by close tolerances. While there was no problem mounting my Koetsu Rosewood Signature using Graham's excellent system kit, the ring clamp on my HRX increased the effective diameter of my platter such that I wasn't able to place the Phantom (when on its rest) exactly parallel to the side of the plinth. I had to rotate the base so that the headshell was angled a little to the right. Of course, this is purely an asthetic issue, it makes no difference in play. I also found it necessary to go back and forth a couple times between the settings: VTF, azimuth, and anti-skate, since I found that a change in one seemed to throw the others off just a bit. (Graham did not include a finished manual in my box. Graham provided a manual for the 2.2 plus a few pages of addendum for the Phantom. The Phantom manual should be finished, and I expect to get it in the mail before too long.)
The close spacing also prevented me from using my tonearm lift. I expect this will be an issue with any Phantom being used with a ring clamp, not just with HRX's. I had been using a Profile Lifter (also marketed via Signet and Audio Technica) and an Express Machining The Lift on a prior turntable. I've ordered the larger sized Expressimo Lift2 and hope to install it backward behind the Phantom's counterweight so it will push down on the VTF adjustment knob. There's lots of room in the back.
I replaced a Graham 2.2. In comparison, on acoustic jazz the Phantom had more air around the instruments, a more precise midrange, and definitely more mid- to low-bass. By "more precise midrange" I mean better clarity and harmonics/tone. Piano notes were better defined. When I played Steely Dan's "Do It Again," the electric guitar notes were rounder and fuller than I recalled with the 2.2 -- almost bell-like in a funny sort of way. Maybe I'm hearing the Koetsu more exclusively here.
I found the Phantom to be an audible improvement over the 2.2, more noticable than swapping cables, power cords, or preamps. Order of magnitude (but not in the same way), it was comparable to getting the right VTA after being off. When I took it out of the box, seeing the magnet move around by itself was a little strange, but it apparently does its job. It's a good-looking piece of engineering, and it looks bigger than the 2.2, although the pivot to stylus distance is the same.
Installation was challenged by close tolerances. While there was no problem mounting my Koetsu Rosewood Signature using Graham's excellent system kit, the ring clamp on my HRX increased the effective diameter of my platter such that I wasn't able to place the Phantom (when on its rest) exactly parallel to the side of the plinth. I had to rotate the base so that the headshell was angled a little to the right. Of course, this is purely an asthetic issue, it makes no difference in play. I also found it necessary to go back and forth a couple times between the settings: VTF, azimuth, and anti-skate, since I found that a change in one seemed to throw the others off just a bit. (Graham did not include a finished manual in my box. Graham provided a manual for the 2.2 plus a few pages of addendum for the Phantom. The Phantom manual should be finished, and I expect to get it in the mail before too long.)
The close spacing also prevented me from using my tonearm lift. I expect this will be an issue with any Phantom being used with a ring clamp, not just with HRX's. I had been using a Profile Lifter (also marketed via Signet and Audio Technica) and an Express Machining The Lift on a prior turntable. I've ordered the larger sized Expressimo Lift2 and hope to install it backward behind the Phantom's counterweight so it will push down on the VTF adjustment knob. There's lots of room in the back.