Graham Phantom vs. Phantom II

I used to have the Phantom I and now have the II. It is not day and light difference, but noticeable. With the Phantom II, I heard quicker transient, more air, deeper bass, better dynamics (more explosive), and more presence with instruments and voice. I really like the upgrade and the counterweight can accommodate heavy cartridge like the Goldfinger v2 which is 20g.

Let me help clear the confusion for you all.

Crystalref already stated the differences between Phantom I and II. The latest Phantom II has a spirit level (bubble) on the right side of the arm tower.

I asked Bob Graham a few months ago this question, "Other than the bubble (micropoise) on the right side of the arm tower of the new Phantom II, is there any other difference between the old Phantom II and the new Phantom II?"

He answered "No, that's the entire difference... And older arms can be upgraded easily (well, quite easily, if the customer is handy at all...

Additionally, he said, "new Phantom II is the same as the first Phantom II, the Micropoise was an after-thought..."

So, there is no Phantom III. The latest Phantom II does not have longer arm tube. The current Phantom II arm tube fits any version of the Phantom.

I don't think there is any sonic improvement with the spirit level. It is only a convenient feature. I do like this feature because I can easily start with parallel on the VTA first with the bubble in the middle of the markings. Then I can adjust it up or down very easily. Without the bubble, I used to eyeball it to start with parallel. Not any more. Bob is a genius.

Hope this clears everything for you all. Happy listening.

Taylor514,
Bob mentioned "the older arms can be upgraded easily (well, quite easily, if the customer is handy at all..."

So I think the older II can be upgraded to the latest with the micropoise. As to how it can be done, ask your dealer or wait patiently for Bob to answer your email. It took him a while to respond to my emails back in March 09.

I didn't know Crystalref already posted some pictures. I also took some. I don't have a virtual system posted. But I created one just for the Phantom II pictures. You can look at them at the following link.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vdone&1245616040

Crystalref,
Nothing wrong with your hands or eyesight. I am lucky. No, I have been taking pictures for years as my secondary hobby. I guess I have taken more pictures than you and learned from lots of mistakes. The point here is to share and help each other out.

I know a person who works for the Graham distributor. I am going to ask him if there is any information about the Micropoise upgrade.