Outer Ring for VPI scout Without spending $$$$

Thanks, i appreciate all the input, I think i will just wait a year or two and drop the big $ on the HRX, F&#K It!

I have an outsider record weight from Sound Engineering. It's custom made for your platter. You simply measure your platter width and thickness, communicate with Bob at Sound Engineering and voila - one appears on your doorstep a short time later - custom fit for your platter.

It is a few dollars more than what you are looking to spend, but it is WAY short of the VPI upgrade price menitoned above.

It's more than well worth the money. This and the insider record weight (can be seen on their website) combine for a serious upgrade. Just one guys opinion, but both are in use on my Clearaudio for every minute of vinyl play and will always be.

The Peripheral ring clamp from the HR-X lists for $500.00, it will fit the Scoutmaster, & Super Scoutmaster acrylic platers, but NOT the standard aries Scout. What you saw was a complete Aries acrylic platter, upgraded bearing, ring clamp package for $1100.00. It will only fit older TNT's, Black Knight, & Aries tables.

Unless you have someone make you a higher arm-board for your Scout Jmw-9 tone-arm. But then again you will have to spend to get the $1100.00 combo as you need the larger platter then the Scout's.

The only affordable way is to do a Scoutmaster upgrade/ Scout trade-in. And then buy the clamp, as walking into a machine shop with $200-300.00 isn't going to get you one made. Good Luck

I believe the VPI ring only fits the 12.25" platter. That's why you would have to buy the platter, bearing, and ring assembly.

The ClearAudio record weight is indexed, by machining the inside diameter of the record weight to the outside diameter of their platter. That is why Michael Fremer couldn't get the ClearAudio weight centered on his platter and worried about bearing wear and changes in pitch during playback.

George Merrill offered an outside weight years ago. It was cast not machined, which had the possibility of being out of balance. And again centering and fitting the record weight was by indexing off their platter.

The Sound Enginering is a fully machined stainless steel or brass weight, indexed off the outside diameter of the record and individually machined for the customers and cartridge. This provides a centered record weight for any platter and allows any cartridge to decend down into the lead-in groove without the body of the cartridge hitting the record weight.

Close tolerances and accurate fittting of the record weight is essential to both the sonic improvement and preventing premature wear on the spindle bearing. The labor involved in machining an outside record weight requires more than 5 hours of machining and places the record weight slightly higher than your $200-$300 target price.

I would suggest that VPI would make the best and cheapest outer ring for VPI's. I know Clearaudio make an outer ring, but that is a lot more expensive and it may not fit the VPI.
I think you are going to be plain out of luck with your price expectation.

I have the outer ring on my HR-X and it is good, however I don't use it except for really warped LP's, I am burning LP to CD or if I am feeling particulary anal. It just stays on the TT.

So my advise is to spend the 2-300 bucks on LP's and enjoy.

cheers Shane