VPI Aries - either or question, please comment

Hi Gladstone,

As to the sound of the HR-X, that's a more complicated question than it appears on the surface. It was dynamic and extended, and the midrange character appeared to be correct (neutral). The soundstage was expansive, especially with the Manley Steelhead. One record we played had a great drum solo and the HR-X delivered the goods with great impact, weight, and articulation.

Since the system (as a whole) was unfamiliar to me, I really can't get into the fine nuances of performance. But my off-the-cuff impression is that it's a reference quality TT that should be compared with the other top-quality designs in and around it's price range.

I would've liked to have compared it to my Michell Orbe SE with Wilson Benesch arm in my own system. I didn't hear anything from the HR-X that would indicate it was doing anything better than my rig. But with so many different variables in equipment and room acoustics it was not really possible to make that determination. Cheers!

Jonmatd,

Thanks for clearing up some of the confusion over the different Aries versions and the different platters and bearings.

As you can probably tell from my posts, I really enjoyed Sunday's meeting too. Possibly the Tae Katora was a little plump or romantic sounding for Vinh's Vandersteens, but it wasn't too far off the mark for my taste.

Certainly I'd be up for another meeting and would love to hear those 15 ips master tapes you spoke of - especially if you have any of the vinyl versions to compare them to.

I hope your allergies have calmed down a bit. Have a nice holiday in spite of the weather. I believe I'll be in Somerville on Memorial Day, watching the bike races in the rain. :)

Kubla,

This past Sunday, I attended a demonstration of the latest TNT Hotrod (at a NJAS club meeting) and we also had the new VPI Scout on hand for comparison, with the 9" arm and the SDS, which sounded very respectable as well.

I believe the 9" arm is an upgrade over the older JMW 10" arm, although the VTA adjustment is not as sophisticated. Combined with the SDS, it should outperform the older table, and you may find a SDS on the used market for a good price. VPI is currently working on an upgrade for their JMW 10.5 arm, based on improvements implemented on the 9" Scout version... They've already done this on the new 12.6 arm, which now has an internal ceramic coating and a fine trackin-force adjustment (plus an improved bearing), I believe.

We heard the Scout with and without the SDS, and though some members preferred the sound without the SDS, many, including me, thought the SDS made a substantial improvement, especially in terms of bass tightness and extension.

We got to hear the TNT Hotrod (with new periphery clamp) through the Manley Steelhead and a new Sutherland battery-powered phono stage (that takes 16 D batteries and lists for around $3k). The consensus was that the Sutherland was smoother and more focused sounding (and many preferred it), though the Manley appeared more detailed and seemed to throw a larger soundstage. It was a cool meeting, with VPI's Harry Weisfeld having fun as the guest presenter.

I guess that was more than you wanted to know, but I hope it helps. :)

Kubla, by all means, let me add to your confusion. The "old Aires went through, I believe, at least two different platter and bearing changes and the JMW 10, now the 10.5, also went through a few changes as well. So I guess the question should be: "Which Aries are you getting such a good deal on?"

As I said before and as Semi said, the present 9" arm is thought to outperform the 10 and 10.5 arms, at least until the 10.6 is available. I think if I had the choice, I'd take the cheap Aries deal you found and put the JMW 9" arm on it.

Then, down the road, you can always retrofit the new acrylic platter, bearing, and periphery clamp, as can all other Aries owners, (though this will not be inexpensive).

I believe the 10.6 arm will have all the upgrades/refinements of the present 12.6 arm: internal ceramic coating, tungsten-carbide, no-lube bearing, VTA fine adjustment and lockdown, and VTF fine adjustment.

So, as you can see, you are clearly behind the game before you even begin. :)

Semi, the latest HR-X comes with a clear acrylic platter, which is now apparently the favored platter, or at least Harry's favorite platter at the moment...

I don't believe that the Aries are coming with the latest clear platter and inverted bearing found on the HR-X. I know Harry said that they could be converted, so that the periphery clamp could be used.

Also, I wonder if the voltage in the SDS needs to be reset higher when using the periphery clamp, due to its greater mass.