i just have to jump in here- i bought an aries years ago with this MASSIVE OVERBUILT motor, right? and, it sounded awesome. but i bought the plc anyway, because it was supposed to improve the performance (?). well,
i never noticed anything in particular, but my plc worked fine. then i upgraded to the sds, which makes the motor turn EXACTLY at speed. the improvement was subtle to my ears, plus i had to raise the sds voltage to get the platter to start turning!
and now, the aries has been completely redesigned, which i don't even care for as much as what i have. so, sour grapes or no, i ain't going to touch my turntable anymore. it sounds fine. i can't blame vpi for marching forward with various modifications, but the aries blew me away from the day i bought it, soundwise, looks wise, functioned perfectly. if it ain't broke... anyway, you have to really have a yen for how the sds works, because you may not hear too much, but it is quite sophisticated, and well built.
but if money is an issue, leave it be.
i never noticed anything in particular, but my plc worked fine. then i upgraded to the sds, which makes the motor turn EXACTLY at speed. the improvement was subtle to my ears, plus i had to raise the sds voltage to get the platter to start turning!
and now, the aries has been completely redesigned, which i don't even care for as much as what i have. so, sour grapes or no, i ain't going to touch my turntable anymore. it sounds fine. i can't blame vpi for marching forward with various modifications, but the aries blew me away from the day i bought it, soundwise, looks wise, functioned perfectly. if it ain't broke... anyway, you have to really have a yen for how the sds works, because you may not hear too much, but it is quite sophisticated, and well built.
but if money is an issue, leave it be.