Tri-Planar's first arm in decades is one of the worlds best!

Tri-Planar U-12 tonearm / © Wes Bender

Writing for Audiophila.com, reviewer Henry Wilkenson takes a first look at the venerable tonearm manufacturer's 12" of analog love:

"I had an opportunity to hear the U-12 tonearm recently. The arm was mounted on the fantastic Redpoint Model MG turntable ($39,000) with the Transfiguration Proteus cartridge ($6,000). I was immediately struck by the arm’s rock-solid imaging and its wide soundstage, with images clearly fixed within the stage. One example was the excellent Speakers Corner reissue of Lou Reed’s Transformer (Speakers Corner / ALSP 4807). ‘Take A Walk On The Wild Side’ is a particular favorite. Not only were the images truly palpable, but the tonal solidity and textural detail of the vocals was astounding."

"The Redpoint turntable is known for producing rock-solid bass, but the U-12 was able to take its bass performance to another level. Drum and upright bass lines were more clearly delineated, in fact the best that I have heard in this regard."

"The Tri-Planar U-12 handled everything thrown at it with no sweat. It will allow you to extract the very best performance that your cartridge and turntable can produce.  The Tri-Planar Ultimate Mk VII is one of the world’s best 10-inch tonearms. As good as it is, the U-12 is better, and deserves to take its place as one of the best tonearms available today. Yes, it is expensive, but its jewel-like precision and build quality more than justify the purchase price. If you are in the market for a tonearm of this quality, and you have a turntable that is capable of utilizing this arm’s extraordinary sonic performance, you owe it to yourself to audition the Tri-Planar U-12."

Give us a buzz to schedule some time to audition the U-12 / Redpoint / Transfiguration system that Henry experienced.