I have not, had the opportunity, Larry.
I assume you are talking about the ones which ramp up / down the temperature while pressing the records flat?
In theory, you'd effect an improvement with respect to warp-wow. In practice ?? It's something I'll get around to trying sooner or later.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Hi Andrew,
The choices between Schröder and Triplanar were eloquently and concisely stated by Doug. I've clumsily attempted to say exactly this on more than one occasion. That's our story, and we're sticking to it.
I'd add only one thing to Doug's comments - something I make a point of emphasizing to everyone who asks me about these arms.
I've noticed that different people relate to or interact differently with each of the tonearms. Some find the Schröder to be easier to set up, while others relate better to the Triplanar. Both arms are straight-forward however.
Because Frank's arm is so innovative, the user will most definitely benefit from a guided tour, but this is not to say that it is difficult any more than the Triplanar is.
I think setup should factor strongly into the decision, because the arm that you interact with best is the arm you will set up best, and guess what? They are both so good, that the one you set up best will be ... you guessed it ... the best ... at least as far as you are concerned, which is all that matters.
I don't know how to respond to the "cueing drift" comments because I've never experienced this. My experience tells me the that there is no design flaw. Quality issue? Unfortunately, I have no way of getting valid statistics.
In defense of Tri Mai reacting to design suggestions, I'm sure that his experience matches up mine. Sure, I have some suggestions for him too, but the fact of the matter is that it is a top-tier product exactly as designed.
You'd be amazed at the number of suggestions I get from people - many of them being great ideas - some of which I've either previously considered, planned for the future, or come to the realization that being a small operation, the path might never be explored.
Oh yeah ... Jackson Hole currently has a 97" base with more snow on the way. You're making me seriously consider playing hooky mid-week to join you, but alas, I have an out of town guest coming into town.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Hi all,
Separate from any perceived cartridge safety issues relating to failure modes of linear trackers, I think that the curious audiophile (one who is mechanical and handy) will get a real kick out of owning an ET-2 for 6 months to a year.
This arm could up being a "keeper" arm for you. I have to wonder how much better an Air Tangent or a Kuzma really is than an ET-2. I suspect that the order of magnitude will be on the order of a shift from a Schröder Model-2 up to a Reference ... just a guess.
Upon initial inspection, the arm looks to be flimsy in several areas. Bruce T. did a masterful job in designing this arm however, and the whole is FAR GREATER than the sum of its parts.
Of course, in buying an arm like this used, it may likely have changed hands numerous times. There are a few screws which are threaded into the composite material, and a careless user may have stripped some of these.
None of this is intended to scare you off. I have not performed heavy research on replacements for the Wisa pump, but the information is out there on the web for those so inclined. I've never been inclined to run an air tool compressor in the garage to run mine, although I had installed an air regulator along with a higher (30 psi) pump.
In answer to one question - Yes, I ran a filter and a surge tank with my rig.
I think that Bruce is correct in that the higher pressure doesn't do much here, but bear in mind that I've made numerous improvements in my turntable design in the three years since I owned this arm. Perhaps I would hear a greater improvement today if I were to compare standard (3-4 psi) pump with a higher pressure pump (30-35 psi).
One experienced user I know commented that with arms having the higher pressure manifold, as you increase the pressure to the 30-35 psi range, that there's some "blow back". As the stylus reaches the runnout groove, it gets pushed back toward the beginning of the record - of course skippin as it moves.
I never exceeded 25 pounds, due to the amount of pressure that my regulator bled off.
He comments that orienting the arm laterally so that it doesn't get as close to the exit solves this. The problem is that you don't have much of lateral travel adjustment to work with. I think this borders on the extreme behavior side of things.
I never experienced extreme angst when using the arm, but the idea of having 35 grams of lateral mass decide to stop moving did cause me to take pause.
Worse I think than the horizontal limitation (where you'd experience skipping over the same groove) would be the arm freezing up in the vertical plane - when coupled with a record that is warped. I can envision a bottomed out cantilever. With a design like the ET-2 if the arm were to freeze in place, it would stick in both planes of movement.
Now, the field experience tells us that this is all a minimal risk. Perhaps I'm a weenie.
The new owner of an ET-2 should perform a practice setup with a DISPOSABLE cartridge. Your first try at getting perfect level will be an experience you will not forget. Leveling with a bubble level should be considered as a first (and very rough) approximation. The arm itself is the best device to use as a level.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Hi Andrew,
In response to your question about any leanness in the Schröder due to its bearing design, I cannot answer directly, other than to point you to Doug's comments about the sonic differences between the Triplanar and the Schröder. I know that as an engineer, you are trying to correlate design and construction with sonic attributes, but you need to think about this like a MUSICIAN. At the end of the day, we're listening to music and NOT to a design.
Frank's design is much more complex than meets the eye. I've heard quite a few fixed bearing tonearms with less grunt than a Schröder for example. Compare the Schröder in all ways to a Triplanar. You'll have to really stretch yourself to characterize the differences between these two fine arms. We are at that "angels on the head of a pin" stage in trying to differentiate between these two world-class tonearms.
With respect to air bearing linear trackers, I can't comment on either the Air Tangent or the Kuzma, but I have lived with the ET-2 for about 10 months. I agree in principle with Raul's comments (they're different - not necessarily better). The ET-2 can be tuned to a very high level of performance, but at the end of the day it's just a bit too "wispy" for my tastes. No doubt, the Kuzma (which resembles an ET-2 placed on a steroid diet) improves on this.
To me, there are two far more important issues relating to air bearing linear trackers - one of which Sirspeedy alluded to - that of ergonomics, and what extreme you will go to in order to spin a disk.
At the end of the day, record playing has to be fun. For me, things like periphery clamps and air bearing linear trackers take the act of playing a record from ritual into sheer drudgery. Your mileage may vary, and I'm not about to dictate what extremes you are comfortable with.
As far as periphery clamps and air bearing linear trackers are concerned, there is an even more important issue - that of potential stylus or cantilever damage.
With respect to periphery clamps, the last thing I want to do is to worry about landing the precious stylus of my ZYX Universe between the knife edge of the clamp and the available section of the lead-in groove of the record - especially in a dimly lit room during late night listening when the last record side has taken me into one of those altered states we all get into.
Sorry ... not for me. Re-tipping a ZYX Universe or Dynavector XV-1s is NOT my idea of fun.
There's the further issue of an air bearing, linear tracking tonearm sticking on the bearing due to either pump failure or air line contamination and deposits. Now, these are remote possibilities, and I never experienced these with the ET-2, but they are very real possibilities.
Perhaps Kuzma, Air Tangent, et. al. have addressed these issues, but I have trouble believing that they are as failsafe as either a conventional bearing or Frank's frictionless bearing. Consider the effects of a 35-40 gram mass of tonearm / slider assembly (air bearing linear tracker) deciding to stop DEAD IN ITS TRACKS while the record grooves try to drag your cantilever across the record. Not for me, thank you. Again, maybe your risk tolerance is greater than mine.
I'd love to hear the comments of owners of both the Kuzma and the Air Tangent (as well as other air bearing linear trackers for that matter). The ergonomics, pump placement, and other related issues are fatal flaws for me, but the issue of cantilever safety and how they are addressed are design issues I'd love to see explored on this forum.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
I would absolutely love to audition one of Bob's phantoms (R-U listening, Bob?). I have TWO armboards DRILLED and READY !
In the past, I've never fully warmed up to the 2.2, but have always held its design as well as that of the Robin in the highest regard. That the Robin (with an upgrade arm cable) is a good 95% of the 2.2 is a stunning feat at its price point.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Yes, Frank told me that the standard Nordost was a series of trade-offs, when compared with his solid copper. Neither one was categorically better.
Frank's take on the cryo'd Nordost is a whole other story however.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Thanks for the comments, Speedy.
In reply to Downunder's question, I lived with my Merrill Periphery Clamp for 9 years - beginning when in my mid-30's. More recently, I evaluated one made by Sound Engineering. Bob B. was very interested in becoming an OEM supplier for me.
The danger is real, and I would not put my stamp of approval on either of these products. When I speak of paying attention to cantilever health, I am referring to what I call "boundary conditions".
When you are wide awake and functioning at your best, you typically don't have accidents.
I would hope however that everyone reading this has had those magical listening experiences - late at night when you fall off into a trance.
It's when we are in those elusive states of consciousness that we should not have to shift back into 100% real-world consciousness in order to play the other side.
To my way of thinking, this hobby is all about space and time travel - to a magical place where the recording was made.
Shifting your mental state has the same (or worse) effect on the musical experience as does poor fidelity.
The last thing I want on my conscience is for someone to trash a Koetsu or ZYX because of a periphery clamp.
None of this is intended to discourage those who see no problem with its use. It does, however add another step to the act of playing a record. As I mentioned earlier, what one person calls ritual, another calls drudgery. This is an individual determination.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier |
Hi All,
Lots to catch up with on this thread. A couple of quick points, and I'll try to return to this later in the day.
Quattro ALU = Gavia (with change to TPI platter version)
Quattro Supreme = Stelvio (with the change to the Stelvio TPI platter)
Early this year, I decided to make a final existential split with Peter (Redpoint) by letting him have all naming references to Italian motor cars. It only made sense to complete the vision - the romance I have with all things involving mountains.
Peter and I speak on average twice per week. When I told him that I was giving up the Quattro name, he mentioned to me that just that week he decided to eliminate Testa Rossa moniker from his lineup. Great minds think alike. He too, wanted to simplify and break with the past.
About that time, it also dawned on me that some platters (i.e. the Stelvio) followed this mountain naming pattern, but that the other two platters (Teflon/Alu and PVC) spoke more of material science.
Of course at this time, the Teflon / Alu platter was evolving into the graphite topped, TPI interface.
I began to see a pattern unfold - that 90% of Gavia turntables are ordered with the "middle" platter (the Teflon / Alu on Mike's 'table and now, the graphite topped, TPI version).
With the evolution of this platter to the graphite topped TPI, it made sense to re-badge this platter as the Gavia platter.
The name change was completed by renaming the PVC platter into the Serac.
I think I'm done with name changes now. Folks seem to be having less difficulty with this scheme. They have an easier time pronouncing all of this than they do the name Galibier.
Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier (guh-lih-bee-yay) |
