VPI Prime Scout turntable Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Garrard 301 turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; EMT OFD 15 & TSD 15, Ortofon SPU #1S, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Denon DL-103 cartridge, with & without MusiKraft body.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly Red, Halide Design DAC HD USB D/A processors; Apple iMac computer (late 2015) running OS 10.12.1 & Roon v.1.2, Build 165; Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2, EMIA Phono (copper) step-up transformers; Sentec EQ11 phono preamplifier; Shindo Laboratory Masseto & Monbrison (2017) preamplifiers.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: Altec Flamenco.
Cables: USB: AudioQuest Carbon. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Luna Red & Grey, Shindo Laboratory. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: Luna Orange, manufacturers' stock cords.
Accessories: Box Furniture Company D3S rack (source & amplification components), Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner Pro.—Art Dudley

COMPANY INFO
VPI Industries, Inc.
77 Cliffwood Avenue, #5D
Cliffwood, NJ 07721
(732) 583-6895
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
woodford's picture

Thanks for the insightful review- really, I mean it- but now one is forced to ask, how you’d describe the differences between a KT 88, 6L6, and EL34? Or more precisely, between at 6L6 and EL34?

Or, even more precisely, an EL34 and a KT77.

I get the EL84 reference.

mrkaic's picture

It is not very hard -- look up the data for these tubes (e.g. http://www.audiomatica.com/tubes/6l6.htm). You will find a lot of technical data, for example maximum plate voltage.

KT88 -- max plate voltage is 800 V
6L6 -- max plate voltage is 500 V
etc.

You can also define some tube models in SPICE and simulate the circuits. I love running SPICE, it is a lot of fun. Every audiophile should try it.

woodford's picture

that's interesting.

i'm interested in sound quality differences as well.

mrkaic's picture

Sound differences depend on the circuit and lots of other things. You cannot talk about the sound of a particular tube in isolation. It depends on the grid voltage, plate voltage, the quality of transformers, circuit topology etc. There is no simple answer.

If someone gives you a simplistic general answer, like KT88's are brighter than EL34's, then ask him: how many amplifiers have you designed? :))

tonykaz's picture

is that how I'd describe myself?, is that how we'd describe JA?

I suppose so. If I had to go out and buy a Turntable, I'd buy an original LP12/Ittok/Asak, even with it's original ( and quite horrible ) tone arm cable arrangement. I'd have it for old times sake, just a decoration.

But my last turntable love was for the turntables that Shela Weisfeld was selling me in 1985ish.

If I were to buy a playable turntable, I'd buy this Scout. It'd have a Sumiko MMT tonearm and I'd have plenty of Koetsu phono cartridges.

I'd have a complete record cleaning station set up and I'd build a sturdy record rack system. Phew

I'd also have about $10,000+ per year budget for Acoustic Sounds Vinyls.

I'd have Chad Kassem as a friend and entertain the hell out of him. Chad is the King of Vinyl, these days. He's exactly the kind of person I hang around with, he'd love my peerage and my straight talking and thinking peerage would love him. He's our kind of guy.

I'm not gonna buy into Vinyl, it was the only game in town back in the day.

Red Book MQA is just around the corner, it'll fit in the palm of a person's hand, it resonates with the Global Population.

Perhaps I've lost my "tweaky streak"

Tony in Michigan

ps. it's almost like the charm of vinyl today is Acoustic Sounds

Ortofan's picture

... a Technics SL-1200GR turntable with a Music Hall Mojo cartridge.
http://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/direct-drive-turntable-system-sl-1200gr.html
http://musichallaudio.com/mojo-cartridge/

johnnythunder's picture

Belt vs. Direct. S Tonearm vs. unipivot. I would bet that the VPI has a more organic warmer sound vs. a clearer tighter sound of the Technics. It's certainly an alternative in the price range. Impossible to say what is "better" for the money.

Ortofan's picture

... the operating speed is not accurate or stable?
The $2200 VPI has worse speed accuracy and stability than a $500 Onkyo.
Why doesn't Stereophile test for tonearm resonances, as does Hi-Fi News (UK)?

Glotz's picture

And that's okay.

Dudley vs. Fremer - CAGE MATCH ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Apples vs. Oranges... for after the post-fight disappointment!

I think it would be killer to own both, or at least one direct-drive and one belt-drive. They each have their advantages. It's all about personal preference.

mrkaic's picture

"Turntables and LP jackets show up in photos in Elle Decor and Vanity Fair. New LPs are sold in stores in nice neighborhoods, and in malls with Cinnabon franchises and J.Crew stores."

Since when is being mainstream something to venerate? Is attaining repressive petit bourgeois respectability a subliminal goal of supposedly rebellious and individualistic audiophiles? :))

dalethorn's picture

"Since when is being mainstream something to venerate? Is attaining repressive petit bourgeois respectability a subliminal goal of supposedly rebellious and individualistic audiophiles?"

I think what most of us want is for the tech to spread, to become more popular, so the audiophile companies have lower levels of development and supply to draw from, which would result in lower prices and more variety on the higher end.

avanti1960's picture

The text says "you place the plinth and the motor pod next to each other..."
How does one align the pulley centers for proper belt tension?
Is the position of the motor easily repeatable if we need to move the turntable on occasion?

Rijichert's picture

Per Prime Scout manual and confirmation from VPI support, soft rubber washer and the record clamp are used as an alternative to the mat, not in justification with the mat. Placing a record on a mat requires VTA adjustment to accommodate the angle change due to the added thickness of the mat. A record placed on a mat does not need to be clamped.

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