VPI Aries 3 Questions - Looking to make a switch

I probably shouldn’t comment without having owned a VPI, but there’s no way I would go from any Aries to any kind of Classic. My old dealer Pete of Audio Atlanta (who I trust in all things analog) got frustrated with the direction VPI took when going from the Scoutmaster / Aries lines to the Classics. And since another commenter mentioned SOTA - I bet he’d be blown away by the stuff SOTA is doing right now; major tech and material upgrades with the latest series. And with a much better "classic table" aesthetic than any VPI Classic, IMO. So they’re definitely worth a look.

That said, I love the look of the old Aries / HR-X series. I’ve heard my friend’s HR-X and it’s a sweet table. The Aries 3 looks just like an HR-X Junior. I considered one strongly, before I bought a Clearaudio Innovation. You might consider keeping it while upgrading to the 3D arm, which is very nice - it even did a great job running my Koetsu Rosewood Platinum (I didn’t expect a VPI unipivot to do well there, but it did). I haven’t heard the Fatboy or gimbal version, which may be even better - but the Reference (?) 3D arm is already very good. Surely space can’t be so much at a premium; what’s the actual footprint difference between your Aries 3 and a Classic?

I think the Aries / HR-X will be considered the "real" classics of the VPI line.

OP,

Nice system. I have similar equipment and owned an Aries for twenty years. Fantastic sounding turntable. Personally from your post I would keep it.

I moved from the unsprung Aries to a sprung Linn LP12. I believe (not adamantly) that there is a fundamental difference in sound between sprung and unsprung tables. The unsprung have greater solidity and sound a bit quieter and the sprung sound a bit livelier and detailed. As my dealer said the VPI sounds like a muscle car and the sprung more like a Porsche. They are different sounding. To me the Aries was (is) a screaming deal in sound for the money. I have owned Rega’s, and the AR… and a couple others. To me you have to spend a lot more on a sprung table to get the same sound quality. I love my Linn LP12, but with my cartridge it cost nearly $25K.

 To me you have to spend a lot more on a sprung table to get the same sound quality

A bit more, maybe, but not much more. My Sota Nova VI w/vacuum costs $5700 without arm. Arms comparable to most JMWs can be had for <$1500, IMHO. They can provide armboards for almost anything you need.

Vs. my TNT6-HR (basically an HRX with 1 layer plinth instead of aluminum sandwich), the Sprung Sota is quieter, more dynamic. But take it with a grain of salt, because arm & cart differences come into play too. Tough to find comparisons limited to one variable! Cheers,

Spencer

@sbank 

Yes, Spencer you are correct. I did not state that correctly. 
 

Both turntables innately have sonic advantages. I wanted the advantages of both.Your personal value on different positive attributes could easily make the equation highly variable. 

As Spencer points out, there are a lot of variables!

i have in some combo heard just about everything in your fantastic system - my compliments. I have heard a Delos sound pretty amazing in a similar VPI table but it had HRS isolation. my only issue was it was a bit phasy..but the speakers were more ruthless Kento. I think stick w table but gimbled for sure. Best to you ! enjoy the music.

Jim