Graham Phantom B44 2 or Taela ?

i do own (and love) my Talea. i have not had a Graham Phantom in my system....although i've heard the Phantom many times in other systems and specifically compared to the Triplaner more than a few times. generally i think the Phantom and Triplaner are at the similar level of energy and resolution as well as quality of build. i somewhat prefer the more neutral Triplaner. i bring up the Triplaner because i heard the Talea in my system a couple of times directly compared to my Triplaner on the same tt with the same cartridge and also in another system on the same tt. the Talea was clearly better; and i think very highly of the Triplaner.

btw; i do own the Lyra Olympos SL; the best sounding cartridge i have heard. it's mounted on my Rockport Sirius III. i have not had it mounted on the Talea but i would expect it a magical combination and eventually i'll try it there.

in the 90's i did own a Graham 1.5tc and then i owned a Graham 2.2 for a couple of years....until i purchased my first Rockport in 2000...so i do have experience with Graham and it is a very good tonearm.

the Talea is very special and i highly recommend it.

Syntax, that's a great story. which brings to mind....

as Joel Durand was conceptualizing the Talea (before it had a name) he started with a vision of a violin bow as a tonearm. he even worked with a bow maker to help to understand the shapes and perspectives on the music. this was described in a blog he was maintaining outlining the step by step investigation and development from audiophile project to commercial product.

i don't know if Joel actually used one of Heifetz's bows to mount his Universe, but i could imagine it happening after reading your story.

i own an original Talea, and am on the list for the newer 2nd gen Talea.

Joel did do some listening tests in my system of the various 2nd generation changes as he went along; he visited 6 or 7 times over the summer. it was a real privledge being involved (watching and listening). the changes to the 2nd gen Talea (as i understand them to be from my memory) include a new arm wand both in shape and wood, a different tower clamping system which makes it easier for on-the-fly VTA, different metalurgy to the tower and bearing, an arm rest (very clever), and new metal finishes (the dark nickel is stunning).

the original Talea is a ground breaking design. wonderful.

the 2nd gen (the final version that i listened to which may not be the very final version) is breathtaking. it was beyond anyone's expectations. these are not incremental tiny improvements; it's a new ballgame to my ears in my system.