I just happened upon this dialogue, so thought I'd add a thought or two: the degree of damping fluid in the 2.2 (or any damped arm) is subject to variations and personal preferences. Too little damping and you get one kind of sound (possibly brighter); too much and things may get sluggish. That's a generalization, of course, but it does get to the point: everyone will have an opinion!
As for tracking force, I have also tried raising it a bit for different cartridges, and have found that tracking on the higher side OF AN ACCEPTED RANGE will tend to give better performance. What's the "accepted range".? One that will place the coils in the center of the magnetic field for balanced output, combined with placing the stylus tip and cantilver at the desired angles.
Here again, a compromise must be worked out, and if you increase the tracking force (thereby changing the SRA), you may need to adjust VTA to compensate, and always keeping in mind the need to keep the magnetic system in balance.
In the 50's and 60's, cartridge manufactuers were in a race to have the highest compliance and lowest tracking forces, and many consumers believed that a 1-gram force would be less wear on a record than a 2-gram setting. This would be true ONLY if the stylus tip tracks properly and does not rattle around in the groove; otherwise, the lower tracking force would cause a severe and permanent increase in record wear. That's still true today, and a few tenths of a gram tracking force will be much less an issue in saving your records than a cartridge (or arm) that does not track properly...
OK, with all that said, any debate of the 2.2 refers to an older technology that was, at the time, our best shot. Now, with the Magneglide (TM) stabilization on the Phantom B-44 Improved, there really is no comparison to the 2.2 in any meaningful way, especially in the mechanical terms of lateral stability and neutral balance. In this regard, the B-44 really behaves like a gimbled arm, due to the very strong stabilization force of the Magneglide system. In it's present Improved form, the B-44 really should be discussed entirely on it's own, with no assumptions whatever to be made from experience with the 2.2 and earlier arms. Comparisons to other arms - excellent as many are - is encouraged. Musically, this arm will perform on a level never imagined from earlier designs....
Best wishes to everyone..!
- Bob Graham
