VPI Traveler owners tell us what you think.

But the VPI logo looks like a third grader made it with a dynamo label maker

 

The Concept is a glued on cheapo logo as well. I owned one and trust me it doesn't any better than the one on the Traveler.

 

I was thinking more like this. Love the logo placement

 

Logo placement a deal breaker? You can't be serious. At least, not a serious vinylphile. Just remove the logo if you don't like it.

 

The poster was comparing the Traveler with the Concept. Is that a picture of the Concept...no.

 

I understand. Someone already posted a Concept pic. I was attempting to illustrate great identity and logo placement on a turntable. Matters to some and not to others.

 

Well, I pulled the trigger on the VPI Traveler. Should arrive sometime late next week. Am pairing it up with a AT 150 MLX cart and the intriguing iFi iPhono phono preamp, both also on order. And I got a new rack as well, a Salamander rack with the spikes. Can't believe I did this! Oh well I'll report back when everything's set up.

 

Congrats on your new Traveler. Hope you have many happy, trouble free years of service from it.

 

Thanks, Art! It arrived today along with the AT cart. However I am going to wait until the rest of the stuff arrives (and I have some time, probably this weekend) to set it up. Delayed gratification!

 

Traveler is a sweet table. And now VPI has updated the Scout making the the decision even harder.

 

But I'd go for the unipivot.....

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

Yeah, congrats. Enjoy it in good health.

 

What updates did they make to the Scout?

 

"All parts upgradable to formet Scouts". Huh? I assume that means you can upgrade your current Scout to this new spec.

 

Man, wish I had jumped on this before I ordered it at regular price from the needledoctor:

http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATC0150MLX.html

That's a pretty sweet price for the MLX, I think.

 

Here's another good price. Slightly more, but you get the idea.

http://www.turntableneedles.com/AT150MLX-Audio-Technica_p_3806.html

 

Well, I did it. Everything works. And now I will share my sordid tale (it has a happy ending).

So we had a foot of snow this morning. They closed the university that employs me. It took me an hour and a half to shovel the driveway. My muscles are humming right now. Not exactly the best state to be in to assemble a precision turntable with its associated tiny tiny tiny bits...

Side note: At the same time I start assembly of the gear, I'm dealing with a couple of guys who are fixing my garage door opener, which gave up the ghost yesterday. An interesting contrast as I go back and forth.

First, I assembled the Salamander rack. It's a smart design - extremely easy to level since all the shelves rest on nuts. I got the spikes since I'm in a room with pretty thick carpet. It's solid.

I put my amp on the bottom shelf, set up the preamp and DAC on the middle shelf. Finally, I start assembly on the Traveler. Where the heck is the spindle? Oh no, they didn't ship it! Oh, wait, it's tucked away in a hidden foam compartment. Relief.

Start working on the tonearm. Uh-oh. This can't be right. The Traveler has this gimballed system. It reminds me of that Jodi Foster movie - Contact, I think - with the two rotating things where one rotates inside the other. Well, it's all rattling around. It's come apart. Oh flipping shlitz.

So I fiddle around. I get it on the bench. I put as much light on it as possible. Such tiny pointy things! But wait those tiny pointy things fit into little recessed bumps at the other ends of... screws! So I get my jewlers screwdriver set and proceed to spend the NEXT TWO EFFING HOURS getting the five-dimensional hypperrotating Mobius gimbals assembled. I pray I didn't install anything upside down - if there is such a thing, since these things look suspiciously symmetric.

I tighten the screws and the lean back just a tad to get fluid motion. I stare at it for a few minutes, daring it to spontaneously disassemble itself again. I frown at the fingerprints. Oh well as long as it works, I can deal with a few fingerprints. They can't weigh much.

Now, onto the brand new cart. It's the AT 150 MLX. In the instructions, the first you you're supposed to do is rip the needle off the cart. Well that's what it felt like anyway. I look at the diagram and apply a little bit of force and it moves a tiny bit and with a little wiggling off the stylus assembly pops. Hm, never had to do that with the other carts I've had ... well whatever.

Now that I'm even more crosseyed than normal from staring at the gimbals from hell and with sore driveway-shoveling musculature vibrating, I have to undergo a tortuous rite of passage involving two screws, two nuts, and four tiny wires. Son. Of. A.... Well after another twenty minutes, I have the cart mounted, and I put the stylus assembly back on, oh-so-carefully.

The traveler comes with an piece of cardboard with alignment information on it. I fiddle with that, and get it in a satisfactory state. I put the counterweight on, and get the tracking weight set with the included Shure tracking weight doodad. Hey, we're getting close! But... Son. Of. A.... the rubber grommet that the tiny wires go through (right where the wires come out of the tonearm and into the stylus) is hanging out. I figure it's supposed to be pushed into the tonearm. So I apply some force (have to remove the bloody screws/nuts holding the stylus). It's kind of wedged in there, not perfect, but I do not want to force it too hard lest I deflabulate the evil gimbals again.

OK. Time to hook it up! I get it wired up. Turn everything on. Grab a Robert Cray album (it's got nice dynamics). Needle slowly lowers to vinyl and.... I barely hear anything. Super quiet! Turn up the preamp. Hum, buzz, noise, and music. Son. Of. A.... so I double-check to see whether the 150MLX is a moving coil (that can't be right, those are really pricey, right?). No joy. I look into increasing the gain on the preamp (I really don't want to get the soldering iron out) when I notice that the the stylus assembly looks as if it might not be fully engaged... so I apply a little force and it pops into place the most satisfying snap I have ever heard in my 43 years.

I turn the volume down on the preamp and lower the needle to the record and HOLY SCHLITZ LOUD MUSIC WOO HOO!! I turn it down a bit and finally sit down and listen for a bit. I hear no distortion, hum, or buzz. In fact, it sounds like everything is working correctly!

I just finished listening to Dire Straits Brother In Arms, the Simply Vinyl audiophile version that I actually purchased from someone on this forum. Thus far I have noticed that, as I was hoping, the background is sooooo much quieter than my old direct drive Marantz. I really can't tell I'm listening to vinyl in the parts between songs! YEAH BABY!

As far as the sound goes, it's very solid, very clear, very dynamic. I've only listened for a couple hours. But it sounds like crystal clear digital, only slightly smoother, if that makes any sense. Gone is the rumble and noise from my other deck. The only thing that concerns me slightly is that the motor makes a bit of noise that I can hear when I'm right at the turntable. It's sort of a quiet hum/rattle. Dunno if it's anything to be worried about. It sounds fantastic from my chair, with no audible wow/flutter/speed variations.

Woohoo, vinyl is fun again! And I haven't even gotten my phono preamp upgrade yet (should arrive in a couple days... the iFi iPhono). More impressions as they come....

 

And here's a pic.

 

Congrats. I think when I upgrade to a new table this year ill probably buy local or else have a guy I know about, set it up for me and tweak my entire system at the same time. I get the hobby, but that part is not for me anymore.

 

Why did you have to assemble the tonearm? That would make me think twice about that table. If I was buying a TT kit it would be less than $1300.

 

Jim,

For some unknown reason it just came apart. The screws that hold the gimbals together must have been loose. It shouldn't have happened, but it did. Thankfully it was something that I didn't need to send it back to get fixed. I might contact VPI about this.

 

Somewhere in my readings on the Traveler I've come across the exact same complaint re the Travelers tonearm. Fixable but an issue.

 

There is a thread where this problem is outlined in detail on another forum. PM me for details. Suffice it to say that everyone for whom this has happened has received a newly updated Traveler, gratis. You owe it to yourself to get it right so you can have many years of trouble free listening.