I need to understand how you can swap out a 9 inch arm for a 10 inch. Don't you need to redrill the plinth for the 10 inch arm as that will require relocating the mounting point for the 10.5? |
That was my thought exactly, however, if you go to the VPI website, they are offering that particular upgrade. ( they mension it in big type right on their home page) When I talked to them, they said it was a very easy swap, and that the table didnt have to be redrilled. They did say, that 2 small holes had to be drilled for little screws, and they said it was very easy to do. |
Stevecham,
Good question, but the answer's easy to discern from product photos.
The JMW 9 and 9 Sig's mounting shaft is located directly beneath the arm's pivot point.
The mounting shaft for higher model JMW's is located beneath the VTA tower, not beneath the arm bearings. This offset moves the pivot point farther from the spindle.
In addition, the photos make it look like you could rotate these arms in the mounting hole. This would let you fine tune mounting distance before locking it down, which would also give you the opportunity to try different alignment schemes.
I've never actually worked with a JMW so I can't really answer Stringreen. Are you sure there's no set screw through the side of the plinth? Maybe just a small hole (or two) for a hex key? I'm just speculating....
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Interesting, but without a bolt on the bottom to hold the arm tightly to the turntable itself, how does one remove the arm? Thanks |
Stringreen,
From the photos it looks like you have a mounting collar screwed down to the plinth. There's a set screw (or two?) going through that collar from the side. Loosening the set screw(s) lets the arm slide up and down, right? Doesn't it just slide right out?
You could always call VPI. They probably know! ;-)
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I recently bought a JMW-10 arm, and then some upgrade parts from VPI, to install as a second arm on a custom plinth. This arm does not require a mounting hole as do most other arms. There is a base plate for the arm that requires three machine screws to secure to an armboard or plinth. Everything for the arm itself and the connecting wires attach to this plate.
Therefore, mounting is simple: measure the base plate location position per VPI, drill three small holes for the base plate, install three screws, and set up the arm. |
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One thing you may want to consider is that the longer arm is more difficult to handle than the shorter one. With the unipivot design the assembly tends to be more difficult to place on the leading edge groove and remove from the center after play. My friend has the Aries with the 10.5" and I have the Scout with the 9" arm and I always feel a little awkward when playing an LP with his rig. I'm not sure it bothers him much since he is probably used to the longer arm. Question: what kind of improvement do you expect by swapping out the short for the long arm? |
..you mean aside from depleting the bank account? When I get the new one in, I'll tell you what differences I hear. ..and here's a hint. If you where glasses, remove them while listening. You will hear greater depth, air, etc. This doesn't apply if you wear contact lenses. |
Hee Hee.That was good.Wish they offered the 10.5 on Scoutmaster but realize different plinth altogether guess Harry thought more $$$ to be made with those who might wan to the update and having to start with $6 Super.I have 12.5 Aries and want more compact uni and considering between two decks Scoutmaster and Super.Cost of SDS and ring clamp make it $2900 verus $3500 if you factor those as wants.Stingreen I was wondering since your going for 10.5 which should sound better (though not sure how much since 9 and 9 sig are damn good) if the $1K heavy platter might make more difference am going to call and ask how much standard Super weighs verus the 25lb unit.Damn glad I
never went from the TNT5 composite to TNT6 acrylic.It was sad to hear everyone who bought (mainly to get ring clamp) say it was "not better not worse but a lighter more lithe presentation blah blah etc etc" and hen see they came out with a 25LB for $1200.I just want smaller deck or I re-wire my 12.5 and get 25lb platter as well as SDS.If I go Scoutmaster going to go with 25lb as you can't help but get better results with higher inertia.But I wonder buck for buck if platter upgrade isn't better than 10.5.I rarely used VTA unless I went from standard to 200 gm LP's.
Chazz |
Hi Chazzbo.. From what I get from your post, you say that the heavy platter will give me more bang for the buck than will a longer arm. My Superscoutmaster has the heavy platter, the new feet, the SDS, a Gingko dust cover which makes it look like a museum piece, balanced (xlr) outputs for my Ayre K1xe preamp, a Benz Ebony H cartridge soon to be upgraded to the Benz LP, and tomorrow, the UPS man is going to deliver a Gingko cloud for resonance control. I'll post if I hear an improvement when that gets set up. |
I see on the Music Direct site that they now offer the Superscoutmaster with the 10.5 arm. I also wonder what improvments might be made by moving to the longer arm. Please keep us informed if you make the move. |
I ordered the 10.5i replacement for my 9incher about 3 weeks ago. I expect the exchange kit any day now..they said 3-4 weeks. Acturally, when I ordered the turntable, they said the same, but it was more like 7 or 8 weeks. I'll post as soon as I get it and set it up. |
