VPI Prime

I asked VPI on belt replacement and they said "when it breaks." I'm still on my original belt (8 years) on my Scoutmaster Plus. I lube the bearing and oil the motor once a year. I bought it with the upgraded motor. If you don't have an isolation platform (Gingko Cloud, etc), I can highly recommend those (or the upgraded feet).

 

The main reason I ask about the belt, is because it just seems a little loose but that could be in my head. Sometimes it doesn't stay in the exactly motor groove that I put it in.

The maintenance sounds about right, I've always assumed every 1-2 years depending on usage.

My table is pretty isolated as it sits on a mount firmly on the wall, so I'm not sure it will be much more isolated. I actually prefer the stock feet to the rubber upgrades.

I appreciate the feedback and insight!

 

A veneer would look nicer but that is more expensive and time consuming to apply. Vinyl to me on an item that a manufacturer is asking that much money looks cheap.

 

I used the Gingko Cloud 9 made for the VPI Scout a few years back but it made the table sound dull or lifeless. I didn’t like the sound I was getting so I sold that off
and made a 2 inch thick wood platform for the Scout then bought 2 heavy duty wall brackets at Lowes and mounted the Scout to the wall. It’s been there ever since.

 

I picked up my new VPI Prime a week ago Friday. Serial #22. It was one of the first ones delivered I believe. I had a VPI Scout that I really liked a lot, fitted with a Benz Ace SL cartridge. Soundstage Direct had this great trade in deal on the Prime, though and I couldn't pass it up! I had seen and heard the Prime at the NY Audio show this fall, and I knew I wanted one. The trade in program was the nudge I needed though. I decided to upgrade my cartridge to a Ortofon Cadenza Black as well. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

The Prime right out of the box is an impressive, serious-looking piece of machinery. The tonearm base is a work of Art with the VTA on the fly knob, and the 3d printed arm is cool, too. It's beefier in every respect than my Scout. The plinth is heavy and braced on the bottom with aluminum (I think it's aluminum), and the platter is the heavy Classic metal platter. 22 pounds, I believe. It also includes the heavier screw down delrin and stainless center clamp. Finishing the motor housing in silver was a nice touch.

How does it sound? The pace and rhythm is effortless. The background is darker and deeper, while fine details and nuances are much more apparent. I'm sure a good deal of this is attributable to the Cadenza Black cartridge, but the cartridge can't do its thing without being connected to a good table and tonearm. It's all the same cliches you've heard before, but I am really hearing levels of detail that I never knew existed on well known (to me) records I've played countless times before. Standouts so far were Supertramp's Crime of the Century, and Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's album Ella and Louis in mono - Ella's voice is as real as it was in 1950. Spectacular. Kate Bush's Hounds of Love, especially side 2, gave me chills. So much detail, voices in the background, and nuances I never noticed in 25 years of listening to that album.

In sum, I'm hugely impressed with how much table VPI sold me for a list of only $3500. It's really hard to compare this with the Classic line. The Classic is still a beautiful table, with fine finish and details that make it at home in a living room. The Prime looks like a serious tool for vinyl playback. It's sexy, and it looks more like an instrument than furniture. So, for great WAF and a beautiful, classic table that sounds great, VPI has a line of tables for that. For someone that wants ultimate performance at this price point, there is the Prime, incorporating just about everything VPI has developed or invented in the past decade or so. Two great options that should coexist well together.

 

sounds like heaven hehe, you scout is the old model, acrylic platter? and the difference is a lot from your scout?

 

Yes it was a mid 2000's model with the acrylic platter. Sounded really good, especially for the money. It was a huge jump from my entry level Pro-Ject that preceded it. This new one seems to be a meaningful jump yet again...

 

nice, Im in the same boat... thinking jump from my entry level "music hall" to the prime but well for now if found a really good price for an used scout maybe I take it.

 

I am still using my original belt on my Scoutmaster since 2007, I do have the SDS also so I don't worry about the speed...

 

I have read what you are saying about the Gingko a few times but, I don't find those same results. My Scoutmaster sounds just fine with it, anything but dull and lifeless!!!

 

Drew, your Prime is famous. Check out page 8 of the Prime manual on VPI's website. Mat used your table for the photos in the manual. Very cool. If I were looking for a new table I would go for the Prime. As it is I am extremely happy with my Scoutmaster II with 10.5 VTA arm. Enjoy!

 

Matt - Do you know if any dealers in Calgary, Alberta have a display sample for me to audition?

 

+1. It really comes into its own when listening at very loud levels, which I have been known to do quite frequently.

 

My belt seems to find its desired groove regardless of my preference. Maybe this isn't very scientific or according to proper set-up procedure, but perhaps inch the motor out just a bit to take up some of the slack?

 

Regarding speed on any of these tables, I've found that they are very sensitive to belt and motor placement to get the correct rotational speed. My new prime with the new belt and the motor close to the plinth rotates in the mid to high 34's. By pulling back the motor a bit and using a speed device (Phoenix Roadrunner) I can dial in 33.3xx. The 300rpm motor is great, as is the SDS I'm sure, but you have to check the speed

 

I’m not good at explaining these things, I just know what I heard. From my own personal experience, everything we put directly under our components effects
the sound. That said, I used the Gingko because, if I walked across the floor in my listening room while a record was playing the stylus would jump.

After I installed the Gingko I noticed the music wasn’t as lively sounding so I decided to wall mount the turntable and notice it sounded even better then using the
Gingko or on the audio rack without it.

The Scout was made to be used on cones (I think they call it mast loading or direct coupling) so while using the rubber balls under the Scout may help with certain
vibrations, it seemed to be counterproductive with the sound in my case, so I decided to use the Scout the way it was intented… on the cones.

Every application will achieve a different result. If you think it sounds better to you and it probably does, that’s all that really matters.

Happy Holiday’s, Jerry

 

the Prime comes with the: DELUXE DELRIN / STAINLESS STEEL CLAMP
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-7708-vpi-deluxe-delrin-stainless-steel-clamp.aspx
but one upgrade is for the: HRX STAINLESS STEEL CENTER WEIGHT
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-7677-vpi-hrx-stainless-steel-center-weight.aspx
but I dont get it, is the same price... if the HRX is an upgrade, is better than the Delrin?

 

The Derlin is a screw-down model, and generally I've seen the HRX clamp labelled as intended to be used in tandem with the outer ring clamp (which means removing the washer that's part of the screw-down equation.

But you're right, as described on that page that's not necessarily what's being communicated.

Maybe when Matt is finished unwrapping the VPI Hand Of Zeus mega-table Harry custom built for him for Christmas, he could weigh in.

 

My understanding is that both center weights are equal but with different purposes. I like the SS Delrin because it helps "flatten the record" to the platter with the suction action but the HRX SS is better if you plan to add the outer ring. Personally, I think the outer ring is overkill unless you just have a lot of warped vinyl or just insist on this process. It seems like another tedious step IMHO. Different people have different preferences. They are both excellent quality though!ld

I'm not sure why it would cost more as an upgrade, if it does.

 

mmm interesting and make sense, by the way I don't have any warped record so outer ring.... yes maybe an overkill...

 

And I'm sure there are other benefits to it as well, so my term "overkill" could be misused but my main point it that both are great options!

 

With a unipivot tonearm having as flat an LP as possible is desirable, but the ring does have other benefits. One of the biggest is the added inertia. All of its weights at the outer edge of the platter, so it greatly improves speed stability. If you need other confirmation of this sort of benefit note that the new platter design of Rega's higher end turntables features added mass to the rim, but they don't give you the LP flattening aspect at the same time. The VPI ring also adds additional damping of micro vibrations. It's very easy to use, adding a few seconds to changing LPs. I'd do the ring upgrade before I went with an SDS.

John K.

 

Hi everyone! I purposefully have avoided anything related to VPI since I left the factory yesterday to give a little bit of downtime, so this is my first back on duty VPi thought

The the HR-X center weight + the Periphery ring clamp is the best combination! That being said, the periphery ring is a pain to deal with at times. Overtime the felt strips sometimes come off, they are hell for us to machine, also there are those random records that are a different diameter so the ring won't fit. Also, where do you put the darn thing?! Now that i have given the negatives, it is great to add additional dampening to the platter, flatten out the record without hurting the record, as well as increase the shelf life of your cartridge since it won't be getting extra work from dealing with the warps in the record. Also, if you don't feel like taking the ring clamp on and off your record you can leave it on the platter to add more weight/additional dampening.

The periphery ring clamp is one of the web pages I'm still working on and plan to have live sometime after the New Year, so more detailed info to come Hope that gives a better idea on it and yes it is a great combo with the Prime!

 

I bought an Extended Aries I four months ago from Music Direct. I love it. I also bought the 3D tonearm, but have yet to have it put on the TT. The Aries is built like a tank. I previously had a Rega P5. I considered the RP 10, but in the end couldn't get past the ugly design.

It's either VPI, Clearaudio or SME for me. I'm never going back to Rega.

 

I agree with Mat about the outer weight. I've been using it for nearly a decade with my extended Aries and I love it. It's not a big deal for me to use it because I placed it on a chair which is near the table when switching records. The times when I don't use the ring it just stays on the platter.

I use past tense with my set-up because now it is on a ship sailing to Europe in a container.......