Schroeder arms: order of merit?

Another arm German afficionados have favorably compared to the Schroeder is the Scheu Tacco, which is considerably cheaper. See scheu-analog.de, there is an English version and contact, too.

As a DPS owner I have had the pleasure of email exchanges with Frank S. He described a DPS as 98% a Reference. The DPS does not have any fine VTA adjustment capability but this can be remedied with the effective Teres VTA adjustment device. The model one has been replaced by the DPS.

Lapaix,
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I have a Graham 2.2 currently, but was fortunate enough to hear the Model 2, DPS and Reference, and Tri-Planar 7 along with my 2.2 on my table during one long weekend a few months ago with a group of friends.
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We did extensive comparisons using the same LP’s.
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The Model 2 was clearly better than my Graham 2.2;
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The DPS was significantly better than the Model 2;
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The Reference was clearly was superior to the Model 2.
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I really liked the Tri-Planar 7 (which I understand from those that have heard both the older Tri-Planar's and Wheaton's, the model 7 is dramatically better than the older versions).
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The Tri-Planar was fast, phenomenal in bringing out detail, soundstage and bass. The Tri-Planar 7 was close to the Schroder in certain areas such as dynamics and attack, but I clearly preferred the Schroder Reference to the Tri-Planar. In fact, I would even prefer the Schroder 2 Personally, I would prefer the Schroder 1 over Tri-Planar. It just was more musical and emotive. The whole Schroder line is just magical.
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As an aside, I had the Basis Vector and preferred the Graham 2.2 over the Vector.
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I know that the Reference was quite expensive, but I would think it terms of stretching for the Reference. My feeling is that one could be done with tonearms for life with the Reference and it might be cheaper in the long run. The DPS was not that far off the mark of the Reference and it would be a good second option. I believe that the Model 1 is available on special order.
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Rgds,
Larry
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Excellent summary by Cello.

The Reference has a lower noise floor than any arm I've heard. Instrumental timbres, overtones, decays and hall information are amazingly good. The TriPlanar comes close, but doesn't quite match it. The DPS is a hair behind that and the Model Two somewhat farther back, though still very, very good.

Personally I place the TriPlanar VII just below the Reference and above the DPS, but it's definitely a matter of taste and system synergy. Cello's listening room tends to emphasize the TriPlanar's relative strengths (transient speed). In a lively environment many people would find it a bit too fast, almost edgy.

My room is more damped, so the TriPlanar's greater transient speed does not get emphasized into edginess.

Another caveat is cartridge synergy. The top Schroeder is capable of getting the best out of more cartridges than the TriPlanar. A ZYX works well on either arm, but a Shelter 901 on a TriPlanar sounds edgy and rather hifi. Yet on a Schroeder Ref it sings like a god.

Disclaimer: I'm the owner of the TriPlanar VII we used in that extensive comparison, so owner bias may influence my ears. OTOH, we bought the TriPlanar after hearing the Schroeder Ref. While we recognized the Ref's incomparable musicality, the TriPlanar's superb VTA adjustability was very important for our sonic priorities.