Reed 1H vs Tri-Planar VII U2 tonearms....


Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these two arms. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

128x128teleos

I used a Tri for several years on several different turntables, and it always performed admirably. As you are no doubt aware, ease and precise repeatability in adjusting all the important set-up parameters is its calling card. Ultimately, I sold it and bought a second Graham Phantom Supreme because if found the Graham more neutral and dynamic, something that might be more the effect of phono cables than the tonearm itself. The captive Tri cable was copper (I believe he offers silver now); the Graham can use whatever, and I chose a high-end silver cable. I also wanted a second Graham for ease of swapping out armwands, of which I have too many. And the Graham is even easier to adjust in some areas. But the Tri is certainly a top arm; I’m sure you’d be very happy with it. I’ve never had the pleasure of using a Reed.

Both are excellent tonearms. In a sense you could say that the Reed is a copy of the triplanar, with many added tweaks that are not present on a Triplanar. That’s a general statement about the Reed product line. It may not include the 1H, because I have never used one of those. I do own a 2A, and I find it to be quite comparable to my Triplanar. Mine has the red cedar arm wand which gives it a slightly lower effective mass. Compared to some of the other woods that are available. I think you can’t go wrong either way.