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June 3, 2008 - 4:59am
#1
Rim job,? Drive of teh moment is best
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Well... you have some points there DUP, esp. about how complicated VPI can make things. But! This is the first pulley/motor change I've seen from them for pretty much forever. They've had variations on the same motor/belt drive system for about 20 years. That's not exactly flavor of the month...
Still, after a while it's time to leave well enough alone I think, and it looks incredibly ungainly. Back in the day it seemed like a bunch of companies liked the whole "air driven" concept with all sorts of tubes and pumps and wires--- and they needed to be in another room! Sheesh- what a pain in the ass just to make a platter spin.
They came up with the outside drive motor assys, standing alone after they had built in assys, claiming the outboard was better, isolation etc etc. Now they go back and make physical contact and say that is better....they used to claim it sounded better if you close the platic tops on the HW series (I have MK-III_Then they come out and say, no, never mind, better if left off. they keep prototyping at teh customer expense. Smart business , to make customers pay for the experiments. Calling them upgrades. Maybe I should get an old Rek-O-Kut? BSR changer is really the way to go, with it's mechanical idler system, auto changer, it has that vintage, original SOUND. There is something just so involving when you have a nice idler assy drive. Soemthing a thin mere belt can't deliver the solid, full motor drive of a strong, physical contact. Which ever teh wind blows on teh spin of teh month..hey that's a pun, they spin the records, while they spin the marketing methods. Next month, direct Drive is better cus it gives you the full contact sound of vintage motor power. Strobe optional, $500. They need to add another counter weight spinning platter to counter balance teh earths effect. And another drive belt vertically to improve the other stuff
I do not see this as a Hi Fi product, I see it as filling a marketing niche - after the fact.
The anachrophiles are buying up old rim drive turntables and this product puts VPI in the marketplace for this fad.
If VPI wanted to be ahead of the curve here, they'd anticipate the next fad - inertial spin with a hand cranks and beat the vintage-philes to the punch.
Time to stock up on NOS Pickering cartridges with the flip-handle for 78 or "stereo."
Pretty soon, a new abracadabra company will "introduce" a new audiophile CERAMIC cartridge with flip over 78-33 NEEDLE, after years of "research" on teh physics of ceramic sound particles. This research done by guys with too many letters in their name, will have found that MASS in the cantilever adds dimension, solidity, fullness, while having the advantage of not needing a phono pre amp or RIAA equilization ckts, eliminating a stage of potential distortion and signal robbing artifacts. CERAMIC high output, the next BREAKTHROUGH in vintage true sound of analog. Astatic returns. MF will find it the most satisfying sound he has come across..........this month. The rebirth of BSR idler drives, a lost art of mfg' genius, reborn by years of "research" Old world sound from new slave labor Made in China. Of course there will be new high output capable interconnects, since the science of teh wires has changed, now that the wires are dealing with higher output cartridges, all the previous, crystal structure, core technology changes, ceramic produced voltages are different than moving magnets or coils. Steel platters have been found to sound better.....