VPI Super Platter out of square-will it work?


After years of looking I bought a NOS Super Platter in July. Yesterday my Rim Drive Super Scoutmaster was delivered so I took the Super Platter out of the box for the first time and I could feel the edges of the 3 layers thru the plastic! The outer surface is not square. One or the other of the 3 layers protrudes or recedes as you run your finger around the circumference. Sometimes the steel layer sticks out, sometimes one of the acrylic layers sticks out. This platter is new but its as if the acrylic shifted slightly here and there. I don't seed how this could happen with the shaft in place. Is it usable? I contacted the seller for a refund because I don't want to chance losing the $1000 I paid by mounting the platter. Is this what VPI refers to as "thermally unstable"? Is it a partial melting of the acrylic? Someone must have had a similar problem since VPI cancelled production due to production problems. Thanks for the help.
manorraul

Showing 2 responses by brf

I’ve owned most of VPI platter offerings. I never had a problem with concentricity with my Super Platter and I also use a rim drive. VPI discontinued the Super Platter as it was becoming very labor intensive and costly to produce. VPI claims a higher machine tolerance with the new Classic platter, as for the Classic sounding better that is subjective (I personally prefer the Classic platter).

It sounds like a bad batch of Super Platters was produced but really never realized until the launch of the rim drive. The Super Platter is still a highly sought after platter, especially for those who want to use it with a periphery ring.

If you like the sound of the Super Platter, IMHO there is no better platter made than the TNT Mk5 stainless steel and Delrin combo. The Mk5 stainless steel portion is machined to the highest tolerance and works well with the rim drive. I still use both the Mk5 and Classic platter and have since sold my Super Platter.
I agree with both Stringreen and Dougdeacon that a platter that has a problem with concentricity simply cannot be used with a rim drive.

Is the stainless steel middle sandwich out of round, or just the Delrin layers? You can always run the rim drive on the stainless portion (which is the recommended) if it's round.