Cartridge upgrade for VPI Scoutmaster

I upgraded to the 10.5i from the 9 sig and have never been sorry I did. I don't have a problem with VPI arms myself at all and in fact enjoyed the 9 sig also. My favorite part of the 10.5i is how much easier set up is with the VTA knob. I level the arm when measuring VTF which makes the measurement much more accurate and this is much harder with the 9 sig's set screws vs the knob. I use it with the Benz LP and think I have it set up pretty well. I play vinyl nearly every day for several hours and the majority of the time this combination is mesmerizing. If you want to change tables you MAY find a better performing combination but would likely be much more costly than trying the 10.5i. If you're reasonably happy with the 9 on the Scoutmaster that's not a bad place to be for the money.

I agree with Sonofjim. The upgrade from the 9 Sig to the 10.5 is minimal. If you play with VTA, the 10.5i is very easy to adjust and then return to the original setting while a record is playing thus making it a worthwhile purchase. I have found that power cords can make a huge difference in a stereo system. You don't mention the use of good power cords. I would do that (oops) before anything else except perhaps for a Mint protractor. The proper use of this tool brings the turntable to an entirely new level of performance. Regarding buying used cartridges on line. I know you can save some money, but the purchase is an "iffy" proposition. I bought a couple of cartridges on line...2 were good, but grey market without benefit of dealer or importer support, and one was misrepresented and an ultimate loss. The internet is wild west city. I have tried to post an important find with Vandersteen 5A speakers and it never gets on the internet. I'll try one more time. What is going on....

I bet nine out of ten Scout/JMW-9 owners never have their rigs set up for optimum performance.Count me in the big group.To get that last 10% from the Scout I think you really have to sweat the details.Preferably before you start the upgrades.

I'll wager if you haven't properly set up your arm/cart with the MintLP, you're only realizing 50-60% of what it can really do, given you get azimuth, and anti-skate set.
I keep saying this, but Mapleshade NanoMount System is an amazing and inexpensive tweak that really helps.

Enjoy,
Dan

This is all to true. The lure of new hardware is often very strong. It's easy to forget that, even in the face of brand loyalty and bias, (as we see here commonly) implementation of the equipment is far more important than what it is. As long as you have competent equipment(and you do no matter what anyone says) you'll acheive amazingly satisfying results with a little experimentation and patience. I don't think I have to tell you that you don't have the best turntable/tonearm in the world but neither does anyone else and most have a lot more invested in their pursuit.