VPI has a 2nd pivot addition for the tonearm that stabilizes it and makes it sound better. Very inexpensive and easy to do
Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.
Should I pursue analog? Invest maybe 3 or 4 grand in a table and start buying records? Some stuff sounds really good on Vinyl but it's an expensive endeavor and NEW records aren't cheap. Plus thos pops and noise and a lot of setup required. Love the vintage aspect of it. Some records sound truly amazing on a really good table and cartridge. Take the plunge? Or buy a better DAC and dont look back!!! Lol.
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@inorganic For me, there's more to playing records than the music. I happen to enjoy the inconvenience of having to store, clean, and cue an LP. Lots of cartridge, tables and tonearm offerings to drool over. I love the plethora of accessories available. I really enjoy hooking my system up to a digitizer and evaluating table and cartridge response with a scope and RTA. I have an extreme technical background. I enjoy messing with the cartridge alignment to see how the system responds. I replace caps on every piece of used gear I get. I use REW to get my system and room optimized. I use traps for room resonance control. And guess what...I rally have improved my system. Not just the numbers, but the sound. I listen to digital also, but I am quickly bored. There's nothing to get my hands on! Doing "analog" keeps my mind engaged. And challenged. And my pocketbook empty! This is the opinion from way out on the fringe. |
The $28 were for 4 VG+ condition Ramsey Lewis ARGOs. The free records are a mix of classical, pop and country. Virtually no jazz or classic rock. However, the condition of 75% of the 155 LPs were in excellent or mint condition. I chose some rare 50s classical and pop in VG+ condition with only 8 clunkers. That's a fantastic ratio for free LPs. Hey, don't go there and leave more good LPs for me. P.S. Some genres of music on LPs have very low market value such as opera. Difficult to give away. The store has a very good selection of mostly pop, rock and jazz at very reasonable prices. I'm not about to wreck a Benz Ruby 3 $3000 cartridge on dreck condition LPs. |
No record cleaning machine in the world can compensate for what you call “beat up” records. Beat up records are records that have been damaged by worn out styli or incorrect tone arm geometry or too much or too little tracking force. Once LPs are damaged in that way, cleaning them makes no difference. However, a good RCM is useful for cleaning dirty records that you may have purchased second hand. As to the condition of used LPs, if you select carefully and purchase from responsible vendors, you should easily be able to buy very high-quality used LPs that play as if new. |
You can double your collection for $20 at the Record Parlour store in Hollywood, CA.
The Record Parlour@RecordParlour #FREE #VINYLRECORDS! Take up to 100 #Records w/ any $20 purchase. 40,000+ overstock #LPs #Cassettes and #DJ #Vinyl liquidated at The @RecordParlour Jan 19-21, 2019. The last time I was there in 2019, I got 155 excellent classical and some pop records for $28 in the store purchase. The store purchases were four very good condition Ramsey Lewis Jazz ARGO LPs and I forgot what else. Spend $100 and get 500 free records. |
I have 25,000 LPs. About 15,000 are in mint condition and of adequate pressing quality as to exhibit no clicks or pops. One cannot determine whether a CD or an LP is playing other than the additional ambiance of the LP over a CD is often present. As to the other LPs with clicks and pops, my higher end analog system negates the interference of those sounds (minimizes their impact) relative to the dynamic sound of the music. |
I've heard one of Donald Fagen's solo albums on LP on an $850,000 system which included Avante Garde Trios, 3 pairs of Basshorns and 2 Rel Subwoofers. The deep bass was phenomenal (about the only thing I appreciated in that system). Sure it was summed mono below 50 Hz but wow was it deep below that. Yes, digital can have superior deep bass in stereo. My own system has bass down to 25 Hz with 6-12" woofers (room doesn't support the 13 Hz claim of the manufacturer). This is with either analog or digital. The OP shouldn't worry about bass quality with a VPI/SME combination. |
Bought the VPI as well and going back and forth the old VPI Scoutmaster SMOKES the REGA RP10. Going to see if I can exchange the Rega for a DAC. The VPI is WAY more quiet. NOW there is bass in the music. The arm sucks though. Very wobbly and unstable but the overall sound is amazing. REGA is overrated. |
But i can imagine industry without belt drive turntables, those companies did nothing except for cheap turntables for consumers That's about the stupidest as of yet statement you've made. Besides the fact you couldn't name a producer of Japanese tables who also didn't produce belted tables as well, the names of tables who went only belt would shame your rubber hearted technics. Please, we all can read the same drivel you regurgitate regularly here...so stick to that and don't go outside your true narrow vision and knowledge. 5 years of using old units with tired electronics hardly makes an expert. Its insulting to those that actually have and do fix, repair and rebuild tables since the 70's. There is no best, there are choices , all with differing strengths and weaknesses and more importantly different tone and tempos and extremes. All drives can and do offer good to excellent results. The real question is when your not driving people from these forums with your drivel....how many of your real peers with the bear driving can you get in your car...... |
Dear @artemus_5 : "
There are good belt drives & good Direct drives..."" of course and I agree with you but the critical subject as @ct0517 pointed out is the overall set-up and that's why I don't like Rega tonearms that does not permit a rigth/precise cartridge set up that must be our main analog concern. R. |
I started in the late 80’s as a high end audio salesman for 2 different stores representing the names of VANDERSTEEN, KRELL, CONRAD JOHNSON, APPOGEE, AUDIO RESEARCH, MCINTOSH, B&W, SUMO, JEFF ROWLAND, MARK LEVINSON, VPI, REGA, LINN, ATMOSPHERE, ELECTRON KINETICS, CELESTION, DUNLAVY, QUICKSILVER, PSE, NAD, THORENS, BAT, ETC. Enough said. For a salesman started in the 80’s it’s ridiculous to read what you posted about Japanese Direct Drive turntables, i think you never tried any of them in your life (or at least any serious DDs). Unlike you, the owners of the brands you’ve been selling were inspired by Japanese cartridge designers, the best carts from Krell, M.Levinson, J.Rowland are all made in Japan by Japanese cartridge designers like Takeda-San and Ikeda-San. Japan is the land of Direct Drive high-end turntables as much as the best cartridges. So maybe it’s a cultural difference... I tried a dozen of Direct Drive TTs from relatively cheap to very expensive, but the difference between me and you is that i tried them all in the past 5 years and i don’t have to remember anything that happened 40 years ago like you. Right now in my system i have Victor TT-101 (pair), Luxman PD-444 (pair), Denon DP-80, also some cheaper models from Technics and Micro Seiki that is not necessary to mention. You will hardly find anything better than those 3 models from those 3 brands even if your budged (just for the drive without tonearm and plinth) will be over $10k or even more. Unfortunately only Technics (Matsushita) still in business for audiophiles with their new Direct Drive like SP-10R which is probably surpass anything new under $20k, because the price policy for many high-end brands including those belt drives is simply insane! While the prices from Matsushita is more than real, they are affordable! In fact i don’t care what you will buy, but i want our readers (who never post here) to be aware of it. Vintage Direct Drive turntables from Technics, Denon, Luxman, Victor ... are great, they are flawless, solid, made in Japan and will serve their owners longer than many new crappy units that modern industry can offer for higher prices. Technics and JVC Victor made DD motors of the highest possible quality, for this reason those motors were inside the wolrd class Disc Lathe machines in the best disc cutting studios. Japanese giants of vinyl industry also made cutting heads for Disc Lathe machines. It’s hard to imagine the industry without them. But i can imagine industry without belt drive turntables, those companies did nothing except for cheap turntables for consumers. |
^^^^^ Most of the time it comes down to $$$. I disagree - Most of the time it comes down to setup. Jeffvegas - did you ever get that big Krell into your apt. ? Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.the Op title taken at face value. the reality is IMO that if an Audiophile is listening to his gear - Turntable, and everything downstream, the stand, the furniture, the room. He... she.... then only needs maybe 6 records. Its a vibration resonance hobby....everything matters with vinyl. |
@uberwaltzI think you need to see the context as to why Jeff posted what he did. Maybe he got tired of the dogmatic opinions of those who make like they have all the knowledge on this board. I know I get tired of it. There are good belt drives & good Direct drives. I do not believe in the impossibilities....but the improbable. Most of the time it comes down to $$$. |
cackster-I fully agree with you. DD is a standard in disc cutting and DD can be equal to BD. As to the $5000 HRX, if it is sold with the upgraded platter and an SDS unit, yes, it's still a great TT. If it includes a decent arm such as my SME IV, it's a steal. Just get a good isolation platform like my Townsend Seismic Sink to obtain maximum sound quality (my VPI TNT VI is very similar to an HRX). |
No harm no foul goners. I have greatly appreciated all your input into this endeavor. All your opinions are sound ones backed up by fact not fiction. This is not an inexpensive hobby and your inputs have helped me tremendously. High end Audio is and always will be full of opinions. There are hundreds of loudspeaker companies doing business and hundreds of electronics companies doing business because we all like our music presented to us in different ways. Now, as I drop the needle on Steely Dan Aja I bid you farewell. |
Artemus. I am pretty sure nobody is getting butt hurt over the OPs choice of table, certainly not myself. In fact I congratulate him for making a decision and taking the plunge. No, my concerns were with his blatantly childish and somewhat arragont posts, that were very unbecoming and not really called for. There are members saying Raul and myself should back off and take it easy. Thats fine by me but if you care to look back through the order of posts you will see clearly where and who posted arrogance and nonsense first. No that does not mean anyone should retaliate with like for like but that’s human nature and contrary to popular belief I am merely human! |
@rauliruegas Yes, I did congratulate him. He made his decision and laid down his $$$. It wasn't the choice I would have made. So what? I didn't get all butt hurt over it. You shouldn't either. As for the arm lacking VTA adjustment, I told him that too and recommended Pete Riggle VTAF for just that purpose. If you look back you will find the post. |
Hana doesnt last. Reports are out that they burn out after 400 hrs. I want something that will do a 1000 hrs.Not sure where you’re getting your info. I haven’t come across any such accounts despite my frequent participance on multiple forums. Occasionally an MC cart needs to be demagnetized, which is a simple, zero-cost procedure that a caveman can perform. As for stylus longevity, those who I consider the foremost experts seem to agree that 500 hours is the limit for about any advanced diamond cut before it begins to cause record wear. For conical and standard ellipticals, that number is even lower, closer to 250 hours. You could take the word of a manufacturer who has a vested interest in selling you his cartridges, and thus very likely to make exaggerations, or seek out some real independent research. The linked blog post is worth a read for any analog enthusiast: https://thevinylpress.com/the-finish-line-for-your-phonograph-stylus/ All I can tell you is that I’ve owned both carts and the Hana SL is superior by a wide margin. The only feature liked of the Carmen was its threaded body. The Hana ML does have a threaded body and would be my choice if budget allows. That or maybe the well-regarded AT ART-9. |
I have forgotten more than all of you will ever know about high end audio. I started in the late 80's as a high end audio salesman for 2 different stores representing the names of VANDERSTEEN, KRELL, CONRAD JOHNSON, APPOGEE, AUDIO RESEARCH, MCINTOSH, B&W, SUMO, JEFF ROWLAND, MARK LEVINSON, VPI, REGA, LINN, ATMOSPHERE, ELECTRON KINETICS, CELESTION, DUNLAVY, QUICKSILVER, PSE, NAD, THORENS, BAT, ETC. Enough said. |
Dear @antinn : """
But, when people do not listen to you, please do not be offended,... "" I did not and I'm not offended in any way. My opinion as your one is just that an opinion in that " chorus ". Now, he will be learn in the hard way: falling and wake up and again and again and is a good way to learn. He already made his first mistake with that tonearm and does not matters that the retailer can support him to the set up because that tonearm just is not designed for a precise cartridge set up. Anyway, your point is your point and a good opinion and I respect it. R. |
@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'. |
I may also consider the soundsmith MM because of its superior stability compared to a MC. The Hana is good but a REAL MC cartridge starts around 2 thousand bucks.Weird. I switched from a Soundsmith Carmen to a Hana SL and the improvement was incredible. The Carmen isn’t even in the same league, let alone the same ballpark. The linked thread details the experience of a guy who "downgraded" to the Hana SL from a Koetsu Rosewood: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/so-glad-i-took-a-chance-on-a-hana-cartridge.751483/#post-18685655 I also posted in that thread regarding some trouble I was having with the bass of my SL, but disregard all of that, it turned out to be a problem further up the chain. My local dealer used to listen to a Koetsu Rhodonite on a regular basis. He's considered one of the most talented analog gurus in the industry and sets up 5-figure analog systems regularly. He will tell you Hana carts are hands down the best value out there. |
