Basis Vector 3 vs. Schröder, Triplanar, Graham

I was there for those arm comparisons too. I own a Teres but I don't sell tonearms, though I have owned a few. I hope that makes me objective enough. FWIW, my "ranking" from those sessions would be as follows:

SESSION I (using two Shelter 901's, Koetsu RSP & Urushi)
Schroeder Ref
(unbridgeably large gap)
Basis Vector I + Teres VTA adaptor
Graham 2.2

The Basis and Graham were close, but I gave the nod to the Basis for slightly superior dynamics. The design of the Vector certainly seemed more promising than the Graham's. It had a more stable bearing, a more stable headshell/cartridge interface and a continous run of wire. For the price, the Vector I + Teres adaptor was an easy winner vs. the Graham. Even if it only matched the Graham it was $800-900 cheaper, which would have bought a nice cartridge upgrade.

Neither one, however, belonged in the same room with the Reference. Its superiority was jaw-dropping, as befitted its price.

SESSION II (using two ZYX UNIverses & Lyra Olympos)
Schroeder Ref/TriPlanar VII (near tie, a matter of taste, system and budget)
Schroeder DPS
Schroeder Two
(very large gap)
Graham 2.2

IMO the big surprises from this session were:
1. How close the TriPlanar VII came to the Ref
2. How thoroughly the $2400 Model Two quashed the $3900 Graham (priced with cable).

Unfortunately, we did not listen to the Basis on this occasion, so placing it against the lower Schroeders requires speculation. The Schroeder Model Two costs even less than the Vector and "probably" outperforms it by a good margin. If I were in the market for a tonearm and had to choose from those above, I'd go for a Schroeder Model Two for $2400, a TriPlanar for $3900 or perhaps a Schroeder Ref for $5500, the latter two being very close.

***
Notice: This article contains backward-looking statements. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This article is not a solicitation to sell. Always demo in your own system. Listen carefully before investing or sending money. Consult a marriage advisor for possible domestic consequences. We are not licensed to offer marital advice. IMO, IME, YMMV, FWIW, IIRC.

Lapaix asked for comparisons of the Vector to, "the various Schröders, the Triplanar VII, Graham Phantom, and so forth."

He got informed responses based on real-world experiences from Cello, Teres, Thomasheisig, Lgraef, Dan_ed and myself.

Mr. Graham was kind enough to provide a factual update on his product line.

The other posts on this thread are mostly noise provoked by Tubes108's trolling. IMO Dan_Ed is being very kind.

Tubes108's criticism of Teres was fatuous, and pretending to be "surprised" that someone who calls himself "Teres" is actually THE Teres was too childish to be believed.

Teres does not compete with Basis when it comes to tonearms. The first paragraph on the Tonearms page of his website states, "Schroder, Morch, Graham, Origin Live, Basis and Triplanar tonearms are available from Teres Audio. Please contact us for package pricing." What could be plainer? If he prefers other arms so what? His preferences are his preferences, and clearly stated as such.

Tubes108's attempted smear of Cello's integrity was as insulting as it was baseless. Cello owns both arms. He is in the best possible position to compare them. Kudos to SirSpeedy for a welcome post. What better cause to return after a long absence than to defend the honor of an honest man?

Has Tubes108 even compared his Vector to another arm? That would be useful information. His attitude smacks of mere owner-loyalty. He should examine his motives.

Raul does not own a Vector or a Graham. Nor has he ever compared them side by side in a meaningful venue AFAIK. I value his vast real world audio experience, but his posts on this thread are meaningless. Joining Tubes108's pointless ad hominem attack does him no credit.

Jtimothya,

My apologies if a heartfelt response dragged this thread even further in an unproductive direction. Thank you for that call for sanity. We are indeed better when we respect each other.

Rmaurin and Kha asked some interesting followup questions. I'll do my best from memory. Teres or Cello can correct any errors if they choose to return...

The wire from the Vector was fastened to the Teres armboard using the velcro provided by Basis. I remember watching Teres carefully loop the wire so that it would not impede the arm. The Graham's junction box was (IIRC) already stabilized. The cable was their top model (IC-700). The shielded cables stretched across open space to the preamp, not ideal perhaps but at least equally exposed.

The preamp/phono used for SESSION I was a Supratek Cortese. SESSION II began with a preamp shootout, wherein the Cortese was duly dismissed by both a Supratek Grange and a prototype of Nick Doshi's Alaap, the current version of which I now own. We used the Grange for the arm and cartridge comparisons.