Micro Seiki MA 505 vs Triplanar MK VII UII

[jcmusic]

I have both of these arms and was just wondering what others thoughts are on the two???

[Guest]

The Triplanar's VTA tower with its separate offset main bearing allows for simple arm height adjustment. The arm's been around a long time and influenced other designs including the VPI JMW and Kuzma 4Point. Adjustments to any of the Triplanar's parameters are straightforward, plus they stay set and don't wander. It's parts are not put together with the refinement of, say, an SME V, but that doesn't seem to affect its performance. Top-notch bearings.

Which one do you prefer, jc?

[jcmusic]

The Triplanar's VTA tower with its separate offset main bearing allows for simple arm height adjustment. The arm's been around a long time and influenced other designs including the VPI JMW and Kuzma 4Point. Adjustments to any of the Triplanar's parameters are straightforward, plus they stay set and don't wander. It's parts are not put together with the refinement of, say, an SME V, but that doesn't seem to affect its performance. Top-notch bearings.

Which one do you prefer, jc?

Well to this point I prefer the triplanar but, I have not heard the Micro Seiki with a good cartridge...

[Per Sundell]

I have two Micro Seiki MA505 mkII at home but I can´t seem to find them. (Somewhere in my attic I guess ... )
It´s a very nice tonearm, easy to use and adjust and sounds pretty good with Clearaudio Sigmas (no longer in production) and Clearaudio Stradivari.
The tri-planar is a great deal better though.

[jcmusic]

I have two Micro Seiki MA505 mkII at home but I can´t seem to find them. (Somewhere in my attic I guess ... )
It´s a very nice tonearm, easy to use and adjust and sounds pretty good with Clearaudio Sigmas (no longer in production) and Clearaudio Stradivari.
The tri-planar is a great deal better though.

Yep that's kinda what I thought too!!!

[Albert Porter]

I would choose Triplanar over Micro Seiki MA505 but not sure in contest with Micro Seiki MAX, especially if fitted with aftermarket high quality wire. I've had all of these.

[atmasphere]

The Triplanar has the world's hardest metal bearings bar none. This allows them to make a very small bearing (less sticktion) and at the same time have no slop in it at all (unlike a jeweled bearing), while at the same time the bearing does not fail with normal use (not the case with many arms which is why they seem to go out of adjustment). This is one of its major advantages over any other arm. But its not the only one. Another is that the bearings are in the same plane as the LP surface (or nearly so). This permits the arm to have constant tracking pressure through warps and also in bass passages. Its one of the reasons the Triplanar is one of the best arms made for playing bass correctly.

Almost any parameter including effective mass has some adjustability with this arm. As far as I know its the most adjustable arm made. What this means is you can really dial in the correct parameters for your cartridge for maximum trackability. If you really take advantage of this, you will find that this aspect is far more important than the ultimate choice of cartridge. The Micro Seiki is a beautiful arm but its nowhere near the same league.

[jcmusic]

Well thanks guys for all the replies I appreciate it, I guess I should tell you that I have already listed the Micro Seiki for sale