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It is a widely held belief that musicians do not assess hi-fi equipment in the same way as "audiophiles." I remember the British conductor Norman Del Mar—an underrated conductor if ever there was one—still being perfectly satisfied in 1981 with his 78 player, never having felt the need to go to LP, let alone to stereo. And some musicians do seem oblivious to the worst that modern technology can do. I was present at the infamous Salzburg CD conference in 1982, for example, where Herbert von Karajan, following one of the most unpleasant sound demonstrations in recorded history, announced that…
Then here's the game. The student takes the one that's less good and he gets to do anything to it to improve its performance. He wants to put in better transistors, fine. He wants to put in feedback, fine. He wants to take feedback away, fine. He wants to change the capacitors, the resistors, he has absolute carte blanche. Then he iterates. The intention is to leapfrog—only the problem is, there's never been any leapfrog; in three or four iterations, the tube unit has always come out on top. The students have tried various things on the transistor unit, but it simply doesn't begin to come…
Boyk: Absolutely. The analog machine also makes some difference, and although one can say until blue in the face that the digital machine made a bigger difference, you can't quantify that. If you could, it would be all done, we wouldn't need to worry about this stuff. So the only criterion that one can meaningfully use is to examine which comes closest to the direct feed in allowing the listener to get into the emotion of the music. It is the only conceivable criterion, because that is the purpose of what you're doing; that's what music is for. To use any other criterion is intellectually…
I think this record will be twiddling its thumbs five years from now, waiting for equipment manufacturers to make real systems for real people—as opposed to special custom-made commercial systems—that can actually play it. It's not hard to track, but the tough part is to reproduce the full power in the bass and midbass. There are very few systems around that can actually do that. The dynamic peaks are tremendous, +19dB over zero recording level. The cutter can legitimately put more energy in the groove, but Sax is a world-renowned expert in disc-cutting and he knows what real-world…
While brushing my teeth this morning, it occurred to me that there are significant similarities between a toothbrush and a tonearm/cartridge. The bristles would be analogous to the cartridge and the brush handle to the tonearm. In either case it is the business end of the device that does all the work. The bristles track the contours of your ivories in search of hazardous waste deposits, while the cartridge tracks the record groove transducing wall modulations into an electrical signal. I think that this is where the old adage came from: "A used cartridge is like a used toothbrush—nobody…
Steven Stone on the Tri-Planar IV Ultimate, February 1995 (Vol.18 No.2):
The superbly made, finely finished pivoted Wheaton Tri-Planar IV Ultimate tonearm reminds me of the engine compartment of a Bugatti type 57—full of beguilingly beautiful shiny metal surfaces. The arm, designed and manufactured by Herbert Papier in Silver Spring, Maryland, demonstrates the careful attention to detail that renders a high-end analog product a work of art.
The Wheaton arm was introduced at the 1981 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show and has since been continually refined, bringing it to its…
Sidebar: Steven Stone's System
Analog sources included a VPI TNT Jr. turntable on a Bright Star base mounted with the Wheaton Tri-Planar, Graham Model 1.5t, or Clearaudio/Souther tonearms. Cartridges included a van den Hul MC-1 Super, Dynavector XX-1L low-output MC, Benz LO4, Fidelity Research/van den Hul FR-1, and Denon S-1.
Digital sources included the EAD 7000 Mk.II D/A processor and PS Audio Lambda CD transport connected via coaxial and AT&T optical connectors. Preamps were the Dennesen JC-80 Mk.II Gold, Boulder L5-AE, and Vendetta SCP-2A phono preamp. Power amps included…
Michael Fremer on the Tri-Planar V Ultimate, February 1998 (Vol.21 No.2):
The first review of the Wheaton Tri-Planar tonearm I can remember reading was in The Abso!ute Sound back in 1985. (Let me put that date in perspective for you: Wilson Audio's David Wilson then reviewed components for TAS, and Steven Stone reviewed records there. I had yet to write for any audio magazine.)
Over the past 12 years or so, both of the Graham and Tri-Planar tonearms have undergone extensive upgrading and refining; along the way, enough has been written about them to leave a paper trail stretching…
Sidebar: Michael Fremer's Associated Equipment
LP Source: VPI TNT Mk.3 turntable; Transfiguration Temper, Lyra Parnassus DC, AudioQuest Fe5, Grado Reference, Goldring Excel phono cartridges.
Preamplifiers: Audible Illusions Modulus 3A, Ayre K-3.
Power Amplifiers: VTL MB 450, Adcom GFA-5802, Conrad-Johnson Premier Twelve.
Loudspeakers: Audio Physic Virgo, Aerial Model 8, Sonus Faber Grand Piano; Audio Physic Terra subwoofer.
Cables: Yamamura Millennium 6000, Cardas Golden Heart, Yamamura Quantum, Electra-Glide AC cord.
Accessories: VibraPlane, Symposium Acoustics, and…
Michael Fremer on the Tri-Planar Mk.VI Ultimate, July 2001 (Vol.24 No.7):
Back in late 1997, when I auditioned the Tri-Planar Mk.V Ultimate tonearm for my review in the February 1998 issue, designer Herb Papier asked if I knew anyone interested in taking over the company. Herb is getting on in years (he's an octogenarian), and while his mind was and still is sharp, his dexterity was slipping. I couldn't help him, but Dung Tri Mei, a young, enthusiastic analog fan (see "Analog Corner," March 2001), hooked up with Herb and bought the company.
The Tri-Planar Mk.VI Ultimate ($3250…