What Cartridges to use with Triplanar IIV Tonearm?

All,

The thing about a Triplanar mounted on a good turntable reminds me of the old Fred Astaire movies. Fred didn't need Cid Cherise to create the illusion of working with a great partner, although Cid was one of the best (RIP Cid).

Fred could can dance with a coat rack and make you believe that it took dancing lessons. Similarly, a Triplanar on a good turntable will make an awful lot of otherwise pedestrian cartridges sound good.

Some thoughts:

1. The venerable Denon DL-103r. Palasr and Salectric have written some provocative comments about this combination. I cataloged some of their comments on Audiogon in this thread:

http://www.galibierdesign.com//phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=17

Yes, it's lacking in the audiophile tricks, but delivers the musical goods. Worst-case, you have a backup (after future upgrades) that shames many $1K cartridges.

2. Soundsmith rebuild of the Denons. Peter Ledderman is quickly gaining a well deserved reputation. I have yet to try one of these rebuilds.

3. Ortofon SPU Royal N - not your grandfather's SPU - a modern cartridge with an extreme line contact stylus profile and vivid tone colors (without robbing the top end in the manner that the vintage, conical stylus SPU's do). This is Frank Schroeder's favorite Ortofon, BTW and I agree.

4. Dynavector 17D3 (disclaimer - I sell these, so take this recommendation with a grain of salt).

5. Artisan - my buddy at Artisan audio is OEM-ing some Swiss-made cartridges in the $400-$600 price range.

About the Benz LP which I realize is out of your price range. Yes, the top line Ebony bodied Benz breaks with the tradition of a bloated mid-bass which draws attention away from unbearably bright systems. It is a cartridge I could live with for a very long time.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Stringreen gets it right ...

Know that the Disovery Cable tonearm wire goes through a break-in process, and I'm not sure how long this takes, as I accelerate this by running a line level signal for 72 hours - through all of the Triplanars passing through me.

Before break-in, you'll hear the slightest bit of top end sizzle. It's very slight, and depending on the bandwidth of the rest of your system, it might not be apparent. If you do hear it however, do not get dissouraged. It will smooth out and have marvelous, extended highs.

If you want to accelerate the process, you can rig something up like what is shown here:
http://www.galibierdesign.com//phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=80.

Don't blame the messenger, know that you have a broad range of fine cartridges to choose from (some of which are mentioned above), and know that your turntable will influence the final results.

We all have our favorite cartridges - selected in part due to our matching components, and of course, consistent with our taste. The hierarchy still applies ('table, then arm, then cartridge). IOW, a lesser 'table will compromise your arm and cartridge.

Cheers,
Thom

The Jubilee is nice, but the SPU Royal-N is better and less expensive. It doesn't work quite as well with arms on the lower side of average however, and hence the Jubilee's popularity. The SPU Royal-N and Triplanar are a match made in heaven, as is this cartridge with the Micro Seiki MAX-282.

Triplanar used to exhibit with van den Hul, but has switched as of late. I'd be very surprised however to hear that he's switched to the Jubilee, however.

Is there a reason why you're limiting yourself to solid state? Getting solid state to sound good takes some doing - as with Raul's Essential. This is the only solid-state phono stage I've heard that I could live with, but that's just me. Unfortunately this comes at a price that is out of your realm (5-figures).

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Hi Mike,

In my experience, the Hagerman Trumpet, Artemis Labs PL-1 and PH-1, along with the Quicksilver full function preamp have all made good sound in my rig.

You need to take with a grain of salt these three recommendations because I have either sold (or sell) two of the three, and know all three designers.

Another great tube phono stage comes from our buddy Ralph Karsten at Atmaspehere.

If you want to drop down in price, the EAR 834P and the Hagerman Coronet immediately come to mind.

Surely there are others ...

Audio Research comes to mind. It's been far too long since I've auditioned their gear (PH-3). Many on this list love their gear. In the context of my experience, I've been wholly underwhelmed by it and consider it to be "hi-fi" in the pejorative sense.

If your Audio Research gear makes magic for you, then ignore my comments. My experience is meaningless in the context of your system and what floats your boat.

Now, qualifying a tube phono stage is fraught with many of the same pitfalls inherent in selecting an ss phono stage (or any other component for that matter).

I've heard 5-figure, vacuum tube phono stages held in high regard by many which made me ask the question if the designer ever listened to real music.

This latter point is critical, especially if you're coming from digital. Many of the same pitfalls apply. You will audition gear that "sounds" good, but over time have you giving up listening to music.

This, to me is the fatal flaw of all digital that I've heard at any price. Many designers of all audio components, I fear have adopted a world-view positioned from this point of reference.

Unfortunately, while we can potentially quantify what's going on by looking at a 'scope (e.g. bandwidth, phase coherence, etc.), you may get distracted during an audition from what constitutes a musically meaningful component to you.

It's very easy to get distracted by "good sound", only to realize months later that this "good sound" is thoroughly uninvolving to the point that you stop powering up your system.

I know of no way to speed the process of culling the wheat from the chaff, which is unfortunately why you see so much gear up for sale.

Perhaps the best advice I can give comes from an old Linn brochure. Ask yourself if the band seems "on" today.

When people are truly captivated, a curious thing happens. They start to talk in the present tense about the performance. They have truly become transported across a space-time continuum. If this is happening to you, then you may well be on to something special.

The big caveat of course is that I could take a fairly pedestrian turntable/arm/cartridge and dial it in to make it sound quite special. Alternatively, I could take an outstanding analog rig, and by spinning a few knobs, make it sound quite pedestrian.

Your only hope is that the fellow demoing gear to you has a clue as to how to set up a turntable. Good luck on this one!

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Yes, please give us some specific insight into your current system, long-term goals, and taste in music.

While I'm still of the opinion that a good rig should do all music perfectly, we live in the real world, and we can consider compromises appropriate to your tastes.

Having said that, the right system could for example, introduce you to opera - creating a transcendant experience you might never have imagined possible.

How could I forget the K&K? It's very nice, and Kevin Carter will build it for you for an additional $400 (last time I checked).

One more piece of advice ... everything you read here is WRONG!

Seriously, at the end of the day, don't let any of us tell you that you don't know what you're hearing. It is all of us who don't know what you're hearing ;-)

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier