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So my wife says to me this morning

So my wife says to me this morning "What did you do to your stereo"?

This morning I took the DL103 off the VPI Scout and mounted it on the Rega P25 with modified RB250 (paint stripped off the armtube and tungsten counterweight installed). I was dying to hear what differences where to be had with my tonearm mods.

"it sounds do much better. Sounds more like music, and less tinny."

Grrr!

That's not what I wanted to hear. The VPI costs so much more, and it looks so much better! Should sound better, right?

It did sound good, damn good. My feet were tapping for the first time.

Well, I put the Scout back in, and had the wife listen again. She said "it sounds irritating, it sounds like noise."

I guess I could put the Scout on display and the P25 in the back somewhere and have it spin the vinyl instead of the Scout.

:( I just love the looks of the Scout.
cableplex
gmuffley
132 posts
 
I guess that's what you get when you listen with your ears instead of relying on the reviewers! Bravo to you.
pmotz
409 posts
 
I seem to recall discussion on the Regas with respect to them running fast. Perhaps there is a speed issue causing the difference? Do you have a speed controller such as the SDS for the Scout? There may also be a compatibility issue with the cartridge. Obviously if the Rega sounds better then that is the way to go, but don't dismiss the Scout based just on this.
twl
3,251 posts
 
I think that the Scout has a better drive system, but the Rega arm is a better match for the DL103.

For Cableplex, if you want that system to really sound good with that cartridge, take 5 minutes to do the HiFi mod to the tonearm for about $2, and you and your wife will really be happy.

Then put the Rega arm on the Scout, and you'll be in business.
plato
1,543 posts
 
Cableplex, I used to own a VPI Aries with the JMW 10 arm and ClearAudio Gamma cartridge and I could never get it to sound the way I wanted it to. I went to a Michell Gyro SE with a OL Rega 250 (and a Benz) and got much better results. My feeling is that certain cartridges don't perform to their best potential in unipivot arms like the VPI.

I just ordered a BIX turntable kit with Rega RB250 from Sound Odyssey for a second system and I can't wait to receive it and get it up and running. It looks like it should offer plenty o' bang for the buck.

TWL's suggestion of putting the Rega arm on the VPI might be a good one. But TWL, what is the $2 HiFi mod that you mentioned? Is it the lead weights on the pivots deal?
pbb
1,140 posts
 
Wow! Paint removed from the arm, how does it sound? I bet there is a vast improvement, although I heard it changes the arm resonance and may prove a bit of a disadvantage with cartridges with a stiffer suspension.
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