A question for Graham owners

Thanks Audiolui and Kipdent
By the way I can't imagine a Phantom that can't track every groove at its best , probably Kipdent the cartridge on that Phantom wasn't mounted correctly

Agree with Curio. I can think of many problems that are more likely to cause mistracking (or mistracking-like sounds) than a tonearm. I've diagnosed mistracking sounds on quite a few setups, and in no case was the tonearm itself to blame.

In some cases what sounds like mistracking isn't mistracking at all. Vinyl pressing voids and various phono stage issues can emulate mistracking noises well enough to fool most of us, especially in an unfamiliar system.

To conclude that such sounds were actual mistracking (without verification) and then attribute blame to the Phantom (without being able to investigate other, more likely possibilities) seems like two assumptions in one.

Not a Graham owner, just a disinterested observer...

Curio - Depends on what your criteria are for a "good sonic deal". You may be quite happy with the 2.2, especially if you don't hear the Phantom in your system. But as others above have stated, the Phantom easily surpasses the 2.2. We can't decide if you'd be happy or not. Two choices - try the 2.2; if you're happy, let it be. If not, you can always easily sell the 2.2 in the 'gon
where you can also find a used Phantom..........

I am with Dougdeacon. I am not here to defend the Phantom. Most likely the cause of mistracking is from the cartridge.

A good case in point. I mounted a new cartridge (quite expensive)on the Phantom I and it sounded great until it rode on one passage where it was the most dynamic on that track and the cartrdige sounded distorted and almost skipped that passage. Of course, I didn't blame the Phantom, I adjusted the VTA and wow, the distorted sound was gone and no mistracking at all. It is very easy to misalign a cartridge.

Both the 2.2 and the Phantom are great tonearms.

Kipdent, I am with the other posters here

I bought a Phantom about 6 months ago to go with my TW AC-3 and aligned using the Graham jig.
I had been using 12 inch arms before that with my HRX so I think I may have got a little lazy as they do track a little better than 9 inch arms.

I too heard that the Phantom was mistracking on the last track or two on albums, some more evident that others.

I bought the Mint tractor and re-aligned - the cartridge was ever so out.

The Phantom now tracks fine, so what I was initially hearing was slight cartridge misalignment.