Tri-Planar Precision Tonearm

 

 

ULTIMATE 12 / 12" Tonearm

 

Photo: © Wes Bender

Tri-Planar's first new tonearm design in over 40 years, the Tri-Planar U12 tonearm offers improved resolution, detail, dynamic range and provides a 27% angular error reduction over similar 9″ tonearms (17% over 10" tonearms).  The 12" U12 has the same effective mass as the 9" and 10" versions of the tonearm, making it a drop-in replacement for those 'arms and the cartridges used with them. 


Photo: © Wes Bender

In his Audiophilia review of the U-12 tonearm, Henry Wilkenson sums up his observations after experiencing it:

"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."

Steve Guttenberg, CNET's Audiophiliac was equally impressed with its performance as well as its stunning industrial design, including the U-12 in his feature of "Audio products engineered to excite your eyes and ears" 


Features

  • 12″ (308.8mm) effective length
  • Carbon fiber composite coaxial damped arm tube
  • Gimbal bearing design which enables the bearing to be positioned at record height
  • Structural components are hand-polished and rounded to control resonance
  • Tonearm rest integrated with damping trough to reduce resonance
  • Avionic bearings
  • Damped headshell
  • Pure silver teflon coated internal tonearm wiring  
  • Clamping yoke design that firmly couples the arm tube to the bearing tube yet allowing azimuth adjustment
  • Progressive anti-skating design
  • Azimuth adjustable
  • VTA adjustable
  • Sophisticated system of decoupled counter-weights, allowing proper stylus force for any cartridge without altering effective mass
  • Available in black or silver

Specifications

  • Type: gimbal-bearing tonearm
  • Effective length (pivot to stylus distance): 308.8mm 
  • Pivot-to-spindle distance: 296.6mm
  • Overhang: 13.2mm
  • Offset angle: 17.62°
  • Effective mass: 13g

 

 

 

 

 

U-10 Mk. VII Tonearm


The Tri-Planar U-10 Mk. VII is the most versatile, sensitive and precise 10" tonearm there is.

Over 30 years in research and design, (the brainchild of watchmaker & music lover Herb Papier) the Tri-Planar Mk. VII tonearm has a unique dual-pivot design that offers maximum adjustability and watch-like precision upon all three planes of geometry: 1. Adjustable azimuth  2. Adjustable vertical tracking angle  and 3. Vertical bearing at record height.

The unique dual-pivot design of the Tri-Planar Mk. VII tonearm provides unrivaled tracking, transparency, and resolution.

The arm creates a musical sound stage unmatched by any other. It has been described as powerful and dynamic, solid yet expressive, delicate and tactile. The outstanding quality of this arm, commented on time and again, is that it is invisible, lacking the colorations that plague so many of its competitors.  Schedule a listening session now.

Available in Silver or Black anodized finish

Features

  • Damped headshell  All Photos: Wes Bender © 2013
  • Annealed-aluminum coaxial damped armtube
  • Clamping yoke design that firmly couples the headshell tube to the bearing tube, making for a single unit yet allowing azimuth rotation of the headshell
  • Silicone-fluid trough tonearm damping
  • Bearings featuring hand-crafted, hardened and polished needle cones
  • Progressive anti-skating design
  • Sophisticated system of decoupled counterweights, allowing proper stylus force for any cartridge without altering effective mass
  • Easy 3-screw installation, with no large VTA hole 

Specifications

  • Type: gimbal-bearing tonearm
  • Effective length: 250mm
  • Pivot-to-spindle distance: 233.5mm
  • Overhang: 16.5mm
  • Offset angle: 22°
  • Effective mass: 11g
  • Bearing offset: 22°