Experience w/ Trans-Fi Auio Terminator Tone Arm?


How many of you have the Trans-Fi Auio Terminator Air Bearing linear Tone Arm? Or the older Trans-Fi Evolution Tonearm. What is your experience with this arm, how satisfied are you with this arm, and how does it compare with other tonearms you have tried?

I am seriously thinking of getting the Terminator for my VPI Super Scoutmaster with Rim Drive, but have no experience with linear tone arms. I have found just one person on Audiogon who has this arm and loves it. This fact is somewhat confusing to me, since if the arm is so great, as some people say it is, you would think more people on Audiogon would have it or at least tried it out.
Thanks,
jbcello

Showing 2 responses by spiritofmusic

Redglobe, I'm v.close to making a decision to buy the Salvation w. Terminator arm. My only other possibility is the Technics SL1200-derived Inspire Monarch.
I can tell you if you use it with Vic's Terminator T3Pro linear tracking arm (his preference, and all Salvations so far have been fitted with his arm), because of proximity of arm base arrangement to platter, it will not accommodate an outer ring.
Vic really believes, contrary to popular opinion, that use of rings/clamps damps the life out of lp replay.
Having heard his set up with the Reso Mat, I can only agree with him.
If I go down this route, moderately unflat lps will play ok, and I'll use something like the Vinyl Flat or Furutech LP Flattener with my handful of severely warped lps that may not work without a ring/clamp.
Redglobe, you can use an outer ring with a non-Trans Fi tt using the Terminator. The problem is using the Salvation, it has an oversized platter the outer edge of which is mere millimetres from the Terminator arm base construction.
I agree with you, logic would suggest that clamps/rings to level out an lp while playing must aid cartridge tracking. Maybe there is something inherent in linear tracking that obviates the need for such a concept. I suspect it may be a good idea to invest in something like the Vinyl Flat to allow lps to lie as level as possible prior to playing.