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VPI HW-19 with Graham 1.5 arm Question/Suggestions

Greetings everyone, 

I have a very handsome, black oak, late model VPI HW-19 Mark IV with a black Delrin Aries platter.  The tonearm is a Graham 1.5 Basic tonearm sporting a Benz Micro MC Gold cartridge with elliptical stylus.  The tonearm cable is Audio Art IC-3 Classic phono cable DIN to RCA.

The sound is good but rather lightweight, neutral and nimble but polite, one might say meek with tight but lean bass.  It is not strident or shrill, or analytical, or bright.  Most of the turntable and phono upgrades I read about suggest that they will make the sound have more clarity, be more precise, more accurate, tighter, and lower the noise floor.  These qualities are not necessarily what I want. 

I would like the sound signature to be warmer, fuller, richer, more colorful, or more romantic.  

I am considering many options, including new phono cable, new footers, a platter mat (presently records sit directly on the Delrin platter), a different record weight-stabilizer (presently using a VPI Delrin screw-down clamp), a new shelf, and of course a different cartridge.

I welcome any suggestions from anyone on how to warm up or enrich the sound quality.

hoodjem

Showing 6 responses by hoodjem

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

I like all these suggestions, especially the easy and inexpensive ones. Thanks!

My preamp is a Jeff Rowland Consonance with onboard phono module. It has dip switches inside to change the cartridge loading. I could play with those.
VTA is easily adjusted (on the fly) with the Graham 1.5. I could play with that.

My amp is a Cary CAD-280SA V12.

I was considering a ProJect Cork-It mat. It is only 1.5 mm thick. I could easily try it without the VPI clamp.

 

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

What about footers?

Presently the table has four cones underneath.

I was considering the IsoAcoustics Gaia III footers.  
Has anyone tried these under a turntable?

Do you know how they might change the sound?

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

Thanks for all these suggestions and recommendations. 
 

I am keeping a lengthy list, and will start with the simplest, easiest, and cheapest.

 

Any others?  (Keep 'em coming.)

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

My speakers are a pair of Martin Logan CLSI with a ML Depth subwoofer.

Nothing is new, except a move to a new house and a newly constructed listening room. I don't believe that anything has been lost;  to me, this is the sound it has always had. (I am recently retired with more time to enjoy my system, and time to try to get things "right."  That said and with the new listening room, I am focusing more on LPs.  I also recently bought a Project VC-S2 record cleaning machine.)
 

Yes, I have heard of changing out the springs for sorbothane pucks.  That will go on the list.

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

Many great suggestions for improving the sound here.

Many thanks to everyone!

(So far, my list has 17 ideas or tactics on it.) 

hoodjem OP
19 posts
 

Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone.

I've got a lot of great recommendations and ideas about how to rectify the lightweight, meek, too polite sound of my turntable setup.

 

Take care and thanks again! 

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