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The original Phantom and upgraded Phantom II tonearms have enjoyed an enviable record
of performance, build quality, and user satisfaction. When we set about to improve on what was already a
high standard, we knew any changes must be significant, and provide even more insight into the subtle layers of musical detail.
And now the Phantom II SUPREME - our newest and best effort to date
- has exceeded our highest expectations, surpassing even the highly-rated Phantom II.. And when compared
to other tonearms on the market, tests and preliminary user comments have confirmed that the Phantom II SUPREME
is in another, altogether higher level of performance.
Compared
to the orignal Phantom, as well as the Series II, the SUPREME has a similar outward appearance, but
has important internal differences. In addition to the refined Magneglide (tm) stabilizer, new internal wiring
for even better detail and improved freedom from any mechanical resistance, an upgraded pivot design for even greater dynamics,
and a new titanium armwand, the SUPREME has incorporated a new pivot housing assembly. This assembly, comprised
of a constrained layer combination of brass and tungsten, provides greater energy control and damping, along with improved
bearing peformance. Incorporating a slightly reshaped counterweight to allow for great cartridge weight ranges
and lower moment of inertia, the result is greater transparency, broader soundstaging (both side to side and front to back), with
greater bass impact and extension. . Combined, these refinements yield greater
performance in the areas of thundering dynamics and sheer musicality, while retaining the delicacy of detail, quality
and convenience features the earlier Phantom was noted for. The
reasons for these and other significant improvements are many, and are covered in three patents, with other applications
pending.
The armtube itself, easily removable and using our patented alignment system, offers
the safety, convenience and accuracy of off-turntable cartridge installation and alignment, as well as allowing quick interchange
of multiple pre-mounted cartridges. It is significantly improved from the earlier armwands, and attaches to a nearly half-inch
wide stainless-steel post-and-connector that supports the armwand under tension, resulting in virtually a one-piece armtube/pivot
assembly with high damping.
Secondly, we've addressed the all-important (and often ignored) area of dynamic
balance. Tonearms should have as little inertia as possible; yet, too often, as a result of the correct placement mass distribution
being overlooked, they contribute excessive resisting forces in opposition to the requirements of the phono cartridge as it
attempts to follow the ups and downs of a typical record. The Phantom, in spite of its robust appearance, has been designed
with a very low moment of interia, so that the majority of phono cartridges can be used with ease and maximum performance.
-- At this point, a brief description of Balance Theory may be helpful: There are basically three types of static
balance systems, Neutral, Stable, and Unstable. STABLE BALANCE,
normally seen in laboratory scales, occurs when the CG (center of gravity) of the moving system is placed BELOW the pivot
point. This system resists a change in postion; when a tonearm utlizes this type of system, and such a tonearm is displaced
from its preferred rest position, it will generate an immediate and opposing force which tries to return to that same position.
UNSTABLE BALANCE, when the center of gravity is placed ABOVE the pivot point, is entirely useless for tonearm
design, and will exhibit serious problems, including reduced tracking force as the arm is raised.
The third, and most desirable system for tonearms, is NEUTRAL BALANCE. With
this system, the pivot point and the Center of Gravity of the moving system are in the same plane. When the arm is raised
or lowered, there is no opposing force trying to return the arm to a rest position; the pivoting system doesn't really know
or care if the stylus is at the record surface level or a half-inch above or below it; as a result, there is no opposing force
to the arm as it is traversing record deflection during play. The only downward tracking force is that of the adjustable counterweight,
which remains a constant. --
Previously, all true unipivots - that is, those with a single contact point for the
bearing and NO secondary stablizing surfaces, bearings, etc. - required the use of side weights or a significantly lowered
counterweight in order to provide stability. And generally speaking, those arms with a secondary stabilizer point require
a lowered center of gravity in order to provide constant contact with the stabilizer guide bearing.
The
drawback to both these conditions is that this design becomes a Stable Balance system, which will cause a tonearm to have
a preferred rest position and always tries to return to this point. ANY time the tonearm is raised, as in
tracking warped records, it results an immediate and equally opposing force that tries to push the arm back to its rest
position. The higher the warp, the more counter-force is applied.
This unalterable Law of Physics
will work against the cantilever, deflecting it during warps and causing the magnetic system inside the cartaridge to
be displaced. This, in turn, will certainly affect the reproduced sound, with diminished performance in all areas, including
soundstage compression, loss of detail and dimensionality, not to mention record wear. (This is why most tonearms must have
their tracking force measured at the record surface level; any height change during the measurement will cause an incorrect
reading).
A tonearm with Stable Balance can be identified by measuring the tracking force at the record surface
level and again at a raised position above the record. If the tracking force INCREASES at the higher position, the arm has
Stable Balance. Our own previous designs - the best we could make at that time - also had this limitation due to the use of
side weights to provide lateral stability. Other unipivots with
low-slung counterweights will all exhibit this force; the lower the weight, the more counter-force is applied. Although
this technique is often promoted as a "high-stability" design, it does so at the expense of consistent tracking
force and linear cartridge performance. . It actually results in varying tracking forces during play when traversing even
small warps, accompanied by non-linear cartidge operation, and increased record wear.
Once Neutral Balance
is chosen for use in a unipivot tonearm, one must remember that both the vertical and lateral planes will be affected the
same way; without proper lateral stability, such a design would not have consistenent, proper vertical alignment, and the
pivot would tend to flop over to one side or another (usually in the direction of the weighted cartridge offset angle mounting).
Obviously this condition must be avoided.
The answer to this lies at the very heart of the Phantom's design
and its unique ability to retrieve groove information unprecended, we believe, in tonearm design. The key to this achievement
is a magnetic stabilization system which we have called "Magneglide" (TM). With this unique, patented system,
all lateral stability, and a portion of the damping, is provided by powerful neodymium ("rare-earth") magnets, placed
in a horizontal line from the pivot point of the tonearm. Working
as an adjustable system, Magneglide (TM) provides the following six benefits: increased lateral stability, easy azimuth
adjustability, a higher intertial lateral component for improved bass reproduction, augmentation of system damping,
true vertical pivoting of the stylus tip with no rotation as the arm is raised, and easily adjusted anti-skate compensation.
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In combination with pivot fluid damping (similar to that used with the Model 2.2),
the Magneglide (TM) system allows normal vertical pivoting of the tonearm in true Neutral Balance, with vanishingly low friction;
yet, provides a strong lateral stability that feels almost like fixed bearing arms. (No wobbling of the arm as it is lifted,
for instance). In addition, this dual-damped system forces
the Phantom to pivot in the correct vertical plane of the stylus tip, with no rotation as the arm is raised. No regular unipivot
can achieve this important geometric requirement. Even a few fixed bearing arms don't get this right! If the vertical motion of the tonearm is in plane of the armtube itself (and not the
correct plane of the stylus face angle), the cartridge will tend to tip over to its side as the arm is raised, as when tracking
over warps. This will cause noticeable channel imbalance and reduced tracking accuracy. With the patented Magneglide (TM) design, we have a high-load, chatter-free and virtually
friction-free damped unipivot bearing, combined with true Neutral Balance, and with the all-important geometric accuracy of
correct vertical pivoting parallel with the face of the stylus tip. If
all that weren't enough, the Magneglide (TM) system also permits the application of anti-skate through the magnetic coupling
of the design, thereby eliminating ANY direct contact or possible resonance to affect the main pivot assembly of the tonearm.
The anti-skate system is completely independent, mechanically, and is easily adjusted either by a thumb-wheel rotation or
sliding motion (user's choice) of the bias weight for minute adjustments from near zero force to 3+ grams. If your turntable already had a Graham tonearm on it (to get the angles correct),
the Phantom is a true "drop-in" replacement. Although turntable manufactuers understandably encourage
you to use tonearms of their own manufacture, this is not necessary; the modifications to make the Phantom fit are relatively
easy, and we provide customer assistance in this area when needed. As part of our design tradition, we maintain an upgrade path so that even
the earliest Phantom B-44 model can be brought up to the current Phantom II SUPREME status. See the Contact page for
further information. When you audition the new Phantom II SUPREME
for yourself, we know you will agree that this is a true state-of-the-art product , the most advanced design we've yet
produced, and quite probably the finest tonearm available today.
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