The thumb-screw lock the VPI unipovot is a weak part of its' design. You'll notice they changed to compression fit counter weight now
Seeking to upgrade from my Prime Scout turntable
I currently have VPI Prime Scout entry level turntable with a Dynavector 20X2-H/L cartridge. My dealer recommended the VPI Prime 21 which retails for $5500.00. Does anybody own the VPI Prime 21, and do you believe that I would notice a positive difference in sound quality that is worth the upgrade? Any thoughts would be appreciated. The rest of my system consists of Vandersteen 5A loudspeakers, h Thor Audio TP-150 mono block power amplifiers,(just replaced 16 tubes, 8 per side with Mullard New Production el-34 tubes and am pleased with the sound.) The rest of the system is a Thor Audio Linestage and a Thor Audio Phone stage, and a Marantz SACD player. All of the Thor components sound great, but noteThor went out of business many years ago. I mentioned my system as it is highly resolving so I figured a turntable upgrade may be noticeable in a positive way. Thank you.
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For that sort of money you could invest in a new Holbo Mk2 air bearing system, which includes deck and arm but not cartridge. Forget gimbal versus uni-pivot. You get an extremely rigid tangential tonearm that floats on an air bearing. The arm is constrained on its bearing so that it can only slide bodily sideways, or rotate vertically. This provides an incredibly stable platform for the cartridge. The platter also runs on an air bearing. You can forget about anti-skating - it is not needed with tangential arms. Vertical Tracking Angle can be adjusted while a record is playing. Just as important for stereo playback, Horizontal Tracking Error is effectively zero, whereas most pivoting arms are up to 2-degrees out. |
@inagroove yes thanks I already saw it after @tablejockey recommended it will pick it up before my next cartridge upgrade |
I like the idea of upgrading to the VPI Prime. As a Prime Signature owner, I found it to be a great table out of the box. But what is most impressive is that it serves a great platform should you desire to upgrade it over time. I’ve upgraded mine with a Kuzma 4 point tonearm, Mutech Hayabusa cart, and VPI analog speed controller. The results are outstanding. The tonearm improvement shocked me. Absolutely astounding. |
- 27 posts total