VPI Ring Clamp

Yeah, sometimes it seems to stick or catch. I assume this is because it is a very precise fit. Maybe VPI could eliminate this with a slight beveling of the inner surface, if it were important enough to have to deal with. I just have to be a little careful and patient, a zen I must assume to handle vinyl anyhow. By the way, I don't encounter this issue when there is a record on the turntable, only when the ring clamp goes directly onto the platter.

The ring clamp came with my turntable so I didn't have to make the decision. I'll repeat some thoughts I wrote on an earlier thread:

Soundwise, it seems to tighten up the soundstage, fix the images a little more firmly. Certainly made a difference, better in my opinion. Functionally, it's an elegant alternative to the complexity of having a vacuum pump, perhaps a better solution if your record is warped. It also adds to the platter's rotating mass -- a good thing.

So far as whether it is worth the price, you have to decide if the difference in sound is what you like. If you do like it, you decide how much you want to pay for it. Heaven knows, we have lots of expensive equipment and tweaks in our hobby. Lots of us pay more than $500 for less improvement in sound just upgrading cables.

Alephman,

I think the ring clamp makes a favorable difference. Whether it's worth it is up to you and your wallet.

Flattening a warped record does tend to reduce wow and other kinds of distortion. However, another key benefit of the ring clamp is to press the record more securely to the platter, which I believe draws away certain kinds of undesireable vibration.

I am not sure what would be involved in a $1200 upgrade to your 19Mk4. Perhaps it would involve replacing the platter as well as buying the $500 ring clamp. Would this also entail replacing the bearing assembly? or replacing the suspension springs? If so, these are substantial changes that I think might have sonic effects that go well beyond just getting the ring clamp. I can't say if it would be worth the money for you. At some point, you might be better off just replacing the whole table. Perhaps an audition would be helpful.

The VPI ring clamp has two large circular cross-section rubber bands circling its outer perimeter. These rubber bands rest in grooves in the outer surface and serve as decorative trim and, to a minor degree, soft bumpers when the ring clamp is placed on a surface edgewise.

One of the rubber bands broke this weekend. I found it lying on the plinth. Fortunately, I was able to glue it back together with super glue. Upon inspection, I could see a few other places where the rubber was starting to split, and I repaired these with super glue as well.

I mention this here because I think it would be worthwhile to inspect the rubber bands to anticipate any break. Although I didn't actually see the break occur, I can imagine the broken ends whipping around the platter and possibly wiping out a cartridge cantilever. (I was lucky.) Better to do a repair or replacement before this happens.

Might have been exposed to a cleaning agent somewhere along the way. Most cleaning agents will neutralize the softening chemicals in vinyls and rubbers, causing them to become brittle and crack after several months. The drive belt would never have to be cleaned this way, but the ring clamp might have been. Dunno.