Vpi vs. TW Acustic

Hifigary,

If the VPI Classic is as good as the hype it may be a significant but affordable upgrade to the Aries. The last time I talked with Brooks he still had not received one from Harry due to some manufacturing issues with the platter. I'm not even in the market but would like to hear it.

Wendell

HiFiGary,

I upgraded from a VPI Scoutmaster with 9Sig arm to a TW Acustic Raven One with a Graham Phantom.
Yes it's a major upgrade that offers BOTH the HiFi goodies and more importantly, the musically significant upgrades as well. Check out Wayne Garcia's write-up of the Raven One in the current issue of TAS.
He pretty much nails the sound and value of the Raven One.
As a bonus, Jeff at Highwater Sound is a great guy to deal with and will guide you properly.

Hifigary,

If after adding the Triplanar there is still something missing, you should perhaps look into the phono preamp.

In many analog setups, the phono stage can make a huge difference. I think it'll help to mention what phono preamp you're currently using.

After having the EAR 324 for about 1 1/2 years, I recently added the Einstein Turntable's Choice phono preamp (single ended) and it made a huge improvement over the 324.

Isanchez and others, thanks for your suggestions. I have not decided on any table yet. I welcome opinions on any table that may come into play. BTW my preamp is a Hovland hp100 w/ MC... I think I may pay Brooks a visit today for some free analog therapy!

Hifigary,

Good luck with your analog therapy! If you can, you should perhaps audition some phono preamps while you are at your dealer. You'll be surprised at how different the same analog setup can sound with various phono preamps.