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

Ferrari "better" than a Porsche?

No.

VPI do not suck. Did anyone say that? For sure not me. What I said was get off the merry go round. Not change horses. Get off.

From having owned, upgraded, modded and ultimately built my own tablehttps://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 my take on it is this. A turntable is really, really simple and easy to make. You take a board, stick a bearing in it, put a disk on the bearing, spin it somehow with a motor, and you got a turntable. There really is nothing more to it. Everything from there on is simply a matter of doing each one of those four things increasingly better little by little. 

The reason things are the way they are is due to a confluence of factors. The first one being its really, really easy to make any turntable better. Any. With most its as easy as adding a little mass or damping to the plinth or platter. Or if not that then adding a cone or shelf under it. Everyone knows this. Hardly anyone seems to understand the implications.

All a manufacturer has to do is make the same damn thing only thicker and wala, it sounds better. Could literally put the same damn motor in a heavier pod with better feet and presto change-o a new model is born. The two most common materials are acrylic and aluminum. Next comes acrylic and aluminum laminated together. Next would be more and more layers of acrylic and aluminum laminated together. No I am not writing what I see on the VPI model page, that's just the way it works which I know having built the damn things myself! I'm sure its a total coincidence that all the VPI tables right up to their flagship model is more and more layers of acrylic and aluminum. 

What's that? Oh yeah. And color. Cool colors and shapes distract from the reality its just more and more of the same old same old.

Second big factor, tablejockey nailed it, you get 20 lined up and compare. Yeah. And then go for a victory lap on your unicorn. Can we get a show of hands, how many have had even 2 tables lined up to compare? Tables. Hello? Not "tables" by which you mean different table, arm and cart. Tables. Two tables with the same arm and cartridge. Anybody? Beuller?? 

Right. So never happens. What happens instead is people have a VPI. And not to pick on VPI, could be Basis, Project, whatever. All the same far as I'm concerned. VPI happens to be the worst, but not worst in the sense of worst tables just worst in the sense of greatest offender in the lots of tiny little stairstep upgrade models.

So you have your VPI and you find it impossible to truly compare side by side with anything. So you take the safe bet and upgrade to a better VPI. Lo and behold! Its better! Well of course it is! VPI is greedy and cynical, just not stupid. For damn sure every model is better than the cheaper one below it. Because that is the one thing their customers are gonna know, how the old one they had compared to the new one. So that's all they have to do to keep the customer satisfied. And understanding the first factor now maybe you can see how silly easy this is to do. 

This is why I always tell people, if you want to make your first table a package, fine. Go for it. Might be the smart move. I don't think so. But depends on the buyer, and below a certain threshold is the only option anyway. 

But everything from that point on should be focused on the individual components. If you buy a table, buy a table. Run your current arm on it, or buy a good arm. Or buy an arm and upgrade the one on your current table. Whatever you do though do not just upgrade to another model up the line. Get off that merry go round.

Wow thanks for the recommendation millercarbon

My pleasure. I Strategically avoided including it in my system photos https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 because mine is the less photogenic Vornado Medium Air Circulator. Look real close, you will not be able to see it behind the left front speaker. If buying again I would definitely go for the Alchemy. So learn from my example and remember, fans or turntables, form follows function but looks don't hurt none neither. 

A Vornado will blow just the right gentle breeze while remaining near silent for hot summer night listening. Not sure if either one will blow away your table, that's subject as always to taste and preference. But I have no doubt that they will blow away your arm - clean across the platter!

jeffvegas asks:

Is the Scoutmaster with JMW memorual arm and a Hana SL a bad table or not? Preferences aside.

Preferences aside there are no bad tables.

Will this table blow away my Project debut carbon?

No. For that I recommend the Vornado Alchemy
https://www.vornado.com/shop/circulators-fans/vfan-alchemy

mc, are you drinking again? 

No, too early. Like to try and give it a day or so from when they let me out. Fortunately for me, Seattle, pot shop on every corner. Makes the music so much better you can't imagine. And what they say about short term mem, mmm, uh, where was I? Anyway the newer stuff has no effect on cog, cogniti, oh you know. Not at all. 

Seriously though I don't get why you guys are making it so hard on the OP. You get some records, something to play em on, drop the needle, relax. Sink into sweet music. If the record seems noisy you're not drinking enough. Sound quality problems not smoking enough. Not enough records? Buy more. Want better records? Buy Better Records https://www.better-records.com/search_adv.aspx?option=s_name&min_price=1&max_price=&manu... KISS!

Wow. Don't listen to these guys OP. Take it from me. At 25 records you should be getting the Onkk Cue. At 30 you are looking at the Caliburn Continuum Magnum. That's why whenever I get to 24 I sell a few, in order to keep the table I have now. The upgrades were killing me before I learned this trick.