The Better Table?

Buconero117, I have not personally heard about vibration feedback problems with the rim drive mechanism. I have been using the rim drive on my VPI TNT-6 in my SET system for about four months now. The tonearm and cartridge are the SME IV and a low output MC (Benz L2), and I have not experienced any vibration problems. I would be interested in any further information you might have about the problem some are apparently experiencing.

Stringreen, my HRX motor assembly has rubber feet. They are not especially soft, but they are definitely not metal. I gather that VPI might have made some modifications to the motor assembly feet over time. Another factor influencing the performance of my turntable is the fact that it sits on a Silent Running Audio VR isolation base. The base does an excellent job of absorbing vibration energy, and this could be a reason I have never experienced any noise or feedback problems with the rim drive mechanism.

Stringreen, do you know whether VPI is advising that feet such as the plastic ones on my motor assembly be replaced with new footers? I suppose I could just send an inquiry to Mike at VPI, but I thought I might go ahead and get your perspective here.

Stringreen, thanks for your input. I sent an e-mail to VPI to inquire about the new footers. I noticed in your virtual system thread that you mentioned you have implemented a "side thrust compensator" in your turntable. Can you elaborate on this a bit? Is this just a fancy way of describing the horizontal compliance inherent in the new soft rubber footers, or have you done something further to improve the interface between the flywheel rim and the platter?

One other thing that occurs to me is that my turntable is the latest model TNT with the Gingko-style air bearning footers. These turntable footers allow for horizontal compliance (i.e., some "give" in the horizontal plane) that might well accomplish something similar to the higher compliance footers Harry has introduced for the motor housing.

Stringreen, thanks for your detailed reply. I had originally misinterpreted your comments in your virtual system thread about the VPI antiskate mechanism as I thought you were referring to the flywheel rim and platter interface.

The tonearms I am running in my audio systems are not VPI arms. I replaced my VPI JMW-10 tonearm several years ago when I upgraded my TNT's tonearm to the SME IV. I am also running the Dynavector DV507 MkII in a second turntable. I use the antiskate mechanism in both tonearms. The antiskating force prevents my cartridges from lunging toward the label when the stylus is dropped into the lead-in groove at the beginning of the LP side, and I hear no deleterious effects on sound quality. In addition, my friend recently used his oscilloscope to callibrate the antiskate adjustment on my Dynavector arm. With too little antiskate force, there is visible distortion in the sine wave that is eliminated as the anti-skate force is dialed up to an appropriate setting. I recognize that skating force varies constantly and there is no way to perfectly compensate for these constantly varying forces. However, it has always struck me that the "right" answer is not zero. In fact, VPI always used to recommend that the tonearm lead-out wire that connects to the junction box be twisted so as to apply some antiskating force.

As for the VPI anti-skate mechanism, I don't have any experience with it. I certainly agree with your approach, however. If the music sounds better without the mechanism in place, then, by all means remove it.

With respect to dynamic spring-loaded VTF mechanisms, I agree with you. That's why I bought the SME IV years ago as opposed to the V.

Regarding the Gingko vibration control platforms, I spoke with the principal at Gingko (Vinh Vu) about them a number of years ago shortly after VPI introduced their sealed air bearing footers for the TNT series turntables. Vinh is a neighbor of Harry's, and they have collaborated on a number of products in recent years. Vinh indicated that the design of his Cloud vibration control platforms was the genesis of the design for the new TNT footers.

My TNT footers literally use Reactor paddleballs as the sealed air bearings in the footers. The footers are not a complicated design; a single paddleball simply sits in a cup on top of each footer, and the stainless steel tower at the corner of the TNT plinth acts as a sleeve that nests over the top of the footer and hides the paddleball from sight. In the end, the plinth is simply resting on a paddleball that is held in place by the cup at the top of the footer.

The Reactor padleballs feel as if they are solid, but they are actually filled with pressurized air. During 2005, when I originally bought the footers as an upgrade to the spring footers in my older model TNT, I understood that Gingko was using these same paddleballs in their vibration-control bases. I suspect the Gingko balls are still just paddleballs that have been badged with the Gingko name, but I'm not certain.

Stickman, sorry for hijacking your thread. Back to your regularly scheduled program...