Tri-Planar The Ultimate 12
The Tri-Planar Ultimate 12 delivers rock-solid imaging, a wide soundstage and remarkably articulate bass from its precision 12-inch gimbal design. Audiophilia found exceptional tonal solidity and rhythmic definition, while Positive Feedback praised its lively, spacious and consistently assured vinyl playback.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
96/100
Build Quality
96/100
Features Usability
90/100
Value for Money
89/100
Pros
Delivers stable imaging, expansive soundstaging and palpable vocal texture.
Resolves rhythm, pace and bass lines with exceptional clarity and control.
Offers precise construction, confidence-inspiring operation and useful on-the-fly VTA adjustment.
Cons
Premium pricing may be a significant barrier, particularly for newcomers to high-end analogue playback.
Installation and adjustment are moderately involved despite strong documentation and support.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 96/100
Reviewers describe an exceptionally transparent, composed presentation with vivid spatial focus, tonal substance and unusually strong bass definition. The arm is also credited with stable, low-distortion groove handling and with letting the cartridge and turntable perform at their best.
Overall Sound
96/100
Audiophilia heard rock-solid imaging, a wide and firmly populated soundstage, palpable images, and astounding vocal texture without exaggerated breathiness. Positive Feedback similarly found the U12 transformative and involving, praising its quiet passages, sense of space and ability to make music sound lively and convincing.
Tracking Performance
95/100
Audiophilia specifically praises superior trackability, lower inner-groove distortion, and effortless handling of demanding material. Its bass lines were described as more clearly delineated than the reviewer had previously heard, while rhythm and pace remained strongly resolved.
FEATURES USABILITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
The Ultimate 12 offers notably flexible setup, including carefully implemented VTA adjustment during playback. Its moderate effective mass suggests broad practical cartridge matching, although the supplied reviews offer limited direct accounts of partnerships across many cartridge types.
Adjustability
95/100
Audiophilia calls the arm highly adjustable, and Positive Feedback highlights VTA adjustment during playback as a particularly useful facility. Setup is not entirely effortless—the reviewer rates its difficulty at seven out of ten—but reports that it remains manageable for a non-specialist.
Cartridge Compatibility
85/100
The 15g effective mass is a practical middle-ground specification for many moving-magnet and moving-coil designs, and the arm performed impressively with a Transfiguration Phoenix. However, the reviews provide little direct evidence of performance with a wide variety of cartridge compliances or mounting formats.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
96/100
Both reviews speak very highly of the execution. Positive Feedback found nothing cheap, loose or under-engineered and describes a surgically precise feel, while Audiophilia praises exquisite precision, carbon-fibre construction, silver wiring and military-spec fixed-gimbal bearings.
Value for Money
89/100
At $11,500, reviewers acknowledge that the Ultimate 12 is expensive and may initially shock newcomers. Still, Audiophilia says its jewel-like precision and build quality justify the asking price, while Positive Feedback calls it a wise long-term investment.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Type
- Avionic gimbal bearings design
- Effective Length
- 308.80mm
- Pivot-to-spindle distance
- 295.6mm
- Overhang
- 13.2mm
- Offset angle
- 17.6°
- Effective mass
- 15g
- Bearing offset angle
- 17.6°
Manufacturer's Description — Tri-Planar
Based on the award winning tonearm with over 55 years of design excellence. The U-12 offers improved resolution, detail, dynamic range and provides a 27% angular error reduction over 9-inch tonearms.
Features
- 12″ (308.80mm) effective length
- Avionic gimbal bearings design
- Silver internal tonearm wiring
- Carbon fiber wand with coaxial damping
- Adjustable Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA)
- Adjustable Azimuth
- Damped head-shell
- Clamping yoke design that firmly couples the arm-tube to the bearing tube
- Rounded components for resonance control
- Larger silicone fluid trough with adjustable dip stick
- Tonearm rest integrated with damping trough for resonance reduction
- Hardened and polished needle cones
- Bearings at record height
- Progressive anti-skating design
- Sophisticated system of decoupled counter weights
- Easy 3-screw installation, with no large VTA hole
- Available in black or silver color
Verified Dealers
Online Dealers
All Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Tri-Planar The Ultimate 12
- A/V Solutions — in-store — Pleasanton, California, United States (website)
- Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Audio Element — in-store — Pasadena, California, United States (website)
- Avantgarde — in-store — Kowloon, Hong Kong (website)
- BELHIFI — online and in-store — Meise, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- Bliss Hifi — in-store — Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States (website)
- Galibier Design — United States (website)
- J&J Audio Solutions — in-store — San Jose, California, United States (website)
- Katli Audio — in-store — Chino Hills, California, United States (website)
- Kyomi Audio — in-store — Addison, Illinois, United States (website)
and 13 more verified dealers
