Rack/stand for VPI Scout


Hi,
Just decided to join the black hole of vinyl and bought a VPI Scout turntable coupled to an Ortofon cartridge. Now, I have to buy a rack to sit the thing on. My Target 5T rack just won't allow both the Conrad Johnson Premiere 11A and the Scout to fit. I'm thinking about just going the cheap way and buying an amp stand for the CJ for around $100, but am afraid that setting the Scout on the top shelf of the Target won't make for good results. My wife also doesn't like the look of the amp stand because it only sits a few inches off the floor. A possibility is to just get a Salamander Archetype 2.0 for $100 and set the CJ on top of that and put the Scout on the top shelf of the Target T5 rack. Does anyone have suggestions for a rack/stand system that's less than $500 and would not adversely affect the sound of the Scout too much? I'd really like to stay away from wall mounted as I can't find the studs and i'm in San Francisco (earthquakes :-( Thanks!

Winston
wcheng89622b03
Hi Winston,

I did the following for my Scout: Salamander Archtype 2.0 with spikes, removed the top shelf and replaced it with a custom cut and drilled slab of 3/4" black granite. On top of the granite I use 4 Mapleshade Isoblock footers. Resting on top of those is a two inch thick slab of maple that I finished with clear coat and buffed it out with ultra fine steel wool. The Scout rides on top of this. Works great, looks great, and keeps the table at a good height for the record playing ritual.
Get those feet of your VPI Scout right now!! Replace them with black diamond cones or Audio point cones. I swear it will sound like you bought a new amp!
Update to my earlier post:
My Scout sits on a 2" maple slab. Under the slab are Mapleshade heavy footer brass cones on a 1 1/2" John Boos rock maple based 2 shelf rack w/brass rods, nuts, and washers.
I have also found a thick maple block to be a very good support for my Scout. At present, the table is on a 2" thick maple platform, supported by large elastomer feet I bought from Parts Connection. That's on top a Billy Baggs Pro rack. I found the maple so effective, I'm making a 3 1/2" thick maple platform to replace the thinner one.
I'm using the Atlantic Reference 5 rack. The top shelf sits on spikes, which isolates it from vibration. I'm getting very good performance from this setup.