Traveler Vs TT15s1 vs?

Here is my vinylengine report after receiving the VPI Traveler two weeks ago.
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OK! Stop the presses, the Traveler has arrived!

The long and short of it is that this is a fabulous turntable!!

To back up a bit, I have been using my Thorens TD125 AB MkII for forty years. About three years ago I started doing tweaks on it and really improved its sound. I treated myself to a Denon DL-160 HOMC cartridge, and really liked it.

I, for the last five years, wanted to do a turntable upgrade, but after many hours of listening to tables on YouTube, and reading on the web I was just totally confused.

Well, a friend of mine, Ralph Hellmer, is a speaker designer. His company is Sureal Sound Audio, and makes a model called the "Fifth Row". At the Capitol Audio Show in DC, back in July, he was teamed up with David Berning amplifiers and VPI turntables. He spent 3 days listening to the VPI Traveler, and reported to me that he thought the Traveler was, by far, the best turntable deal on the market.

I, on his suggestion, bought a Traveler, and mounted up my Denon DL-160 cartridge. It wasn't four heartbeats before I realized I had taken a huge leap forward with this purchase.

The thing that hit me first was the imaging. Center stage presentation is just not to be believed. The difference in clarity is mind boggling! I also really think that I now have response an octave lower now! I can't believe a turntable can sound this good!!!

When my girlfriend, Kimela, first set eyes upon it, she said "that's pretty"!

Besides sounding toe tapping great, the build quality of this table is just wonderful. This product makes me proud to be an American, as not much has as of lately.

I bought it from an establishment that allows for a 30 day return in case I was not pleased with the Traveler. I can tell you this for sure- they will not be seeing this turntable again!!!! Period.

A few questions arose along the way of setup, and calls to VPI were a great experience. It is so refreshing to have top drawer customer service!! I came away feeling that I was treated like royalty.

Tomorrow morning, Saturday, I will be mounting up my beloved Shure V15 Type III into the Traveler arm for an audition with it. Expecting to be aw-struck again!

I am one happy camper!!!!!!!

Traveler Turntable
Denon DL-160 Cart
Marantz 7c preamp
Marantz 8c power amp
1980 Klipsch La Scala speakers
Luminous Audio Synchestra Reference speaker cables

I believe cueing devices may now be available for the Well Tempered Simplex and Amadeus. I may be wrong on that. As far as used, you don't see many, thats for sure.

Swanny...thanks for that...static never occurred to me. I'm more than happy with my cartridge...actually phono stage too, although it can be improved upon. I've never had a non-suspended table before...hope I'm not going to regret it. The one thing I REALLY like about the MH is the isolation. Nothing affects it.

FJN...I'm hoping to buy used...not seeing any Simplex used yet. That arm setup kind of scares me too.

They don't get much press anymore, but at the Traveler's price range the SOTA Comet s/b a viable candidate as well.

Secret guy, the Marantz is a good deal for the cartridge if you are a MM fan. But overall it's a lot of plastic and acrylic. It generated a TON of static especially in winter. And it gave a lot of feedback. Granted I was a newbie when I got it and have learned a lot since. It was an ok starter table but I upgraded quickly. Vinyl is great and I am committed now but was on the fence when i bought the tt15 My advice is to spend on the table and cartridge but also on the phono stage if you know you are committed to vinyl. I also am a fan of vpi. I like that they are made in America and they stand behind their products. I haven't seen or heard the traveler but for the money it looks a lot more solid than the marantz. Good luck!

Secretguy- I have the Amadeus, which retails at around $2700. I believe the Simplex is around $1500 or $1600. As you may have figured, I am quite happy with my Amadeus. I think the Simplex would be worth your exploring.

Looking forward to your thoughts Stevecham.
FJN...the Well Tempered looks interesting. DO you have it?

Traveler on the way to "upgrade" my Music Hall, stay tuned...Disclaimer: I'm a VPI fan.

Swanny...what didn't you like about the Marantz?

Here's a casual but enthusiastic review at Positive Feedback.

I like the idea of a 10" double-gimbal arm. The removability feature should make cartridge mounting safer (for the cantilever) and easier too.

Well Tempered Simplex.

I had the marantz. Not too impressive. I now use a classic 1 and greatly prefer the Vpi.