I live in Sydney in the eastern suburbs.
Copperhead has VTA 'on the fly'.
You're very welcome to come over to hear the arm which has the Dynavector DV1s attached.
I have the Hadcock GH228 with ZYX Universe also attached and am waiting for the arrival of the Schroeder Ref tone arm to replace the Hadcock.
The only Cobras you can hear are mounted on Caliburns and all the other Copperheads are mounted on Criterion TTs.
Email me if you want to come over? |
Hey Downunder......I can't believe that being in Australia, you don't take advantage of having access to the Continuum Copperhead tonearm?!
This arm quite frankly, moves design parameters to a new level.
It's big brother (the Cobra), is the REAL reason that Michael Fremmer is hearing his Continuum Caliburn as a reference vinyl source like no other.
I've got the Copperhead mounted on my Raven AC and whilst it did take over 6 months to actually obtain one (Asia is taking all the Caliburns and Criterion tables that Continuum can build)....it is a bargain for us in Oz at AUS$8000 compared to the US$12000 price in USA.
There are many advantages to living in Australia.
For audiophiles, Halcro and Continuum Audio Labs are 2 more! |
Thomas,
You are the best placed among us to comment on the differences YOU hear between:-
The Phantom
The Triplanar
Davinci Grandezza
I'd be most interested in your views? |
That's a strange statement from a guy who has obviously never heard the Continuum Cobra or Copperhead?
And the breakthrough that these arms have delivered will ensure that even THEY will not be the 'final word'? |
Downunder you should have called me to come and listen. I'm just down the road from HiFi Junction.
Copperhead has been running since Xmas 07.
Continuum re-drilled the TW Acustic armboard to fit. It's only cosmetic reasons that Raven are supplying a new armboard (which incidentally has been ready for months but is waiting shipment with other items).
The phono cables of the Copperhead needed over 100 hours of break-in and didn't sound good whilst that was happening.
Now the sound is simply staggering.
I don't want to pre-empt the description until I have the DaVinci Grandezza mounted with the ZYX Universe. This should be in about 3 weeks.
I have heard that the Grandezza is as good as (if not better than) both the Phantom and Triplanar so a direct comparison between the 12" Grandezza with the Copperhead will confirm whether the bar has been raised as high as I believe, by the Copperhead design?
Regards |
Sirspeedy.
Sorry I wasn't very clear......the comparison to the Phantom HAS been done many times (I have not heard the Triplanar).
Unfortunately the Phantom could not compete in any meaningful way with either the Copperhead or Cobra.
Mikey Fremer has his Caliburn set up with mounting boards for both Cobra AND Phantom (the Phantom mainly because when he has to review and compare turntables, he can compare them with the same arms (Phantom, the Cobra would be impractical).
Because of his friendship with Bob Graham, I doubt that Mikey will do any comparisons in print between the Cobra and the Phantom (he also has the Copperhead and it will interesting to see if he will compare these?).
I've heard all three (not at the same time nor in the same system), but the Raven AC with the Copperhead sounds as good as (or even better than) the Caliburn with the Cobra.
Email Mikey to see if he will tell you the truth about HIS comparisons with the Phantom, Cobra and Copperhead?
From where I sit at the moment, a major part of the 'sound' of the Continuum Caliburn is the Cobra arm.
The reason I want to reserve judgement is to hear the comparison to the Grandezza directly on the same table to see if the gap that I hear between the Copperhead and the Phantom is repeated with the Davinci arm?
Regards |
PS Sirspeedy,
The distributer in Australia for the Triplanar arm is in fact the CEO of Continuum Audio (Dr Murali Murugasu) and he has listened at length to the Triplanar vs the Cobra and Copperhead.....not good news for you Triplanar fans?
However this is understandable.
The Cobra and Copperhead arms were designed by Mark Doehmann of Continuum from first principles and early prototypes were tested against the Graham, Triplanar and Schroeder arms to ensure that these benchmarks were exceeded by a LARGE margin.
The sad fact is that most of you in the USA will probably never get to HEAR one of these arms let alone own one?!
Because of the sorry state of the US dollar, even the Copperhead is more than twice the price of the Phantom or Triplanar.
Continuum can't keep up with world demand and even though I know Murali and live close by, it even took ME in Australia, 6 months to obtain a Copperhead?!
Until other manufacturers understand and impliment the new design principles discovered by the Continuum team, the majority of the audiphile world will NOT be aware of the true dimensions of the information contained in the grooves of the simple vinyl record.
Regards |
Audiofeil I know you advocate the tonearm ahead of the cartridge and after hearing the effects of the Continuum Copperhead on the sound I can achieve, I can understand why you think so.
However where we differ is in the superb improvements in sound that one can achieve with a better cartridge in a 'decent' arm?
The effect of running the ZYX Universe in a Hadcock GH228 was just as astounding as moving up to the Copperhead.
What is your opinion of the Schroeder arms?
The magnetic unipivot principle seems very attractive at first but I have real doubts about it?
I'm convinced that one can induce movement at the pivot point by merely pushing back and forth on the arm.
That must translate into 'lost' information and would account for the descriptions of the Schroeder as 'warm and tubelike'....'relaxed' etc.
In other words I see the Schroeders as potential 'tone-controls' rather than SOTA tonearms? |
Downunder...I've read it!
As I intimated, he isn't about to compare it, in print, to the Phantom made by his mate Bob Graham!?
Also in the latest Absolute Sound, Jon Valin goes one better on Fremer by making the Raven AC/3 the new REFERENCE! above the Walker...even with the Phantom arm.....and I'm here to tell you that the Copperhead CREAMS the Phantom!!! |
Sirspeedy I haven't ignored your request for a review of the Copperhead arm.
As I think I mentioned, I'm waiting to mount my newly arrived Davinci Grandezza 12" Ref to see just how good the Copperhead is against what I consider to be formidable opposition.
The armboard for the Raven will not be here for another 10 days and then I need to give the armcable at least 100 hours to break-in (that's how long the Copperhead took).
So unfortunately a review is many weeks away.....but it will include a comparison on the Raven AC-1 and Raven AC-3. |
Sirspeedy I'm not in the industry in any way....I'm an Architect.
Firstly I said that I've never heard the Triplanar arm....I said that the Agent for these arms in Australia just happens to be the CEO of Continuum Audio Labs.
I've heard the Phantom and the Cobra and the Copperhead in domestic settings (not show conditions or dealer rooms)....which puts me ahead of you in having any valid opinions on these arms?
I've heard the Rockport Sirius with its air-bearing arm, the Continuum Caliburn with Cobra arm and the Raven AC with Copperhead all in domestic listening conditions....in fact I'm the first and at this stage only person in the world who has heard the Copperhead on the Raven (I know this because Thomas had not drilled a Copperhead armboard before mine and Continuum had not supplied any Copperheads without the Criterion Tables).
If I were in the States, I wouldn't buy anything other than the Phantom or Triplanar because of the dire condition of the US$, but if audiophiles want to know what the State Of The Art is?.....it is NOT the Phantom or Triplanar IMHO.
No I have not compared the Cobra to the Copperhead to the Phantom to the Triplanar on the SAME Raven AC with the SAME cartridges...........although it would be possible for reviewers to do so (don't hold your breath).
If you are clinging to that fact to proclaim that the majesty of the Phantom arm has NOT been challenged?.....then you are welcome to do so. However if you presume that this is the ONLY test that is valid why don't YOU do it?
Finally for someone who claims to not care what Fremer and Valin say in their reviews?......you certainly quote them a lot!? |
Thank you Thomas.
Excellent information! |
I have the Copperhead on the Raven AC and my friend has the Cobra on the Continuum Caliburn.
Without checking his set-up for VTF and VTA, I can tell you that the Raven/Copperhead sounds positively better.
Even my friend agrees! |
