I hear what you’re saying, and all else being equal, an unbroken run from clips to jacks might well be better. It is theoretically, at least. But all else is seldom equal. And the clean run alone does not make the difference. Case in point: for years I owned a Triplanar MkVII uii. It was wired as you prefer, and I could compare it to the Phantom Supreme on the same same ’table--actually the same two ’tables--over the course of several years. I found the Phantom Supreme to be better--more resolving, more energetic, less colored--so I sold the Triplanar and bought a second Graham, a Phantom III.
Obviously, I’m a fan of Grahams (had a 2.2 before the Phantoms, stretching back nearly two decades). My ears, blah, blah, but you can see my point: the wiring scheme did not make the Tri superior.
A lot of people hold the unbroken run as gospel because, well, it makes sense and gets purist points. But an audible difference? Thom Mackris of Galibier Design says on his site that he has compared a Kuzma 4Point with DIN to one with captive cable and could not discern a meaningful difference in sound. Not saying that’s the last word, but it’s from someone who did the semi-controlled experiment as a service to his customers, and who is just as happy to sell a 4Point wired either way.
This is not to say a top OL arm would not be better. I’ve looked into them a bit and the 9.5-in Agile, around the same price as the Elite and Aquilar, has caught my eye. It offers repeatable VTA and easy azimuth changes, which are necessary for me. I bet it sounds wonderful. I do have a nattering worry that my 25mm armboards are too thick. Specs say 27mm max, so it *should* work, but I’d hate to buy an arm I couldn’t mount on its intended deck. Thinking about it, though.
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OK, fine, whatever, man. Your opinions are noted. I have no interest in arguing with you.
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I guess my OP was unclear. I'd like to hear from forum members who have experience with the Phantom Elite, preferable the 10-in version, and/or the Acoustical Systems Aquilar. I'd like to know how they compare--in practice. I'm not so interested in random tonearm preferences. Thanks.
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@pindac , I see the Agile at £10.5 on the OL site, but your point is well-taken, that continued research and home auditions might yield a tonearm that I like more than my Graham for much less. What did you end up preferring to your SME IV, if I may ask?
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Thank you for the information and PM offer. I'll look into the Audiomods and ping you if I have questions. Much appreciated.
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@mijostyn , so do you find all unipivots categorically flawed or is it something in the Graham’s particular approach to unipivots that makes you say it has a defective bearing system?
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I’m with lewm on this one. Way back when, I had an OL-modded Rega arm that set VTA with a grub screw on the shaft. I couldn’t run to a Graham 2.2 fast enough. VTA towers are a boon to sanity and civilization.
But the rotational stability of that Graham was indeed a detriment, one that the Phantom family’s magnetic stabilization largely, if not completely, overcame. Most other high-end unipivots have followed suit, including the pre-Tosca Durands and the Reed 3P, which is essentially a magnetically-stabilized unipivot, according to its lit. These arms perform a very high level using this "defective" bearing structure. But I do get mijo’s point, which is one reason I’m looking to go gimbal, or "gimbalesque," like the 4Points, with my next arm. I have a couple of gimbaled Ortofons (read, Jelcos) that perform surprisingly well but they are not in the league of my Phantom Supreme or III.
And I recognize the drawbacks of VTA towers. More superstructure to resonate, more mechanisms to introduce error and perhaps instability. What do you think of the Tosca’s innovative "spare-tire-jack" approach? Looks like either an ingenious solution or a big problem, I can’t tell which. I’d like to see one in action.
Durand Tosca
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Lewm, I think you're thinking of the Telos, no longer made, which constrained the unipivot with that little bar, as you described. The Tosca is the newest Durand arm, and its first gimbal design. It has this unusual VTA adjustment that places the entire bearing assembly atop a kind of scissor jack. Weird but interesting.
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Just wanted to bring this thread full circle. I ended up buying a new 10-in Phantom Elite at a good price from an authorized dealer, who had it in stock, amazingly. It arrives in a few days, and I’m excited. In the end, my addiction to Graham ergonomics was too hard to break. Best tonearm on the market? No. Best value? Hell no. But it will certainly be an upgrade to my Supreme and fit beautifully in the front position on my SP10R. Thanks again to all.
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Thanks @rauliruegas . Burning in the internal wiring now and will install the arm in a week or so. It is a beauty and much heftier than the Supreme.
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I thought I’d update this thread. The Phantom Elite turned out to be a major disappointment. I found its bearing structure to be surprisingly unstable, wobbling in protracted oscillation when lightly touched as the armwand rested on the cueing lift. While this is by no means a definitive test for how it behaves with stylus in the groove, it gave me serious pause. My Phantom III and Supreme do not wobble thus. My sense is that the magnets in the Magnaglide system are too far apart in this model (33% farther apart than the Supreme and III), weakening the force that stabilizes the bearing housing, which itself seems substantially more massive than the earlier models and therefore in need of more, not less, magnetic stabilization. And while the Elite was sonically far more detailed, it was also much brighter. I couldn’t shake the suspicion that this brightness was in part an artifact of the apparent instability. Anyway, I prefer the sound of my older Phantoms as being more natural. Fortunately, I was able to return it to the dealer for a full refund. Kudos to Elusive Disc for standing behind its return policy.
Now I’m on to another 10-inch at a small fraction of the cost. Taking the recommendation of @rauliruegas , I just bought a Technics EPA-100 from a seller in Japan. Supposedly it’s in great shape but we’ll see when it gets here.
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@pindac, that is a fascinating thread. Thank you.
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@rauliruegas, thank you for the detailed post with the suggestion for servicing. I had read that TNT review already and noted the specialist in Germany. I have reached out to him via email for more info. It appears that he uses stainless steel bearings for replacements, which, along with ceramic bearings, you don’t like. Is this because alternatives dramatically change the sound? Not sure there are options are out there for restoring the EPA-100 with ruby bearings.
@mijostyn, you are such a thorough-going tonearm Platonist, eyes (and ears) fixed on the ideal! But as you suggested in the Lofgren B discussion in another thread, these ideal characteristics perhaps make no discernible difference in listening beyond the psychological. I’m really not so concerned about the neutral v static balance issue. It comes into practical play primarily with warps. I flatten all warps with an Orb. And I like being able to swap in headshells and cartridges easily on some of my arms, and even phono cables, so I’m willing to accept the heresies that come with this convenience. I’ve had arms with captive cables that I’ve liked less.
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@mijostyn, I hear you, I really do. And I admire the rigor of your approach, and largely agree with—and benefit from—your conclusions. So keep ‘em coming!
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Long live antiquated tube amp tech!
The EPA-100 arrived yesterday. Mijo is right, it is a jewel-like looker. I’ll drill out an armboard and mount it this weekend. We’ll see how it sounds with an equally-antiquated (yet NOS) ADC TRX2 on a yet more antiquated Lenco (albeit updated by Jean Nantias and speed-controlled by Phoenix Engineering).
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@rauliruegas, interesting. I was going by what the owner's manual says. The cantilever itself is a kind of translucent white.
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