Triplanar Owners - help please

[Audiophile Bill]

Dear All,

I am trying to install a VDH colibri XGW on my Triplanar (my existing cart if a Lyra Kleos which is fine). Now when I adjust the overhang, I see that the VDH needs to be set far back in the head shell because the cantilever extends forwards a lot. Anyway - it requires it to be so far back that the back of the cart actually sits on the lip of the arm not flush against the head shell causing this strange angle as below. Furthermore the left part of the cart touches the left part of the arm so I can't alter the orientation of the cart:



Does anyone have experience of Triplanar with VDH colibri and is there a solution? Or am I doing something wrong?

 

[awsmone]

Hi Bill

You have effectively made the tonesrm longer and therefore its arc has changed if the Stylus is beyond tonearm

If you wish to use this cartridge

You can add spacers over the cartridge
Or push the tonarm back on it current mounting position see below...

Please note as per Michael Fremer that the jig is incorrect on original triplanar and you need to go on the measurements as per spec sheet

It's about by about 4 to 5 mm

This might also be your problem?

 

[jfrech]

awsmone has a point here. Could it be your tonearm is off on alignment? that said, not all cartridges work on all tonearms.

you could also reach out to triplanar and see if Tri has any knowledge on your arm/table/cart combo.

I've used a Lyra Helicon, Skala and Atlas in a Triplanar. Lyra's make great matches...


TRI MAI
3611 Snelling Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406
USA


612-623-0922
tri@triplanar.com

 

[pjwd]

That just does not look right - cart is no longer than typical
I use the mint lp protractor that is set up with spec dimension as awesome noted and cart sits well forward of headshell
Cheers
Phil

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Hi Guys,

Thanks so much. I am using the Feickert protractor and actually checked the spindle to pivot distance as per Triplanar site which is 233.5mmm - this seems exactly as per my tt and arm set up, which is a Kuzma pre-drilled arm board. Remember it is fine with my Kleos...


I was also thinking the solution would be spacers - do you guys have any recommendations and will they be deleterious? I am effectively changing the headshell weight I guess?

I contacted Triplanar - received an email this morning from Tri saying to call him.

Best,

Bill

 

[Audiophile Bill]

That just does not look right - cart is no longer than typical
I use the mint lp protractor that is set up with spec dimension as awesome noted and cart sits well forward of headshell
Cheers
Phil

Hi,

This Colibri is a good deal longer than my Lyra - much longer in fact. It isn't the body so much but the protruding nature of the cantilever really adds to it.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

awsmone has a point here. Could it be your tonearm is off on alignment? that said, not all cartridges work on all tonearms.

you could also reach out to triplanar and see if Tri has any knowledge on your arm/table/cart combo.

I've used a Lyra Helicon, Skala and Atlas in a Triplanar. Lyra's make great matches...


TRI MAI
3611 Snelling Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55406
USA


612-623-0922
tri@triplanar.com

Yeah my first plan was to upgrade my Kleos to an Etna but the price of this Colibri is extremely attractive - exceptional used deal.

 

[gian60]

I also have a Colibri but cannot use with my Bergmann Sindre because cannot set far back like needed,and i sold

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I can't use spacers either actually because the rear of the cart hits arm tube and would need like 0.75cm spacer:



As you can see I can't adjust the orientation according to the parallel lines at the null points because I can't rotate it...

 

[awsmone]

You can change the effective length two ways

One is to use smaller bodied mounting screws which will give you about 4 mm of wiggle room

The other is to take the triplanar off

And underneath is a mounting screw that holds the base to the pillar for vta

This is very tight, but loosening it allows you to push back the pivot point to accommodate this cartridge

I think this might void the warranty so you need to check with Mai

This will then allow you to mount the cartridge

Good luck

 

[Audiophile Bill]

You can change the effective length two ways

One is to use smaller bodied mounting screws which will give you about 4 mm of wiggle room

The other is to take the triplanar off

And underneath is a mounting screw that holds the base to the pillar for vta

This is very tight, but loosening it allows you to push back the pivot point to accommodate this cartridge

I think this might void the warranty so you need to check with Mai

This will then allow you to mount the cartridge

Good luck

Thanks so much Awsmone. I think that the solution of removing the arm and loosening it to bring back the pivot point might work.

 

[awsmone]

pleasure

 

[tima]

Coming back to this thread. Bill did you ever resolve the issue with your Triplanar and the VDH colibri XGW?

 

[PSAF]

Same here I wish I knew some one to make an armboard for a Triplanar to an SME mount on my SME 10 table

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Coming back to this thread. Bill did you ever resolve the issue with your Triplanar and the VDH colibri XGW?

Hi Tima,

Only insofar as I ended up altering the effective length and geometry with the tweak as per above but it resulted in not a good sound - too much sibilance for me.

 

[Nemal1]

Same here I wish I knew some one to make an armboard for a Triplanar to an SME mount on my SME 10 table

Try and Contact Conrad at Avid who I’m sure will be able to make one for you. Good luck

 

[tima]

Hi Tima,

Only insofar as I ended up altering the effective length and geometry with the tweak as per above but it resulted in not a good sound - too much sibilance for me.

Thanks for the follow-up. I had a similar situration and similar results. My solution was to use the vdH with a different toneam (4Point). The cart was still fairly far back on the headshell. I hear what I can best describe as the possibility of sibalance, but nothing overt, yet. Still have quite a bit of break-in.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Thanks for the follow-up. I had a similar situration and similar results. My solution was to use the vdH with a different toneam (4Point). The cart was still fairly far back on the headshell. I hear what I can best describe as the possibility of sibalance, but nothing overt, yet. Still have quite a bit of break-in.

I spent ages trying to make it work. I must have spent a 2 weeks altering ever parameter to improve things (Triplanar very good for this) to no avail.

 

[108CY]

The colibri was terrible so inconsistent no two were the same, the right one was capable of great results. I had to always specify it to be used with the Triplanar, at one time I purchased 50 vdh cartridges at one go and many of them were useless still have quite a few sitting around.

 

[PSAF]

I did find someone to make an armbord