How does the VPI Aries II stand up to current mid priced tables?


I've always loved the elegant look of the Aries but never owned one. Well I have scratched that itch and purchased one right here on Agon and it's en route right now. Seems to be pretty stock with the 10.5 arm and a possible motor upgrade, excellent condition. Has this turntable aged well? All thoughts are welcome.

128x128ozzy62

I think my first two moves (after living with it as is for a while) will be to replace the feet and the platter. That ought to reap quite an improvement.

 

@ozzy62 Nice turntable, congratulations!

But about the anti-skate, my Classic SE (3D uni-pivot) sounds best without using any which means no wire twisting or mono line to the counter weight. This is what Harry W. suggests. Also, because my motor has a single speed pulley it came supplied with a SDS and strobe disk. To read the disk speed I hold a pointed object (pencil) over the disk’s markings, no light needed.

Just picked up a set of the footers on audio mart. They’ll be here before the table arrives, lol.

I concur with the others who recommended the Phoenix Engineering stuff. I went for the complete SOTA Eclipse package on my Classic 3 Sig SE. Recently put on a custom length OL belt as well. 

(Note to self, Need to sell my ADS...)

ozzy62-

If your table doesn't come with a Soundsmith Counterintuitive, it makes adjusting the counterweight easier for tracking/azimuth adjustment.  Not a must have, but eliminates a lot of setup grief.

A fresh belt is another inexpensive thing to consider.

No more neurosis enabling from me. Happy Listening!