Sprung vs Unsprung VPI Turntables.

Well I live in an apartment building in NYC with a concrete floor and I use an Arcici Lead Balloon stand filled with lead shot. I have a 1" think piece of felt on top and then a 1" piece of acrylic on top of the felt.

My tonearm is the SME V (ca 1987) and I use Grado Cartridges and the SAMA motor.

IMHO the sorbothane suspension is far better than the sprung suspension. The bass goes far deeper and the imaging is higher and deeper.

That's my experience.

I've switched back for a while when I changed out my speakers and amplifiers and ended up with the Sorbothane pucks again.

I still have my VPI Sorbothane pucks, but wont be using them. I really prefer my HW19 MK.IV with Sprung Suspension. I really couldn't ask for more bass. VPI produces wonderful bass as is, HW19's were famous for that. And my ZETA Tonearm was well known for it bass reproduction. Also cartridges come into play, as well as speakers, etc...ALON has incredible Bass, not exagerrated, just very deeep and tight. I have read posts in here, where guys told about excessive supports under their turntables, with concrete floors, using slabs of marble, plus other layers of dense naterial, and some felt, and they were advised by other members that it was overkill, and would hamper performance, I dont understand this, but it can be found either here, or in the Vinyl Engine. It may be overdoing it, with a concrete floor. Ray

If you were able to read the TT tweak section of mapleshade records before it was removed (now missing from their website), he spoke about one of the biggest improvements being to remove suspension of the turntable and of the motor in order to remove "random motion" between the two. In fact this is what Harry has done on the most recent TT (Classic) and I think there is merit to this.

I may try substituting isoblocks under the motor and surefoots under the TT instead of sorbothane even (provided I'm on one of those maple blocks of course....) if I don't upgrade to the Classic.

BTW - I do not believe that VPI would make any change that is not related to improving the sound at a given price point. His business does fine on record cleaners and accessories alone for him to be worried about replacement markets.

As I am seeing now, many long time very serious Audiophiles, are now taking a step back to the Vinyl Heyday, of the late 70's into the full part of the 1980's. They mention that the best of the best was made during this time period. So, they are going after Classic Cartridges, hopefully NOS....with good suspension, but rubber renew has been known to help the grommet stay supple, in suspension. This is why I think I have never heard a Non Suspended VPI that I liked....I feel that they moved away from the best ways of doing things, in order to change for changes sake...hence selling more tables. Lets face it, they made the Non Suspended decks much sleeker and nicer looking than HW19's but I dont believe anywhere near in sound. I have not heard the Classics, and the only other VPI that I like is the TNT...certain series. Its easy enough to isolate your motor, and your springs, without spending much money, and the way was told to me by Mike of VPI. I did take him up on the motor isolation. Its almost like the crazy so called improvements with the SuperPlatters, for the HW19's MK.IV and in reality, only one of the platters, was the true best one, not the clear platter, etc... there was another in there, also sucked. So, I will stick with what I continue to hear. Harry even makes posts regarding the HW19's on Audio Asylum or Audio Karma, I have read all of his posts. But remember, some of it is still to do with sales. Ray

The older TNT turntables have really come down in price since the introduction of the Classic. Would one be better off with a Classic or say a TNT 3 or even the HW-19 mk4 mentioned above? Are the aluminum platters or the acrylic platters supposed to be better. Completely confused by the VPI line. Bob