Scottht, what tonearm are you using? |
Certainly yes,
You will have problems!
In your place I wouldn't jump so-little since the more little you jump the more mony you'll eventually spend for upgrade.
You will definitely will want to jump to better one.
As to setting up the cartrige, IMHO, you can only do it yourself. It has to be some time before you'll find the best point of listening that consists of mainly three variables Tracking Force, VTA and load. For MM you can drop load but some phonostages may have adjustable load capacitance. |
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You're going from a MMF-7 to a VPI 19 Jr.?! That's kind of similar to selling a Toyota Camry to buy a Honda Accord! He-he! If I were you, I will wait a couple of months, save some more money and get a significantly better table (Nottingham Space Deck, entry level TERES, Origin Live Aurora, etc..). Just my humble opinion... Good Luck! |
Tone arm is the AudioQuest PT-6
It is the Vpi that was listed here. |
Scott, you will have no problem setting up your turntable. Although your particular rig was originally set up with a Sumiko Blue Point Special. Your PT-6 tonearm does provide you with a provision for adjusting VTA. You may want to adjust VTA accordingly with your new Grado. Grado's are extremely sensitive to VTA. I use a Grado with a RB900 tonearm on a VPI Mk.IV.
The majority of fine tuning I have done was with the VTA and tracking weight (obviously one will affect the other). I believe the Grado is a slightly taller cartridge than the BPS.
Best of luck with your new rig. |
Aisip, I dont think it is like that at all. I have much more choices when it comes to upgrading the Vpi. The MMF7 isn't able to upgrade. The project arm on the MMF7 has no mass for a heavier cartidge. I just seemed to be stuck with the stock table. And knowing me, when I sell it in a year. I will get my money back from it. |
Scott,
As I have stated in posts in other threads, I own a MMF-7 and I totally understand your purchase. There is not much of a future with an MMF, upgrade-wise. Your point about the tonearm mass and cartridge choice is right on the mark.
flemke makes an interesting reference, this hobby can be almost that consuming. And no matter what problems you may encounter due to the purchase of your new TT you will learn to love this hobby more with each successful tweak that will overcome any problem you may encounter. I mean, c'mon, there are alot of people out there that have had the VPI 19 Jr. that can give you input.
I am not quite ready to do a major upgrade to my MMF TT due to some major purchases of pre-amp and interconnects. I am to the point, though, that I am considering making a hardwood plinth. But then again I would still be using the MMF bearing.
Have fun with your new table. I trust that once your wife hears the difference she will respond as mine has to each new component. My wife will still not sit and listen as I do, but she can walk into the room and quickly tell me that she can hear the difference a new component makes. |
Vinyl, She don't lie.. ;-) |
Toyota Camry to Honda Accord? Nothing could be farther from the truth. I just got the Vpi today and this thing is a beast. Maybe from a Camry to a Hummer! The MMF and Vpi are not even in the same league. How could you possibly make that comparison? This thing weighs 40lbs. The dust cover weighs more than the MMF7. Just an amazing arm. I couldn't be happier. |
You're happy, I'm happy! Congrats! I used to own a VPI Jr. many moons ago. It was a very early model and I was not particularly impressed with its performance and build quality. Maybe the current model is built to a much higher standard.
Happy listening! |
Congrats! Although the MMF7 and VPI Jr. are considered in the same class, I heard both and preferred the Jr. When I auditioned it, my salesman upgraded it to a MkIII right in front of me. Very interesting, easy, and what a difference! That Jr. will be a great table to upgrade--and trust me, you'll upgrade. Upgrading is good! And fun! I was impressed with what a difference going from sorbothane to springs and a more massive platter made! One caveat, the Grado MM that I heard on the MkIII did hum a little. I ended up going another direction and got a Gyro, but I think VPI makes some very nice tables. I'd take one over that MMF7, they're nice but only so much you can do with them, as you found out.
Have fun with it! :) |
Yes, you may notice hum with that combo. A friend has that combo and it bothered him. He fixed it with MU metal. If you run into it, and it bugs you, swap the Grado. |
Now from what I understand, this happens at the end of the record. Correct? |
WOW!!! Thats all I can say. Now I am not sure exactly what is making a bigger difference. Most likely a combination of everything. It is much quieter. Especialy when tracking the groove. The whole presentation is much more solid.
Yet almost seems a little softer, not quite as sharp. I prefer this sound to the other.
Took me about 15 min. to set everything up. Of course I am sure I will spend days fine tuning. But it wasn't difficult at all.
I still have a hard time believing these two tables are considered in the same class. Sound quality sure isn't.
The only difficulty that I ran into was, the Cardas leads that the seller supplied me. Each end has about 1/2 inch of shrink tubing in the end. It was a little difficult getting the Grado in place without concern of breaking a lead. It was a little tight.
Now I might be done :-) at least for a few months anyways. |
