Fremer/SSM w/Rim Drive

I have not read the review yet but MF in the past has not been a big fan of the VPI truntables due to the acrylic platters.

Gmuffley-

Some here that I respect (DougDeacon for one) have tried the (Teres) rim drive, and found it lacking relative to their tape drive. What I'd like to see VPI produce is a motor pulley designed for tape drive, and a bearing system to wrap the tape around most of the circumference of the platter. This would be relatively inexpensive (well, by VPI/audiophile amounts) and would be a nice upgrade for those of us who a) have already invested heavily in VPI decks and b) don't have the alternative of the rim drive (Aries). Yes, this could be done *somewhat* diy, but the cost to have a machinist build you *at least* one iteration (due to design changes and teething issues, I'd assume you'd need more than one) is pretty prohibitive.

I guess he wants to tell us that a connection from motor vibration directly to the bearing is much better for sound than eliminating them via belt.

If you have an SDS or other speed controller available to you, you should try using a string drive. Get some non-stretch Rayon or silk thread, adjust the speed, and you will not need to look at the rim drive option again.

Bob

The tape drive idea sounds very interesting. Regarding Doug Deacon's posts, which I have read with interest, it seems that he had an earlier version of the Verus...not sure, but perhaps a prototype. The newer versions allow for more variation of speed. Apparantly, the Verus also has a superior ability to maintain a certain speed once dialed in, relative to other approaches (my source: other posts on this forum...take with a grain of salt). Also, DougDeacon apparently evaluated the Verus within the context of a megabuck analog front end ($25K? or so)...I would not dismiss this product as an upgrade for a Scout, for instance, based upon his qualified criticism.