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VPI Fatboys versus others in its' tonearm weight class.

In their never ending quest to push fiscally responsible audiophiles into bankruptcy, site members have succeeded in making me consider a new gimbaled tonearm to keep a Lyra Kleos company on a VPI Classic 2 turntable. Dover, on my previous thread, pointed out most other tonearm options would be limited on the Classic 2 short of major surgery to it. So here I am considering keeping the tonearm upgrade in the VPI family. Their gimbaled Fatboy, will readily fit onto the VPI Classic 2’s tonearm base without any fuss.

Here’s my question after reading up on the Fatboy. How does the Fatboy compare with other tonearms in it’s $4500 price range? Is it about average in that class, which would be acceptable, or is it much better or worse than its’ peers?. If you.ve had any chance to compare the Fatboy with other tonearms in the same price range, what is your impression? I don’t want to spend that much money on one if the consensus is that it’s at the bottom of its class, which hopefully it isn’t.

I haven’t had an opportunity to listen to one, or any other tonearm as expensive. I would likely need to arrange a two day road trip to accomplish that. In lieu, I’m soliciting your impressions as to whether the Fatboy is worth that much compared to others in it’s price range. I guessing it will be okay, but don’t want to spend $4500 if the consensus is it’s at the bottom of its’ class just because it fits easily on my turntable. So what do you think? I’m all ears.

I’m not looking here for alternative solutions to a Fatboy. That was the topic of my recent thread, I’m only soliciting your impressions of the Fatboy compared to other similarly priced tonearms, and why I should or shouldn’t take a chance on it. Thanks all,

Mike

skyscraper

Showing 1 response by todd30312

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todd30312
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I recently went from a Classic 3 with the 3D tonearm & dual pivot to a Classic Signature with the gimbal Fatboy and heard a significant difference with my Soundsmith Paua Mk II. It is significantly quieter in the grooves with less chatter. I had the HW 40 feet on the Classic 3 as well (plus it sits on a Symposium) and attribute most of the difference to the tonearm. I noticed improvement across the frequency band with low and mid-bass being the most noticeable change. Mid-bass is more three dimensional. Cymbals have more shimmer and there seems to be more space between the instruments/notes. 

As I get older my hands get a little shaky sometimes which makes me nervous when playing records. Even if the gimbal Fatboy is not quite as good as the unipivot with the dual pivot I see myself enjoying the turntable more with the gimbal tonearm. 

As others have said matching the cartridge to the arm is vital but you also need to consider matching the cartridge to your phono stage. The Paua and my Modwright PH9 X seem to be an exceptional match. 

@Skyscraper will you install the Fatboy now and have the dealer assist when your Lyra comes in? Using the Fatboy with your current cartridge should really highlight the differences between tonearms. 

I hope you'll enjoy your upgraded turntable!

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