Titan, Transfiguration Orpheus or Air Tight PC1??

At the Munich High-End 2008 show I had the rare opportunity to compare the Titan I vs. Skala in current Triplanars at the Spiral Groove booth on their record players, using the same phono stage. There was no other visistor, so I could listen with my own records for about an hour. I definitely preferred the Titan I, which had better timing and impact, to the Skala, which sounded a bit artificial in comparison. But be aware, that the Titan I is a bit less warm than the Skala. The Titan I was also more fun to listen to.

best regards, Hartmut

Jfrech

There were only the two Spiral Groove decks in that room in 2008. I could only say a word about the whole setup, which I found very detailed and dynamic.
I could detect the sonic signature of Triplanar in the sound, and also the Skala's sonic signature in this high-resolution setup. I also had the Skala in my system at home for some time, but despite its high resolution I dislike it for its sound.
Look here: http://www.tnt-audio.com/shows/munich08b_e.html

But in 2007, I could listen to an early prototype of the Spiral Groove in the same room, where a Raven One was playing the day before, using same Schroeder tonearm and Lyra cartridge. It was with big Magnepan speakers and Rowland amps. I found this early model a bit on the detailed, analytical side compared to the more integrated presentation of the Raven One. Coming to personal preference, I liked the Raven more. I discussed this with others at the show, and some disagreed.
Look here: http://www.tnt-audio.com/shows/munich07a_e.html

Sorry that I cannot really answer your question. You have to go out and listen for yourself. At this gear level all the analogue setup qualities are quite hit-or-miss the synergy and perceptions are very subjective. Then, judging the sound quality of gear at a show is difficult and dangerous, both.

best regards, Hartmut

Jfrech, I could detect typical cartridge character differences between the two analogue setups at Spiral Groove, but was not able to detect typical turntable differences. I am quite familiar with Lyra cartridges since the 90ies, have had listened to original Clavis, Clavis DC, Helikon, Skala in my home setup. Without that experience, I would not dare to attribute differences I heard at the Spiral Groove booth to the cartridges. But I could be mistaken, nevertheless.

best regards, Hartmut