Graham Phantom III/Elite

Grooves

Well-Known Member
Feb 29, 2012
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Pacific Northwest
I exchanged some emails with Bob re: the Phantom set-up "jigs" for 10.5 armwands. He now has "jigs" for all three arm lengths. He also mentioned that there will be a Phantom III as well as the Elite. He sent me a "jpeg" that has some slight changes compared to the earlier images that are out and about. Bob said the P-III will have the new wire, changes to the counterweight and some minor internal changes. He mentioned a new web site is being developed that will have more information. I'll try and get the "pic" to load. Hopefully, Bob won't mind a little extra exposure re: the new Phantom's.
 

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jfrech

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Sep 3, 2012
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pretty sweet looking...love the silver and black
 

number95

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2014
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Yeah, I can't wait to hear (read) how it sounds, even if it's only via a review.

You do not need to wait. The arm sounds terrific as you can see from a real usage ;) photo.jpg
 

number95

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2014
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The differences btwn the G 2.2 and the Phantom-S were jaw dropping. I can only imagine......

I have not tried Supreme but had B-44 for years. Elite is a big step forward over B-44 but have no idea how it improves over Supreme II.
 

Tubedoctor

Well-Known Member
Dec 12, 2012
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I had a Phantom Supreme and it was a noticeable improvement to my former Phantom II. I havent heard the Elite yet but it will be on my list.
 
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audioblazer

Member Sponsor
May 13, 2010
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sorry . Shouldn't be posting abt other arm in Phantom thread
 

number95

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May 14, 2014
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Tirebiter

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2018
117
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Golden CO
I just finished upgrading my VPI TNT arm to a Graham Phantom III. It would be an understatement to simply say that it was an improvement over the JMW 10 Memorial. There is a world of difference and don't feel that I have it fully dialed in yet. It is an impressive kit...and love the ease of set up!
 

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mulveling

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2017
234
335
168
No doubt, the Phantom arms are a pure pleasure to use, and hear. If you were coming from a VPI arm it's no surprise you're be blown away with the upgrade. And Bob Graham has appeared on these forums again as of late, which is good news for support of these arms.

I have a Phantom Supreme, though I kinda wish I'd waited a year later and got a brand new III! Beautiful arms.
 

Tirebiter

Well-Known Member
Jan 10, 2018
117
74
135
Golden CO
The Graham design aspect I appreciate most is the azimuth adjustment. The VPI had the weights that I constantly had to fiddle with and was a PITA. Also the arm is so wobbly that I wonder how that effected sound. While the Graham is still a unipivot, it feels rock solid in azimuth.....
 

bluedoor

Well-Known Member
Jun 19, 2013
48
12
248
I exchanged some emails with Bob re: the Phantom set-up "jigs" for 10.5 armwands. He now has "jigs" for all three arm lengths. He also mentioned that there will be a Phantom III as well as the Elite. He sent me a "jpeg" that has some slight changes compared to the earlier images that are out and about. Bob said the P-III will have the new wire, changes to the counterweight and some minor internal changes. He mentioned a new web site is being developed that will have more information. I'll try and get the "pic" to load. Hopefully, Bob won't mind a little extra exposure re: the new Phantom's.

For me it is one of the most beautiful Tonearms in existence at the moment.
Love the black/silver contrast.
 

chelseadave

Member
Nov 25, 2014
32
2
8
London UK
I have a Phantom II tonearm and have just bought an Audio Note Io Gold cartridge but at 20 grams it is to heavy. Does anyone know the weight limit for the Phantom III? I have been calling Bob but no luck so far.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
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Have you checked with Guy of pure sound, he knows a lot about these carts. discussing with him and Gian and the zerostargeneral the magic cart will probably be the AN IO Ltd with SUT
 

chelseadave

Member
Nov 25, 2014
32
2
8
London UK
Guy is the guy who sold me the cart. And with blu-tac and piece of Stillpoint (don’t ask) it is up and running and sounding great. I am using a MSL 1030 SUT at the moment but should sound even better with my new Dave Slagle silver SUT when it arrives. AN IO Ltd. is the pinnacle but to much money and faff for me. Cheers Bonzo.
 
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mulveling

Well-Known Member
Jul 6, 2017
234
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@chelseadave
I have one Koetsu Onyx that is thicker, and a couple grams heavier, than my other stone bodies (despite all being spec'd at 13 grams) - this one exceeds the capabilities of my Phantom Supreme's stock weight. There's an extra, smaller counterweight that can piggyback onto the main counterweight adjustment's thumbscrew mechanism. It's not included in the box, but it probably should be (for that matter, my Phantom didn't even ship with a copy of the manual!). With the extra weight, you should easily be able to accommodate 20g.

Yeah, getting in touch with Graham - good luck. He'll probably turn up at some point and blame his email servers again. GET A FACEBOOK PAGE, BOB. Great, superb arms (I truly love the Phantom and enjoy it many hours each week with a rotation of a few Koetsu carts), but frustrating customer support. Back when I went through this, Musical Surroundings was a Graham distributor - M.S. has STELLAR service, and they supplied me a manual and the extra counterweight (Graham wanted 100 bucks for it), free of charge, in short order. I also wanted some extra wands that were perpetually out of stock, and eventually met my needs on the used marker. A couple years later I noticed M.S. stopped distributing Graham...I'm sad about that but don't have to wonder why.

If there was any reliable support to be had, I'd love to upgrade my Phantom to a III.
 

chelseadave

Member
Nov 25, 2014
32
2
8
London UK
@chelseadave
I have one Koetsu Onyx that is thicker, and a couple grams heavier, than my other stone bodies (despite all being spec'd at 13 grams) - this one exceeds the capabilities of my Phantom Supreme's stock weight. There's an extra, smaller counterweight that can piggyback onto the main counterweight adjustment's thumbscrew mechanism. It's not included in the box, but it probably should be (for that matter, my Phantom didn't even ship with a copy of the manual!). With the extra weight, you should easily be able to accommodate 20g.

Yeah, getting in touch with Graham - good luck. He'll probably turn up at some point and blame his email servers again. GET A FACEBOOK PAGE, BOB. Great, superb arms (I truly love the Phantom and enjoy it many hours each week with a rotation of a few Koetsu carts), but frustrating customer support. Back when I went through this, Musical Surroundings was a Graham distributor - M.S. has STELLAR service, and they supplied me a manual and the extra counterweight (Graham wanted 100 bucks for it), free of charge, in short order. I also wanted some extra wands that were perpetually out of stock, and eventually met my needs on the used marker. A couple years later I noticed M.S. stopped distributing Graham...I'm sad about that but don't have to wonder why.

If there was any reliable support to be had, I'd love to upgrade my Phantom to a III.

Thanks for that. A dealer here in the UK has had an email answer from Bob and he seems confident that the heavier weight from the Phantom III will do the trick but your ‘piggyback’ suggestion has real merit. Feeling more confident now. Cheers.
 

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