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Trans-fi Terminator T3PRO opinions please...

I am starting to think of trying a T3PRO tonearm, and would appreciate comments from you who encountered it. I am really happy with my current analog setup, but have never tried a linear tonearm...some of my concerns are the noise the pump potentially makes - what type of pump do you use in USA (Vic can only supply 220V) and is the tonearm tricky to setup and maintain in 'perfect setup'? Is it very 'tweaky' (I do like tweaking to a certain extent)? Do you think the VTA digital display is worthwhile? Which cable option did you opt for (I am thinking the cart-RCA silver wiring)?

If you own it - which tonearms have you compared it to?

Any special setup/tweak advise with regards to this tonearm?

Many thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts on T3PRO and have a GREAT one!
go4vinyl
terry9
2,353 posts
 
Hello Harold.

I have not tried a large tank alone. I recalled the days of my mis-spent youth, and cars with leaky mufflers, which absolutely smoothed the exhaust emitted at the tailpipe. So I decided to add to this with another piece of muffler technology, the so-called glass-pack, in which a perforated tube runs inside another container packed with glass fibres. I simply substituted cotton fibre, and added a filter.

I don't think that yours is a stupid question at all. Why don't you try it, and let us know how it works? I have foolishly decided that the experiment is over for the moment, and closed up the cabinet. Until you find something better for us to try, that is.
terry9
2,353 posts
 
Hello Spirit.

Yes, he suggested that I post photos and suggestions. I will probably do that at some point, but I am working on an air bearing turntable at the moment, so ...
harold-not-the-barrel
895 posts
 
Terry & Spirit, Funny coincidence as I´m working on the final stage on levitating my TT and I have no time to tweak the airflow of TA but I will try a large (20 litre perhaps) tank later with my Sera 275 R. Actually I´m testing an uber rare vintage MM cart at the very moment as well so I need to complete 2 studies first.
2 years ago after the latest tweaks the Tom2 wand I really thought that I don´t need to improve anything in my system because the overall sound was so good. Boy how wrong I was.
With an indispensable help from Vic himself I have managed to vastly improve my TT, first the direct rim drive, then removing suspension... And now there seems to be a way to improve TA´s airflow and get even better sound quality. Fantastic is this hobby of ours, isn´t it.
spiritofmusic
828 posts
 
Re levitating/air bearing tts, Vic has just released a second major mod of his Salvation rim drive tt on which I run his Terminator. The first was a magnetic bearing, and now magnetic feet to isolate the tt further - aiming to fit the latter soon, but if the effects of the mag bearing are anything to go by, I'm expecting a lot.
I would still love you guys to run your pump mods by Vic and get his response to your ideas.
Terry9, schematics/photos would be great, I'm all fingers and thumbs w/such things.
terry9
2,353 posts
 
Changed the mounting options on my turntable. On the turntable itself I changed the sorbothane pads to aluminum spikes resting on aluminum pucks. The shelf which supports the turntable is now supported by hardwood pillars all the way down to concrete.

Took a tip from TMS and used a Starrett level, another improvement.

Results are good. Soundstage focus is improved and so is accuracy, without deleterious harshness. An old angel recording of Satie has the introductory percussives which are not too far off the piano upstairs (which some more modern piano records cannot match, which is interesting).
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