Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.

jeffvegas,

Congradulations on your purchase, and your support of your local dealer, and your decision to buy based on what you saw and heard, better known as a very informed decision.

I will make one last recommendation for the Soundsmith Carmen MKII on sale for $699. This is a very easy cartridge to drive, your current preamp MM will drive it fine, no need to go buy a new phono preamp right away, and this cartridge is very forgiving, and has been well reviewed.   The hype-elliptical sylus is not exotic like a shibata, but nor is it as critical of vertical tracking angle, and the latest best documented stylus life puts them both at about 750-1000 hrs, https://thevinylpress.com/the-finish-line-for-your-phonograph-stylus/.   And, the Soundsmith cartridges are known to be quiet, they tend not to emphasize clicks and pops.  Also, you can send the cartridge back to Soundsmith and they will rebuild it for $199, and when they rebuild, they also replace/upgrade the suspension, so you get back effectively a like-new cartridge.  For moving coils, the best you can get without paying about 80% of the original cost is a re-tip with a partial cantilever replacement, but the suspension is not replaced.  However, if your dealer is selling the Hana and they will install, then that needs to be serious consideration as a 1st cartridge.

@rauliruegas,

I will congradulate anyone who is passionate (or crazy 😎 ) enough to take on the challenge of vinyl which has so much "skin in game", and I respect that.  Sometime its more than the music, sometimes its also the experience, and today with so many options it really is Faithful to the Music Your Way.  Different strokes for different folks.  

Otherwise, the Rega has received near universal praise, and while the tonearm does not have the full compliment of adjustments, Jeff has the support of a local Dealer which can assist him, and of course today that is rare.  Otherwise, my TNT has two VPI tonearms the 10.5 and 12-3D, one with Soundsmith Carmen, the other a Soundsmith Paua.  But I am an engineer and experienced and have no problem setting each to my perfection, which is Faithful to the Music My Way.

@rauliruegas, @uberwaltz,

Gents, please give Jeff a break, this is his post, he asked for advise, you gave it.  But, when people do not listen to you, please do not be offended, because the OP may respond defensively and down rabbit hole the post goes.  If you read his prior posts, he listens, but makes his own decisions - good for him, its his ears, its his life, its his money. 

The two of you by your statistics are pretty amazing, joined 2012/2013 and since have accummulated almost 20,000 posts; impressive but this a community forum, and you are only a voice in a chorus.  If you were professional reviewers that had published detailed reviews there may more documented evidence to your position, but even then, its all transient until to next 'great' product. 

The Hana SL is the current $750 darling, but it is MC and will be more sensitive to pre-amp, does not have a threaded headshell and with a shibata stylus can be very sensitive to setup, so it may not be the best 1st cartridge for someone who may not have a lot of experience or the supporting equipment to get the best performance from it.  The $750 Ortofon 2M Black MM is always a safe recommendation, but the replacement stylus is $550.  So, my recommendation is trying to consider the whole picture, and if the OP does not agree with my recommendation, thats OK, that is their God given right, and I am not granted the right to judge their decisions.  

Otherwise, the next $729 darling is likely to be the Audio Technica AT-OC9XSL.  If you read the specs, its unbelievable for the price, threaded headshell, micro fine stylus, boron cantilever, best possible copper wire, neodymium magnets, and on and on, but it has not yet been professionally reviewed.  But given the specs, and the company behind it, it has all the 'potential' to be the next 'giant-killer'.   

@ubrerwaltz,

And with your statement of the truth, may we are we surrender to you the final words. 🤗

Dear jeffvegas,

The decision to where to invest/spend your $$$ is a very personal one - its what's makes you happy - how do you define you destination or your journey.

Digital music has matured to a music presentation all its own.  There is little value in investing in a CD player - the best CD lasers like the swing-arm Phillips CDM4/Pro with German glass optics and 50,000-hr life are history.  Better to burn CDs to FLAC or WAV and use a fanless laptop as a music player with free music player software such as MediaMonkey.

The current future (and as digital it is always subject to change), of digital music is streaming with the current business model of subscription service - how many streaming services will survive is debatable since I believe that many are not yet profitable, but something will survive.  But, consider that if a Hi-Rez music file can be transmitted from a remote physical storage facility (i.e. server center) through 100’s if not 1,000’s of miles of combined fiberoptic and copper cable, through connectors, repeaters, amplifiers; maybe a fiberoptic to copper converter at your home to a router all using 1,000’s if not 10,000’s of circuits, processing by 10,000’s if not 100,000’s of lines of computer operating/BIOS/firmware code, and emerge at your home server bit-perfect be it a lap top or dedicated server, the whole argument of home hardware evaporates, leaving nothing more than the DAC. With the Benchmark DCA-3 (as an example - $1700 for DAC only) essentially being engineering perfection (with I believe a 5-yr warranty) its is plug and play; one and done.  You cannot argue the life-cycle cost of digital music streaming.

Vinyl is anything but plug and play; one and done; it is not about convenience.  It is journey with every step yield personal satisfaction and some frustration, all to get that uniquely analog music experience and presentation that no doubt there is the pride and the allegiance that one achieves from putting in the effort to get it right.  There is a lot to learn and a lot to explore, and if you buy smart - there is a pretty clear upgrade path.  If you buy the VPI Scoutmaster, first VPI still supports it, if you need a new arm pivot or a new motor they have it.  There is an upgrade path to the heavier aluminum platter, different feet, the JMW-10.5 arm and base, the dual-pivot, and each one will improve incrementally the music which then drives you back to re-listening to all your vinyl albums, again and again.  If you were to buy the Soundsmith Carmen MKII cartridge that is on-sale at Elusive Disk for $699 - this is an awesome cartridge for the money, easy to drive, quiet and they will rebuild it for $199.  So, your cartridge life cycle cost is $199/1000-hrs.

Now, if you add up what I just discussed - DAC (Benchmark - new) $1700, Turntable/arm (VPI used) - $1500, Cartridge (Soundsmith Carmen - new) - $699, total cost = $3900, add $100 for turntable incidentals = $4000, right on budget with a 5 year plan for possible turntable upgrades.

Just one opinion, but I gave up on investing in digital and invested in vinyl for the very reasons just stated.  Its your journey and its your experiment, make it your own.

R/Neil

Jeffvegas,

If your talking a total of $10K, go big, this table VPI HRX will not last long at $5999, with free shipping from a dealer, www.ebay.com/itm/VPI-HR-X-Turntable-with-12-Tonearm-with-SDS/324081088366?hash=item4b74bcf76e:g:ORMA....  Add a nice cartridge later.