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Kudos to Peter Ledermann at Soundsmith

Wanted to post a positive review of the Soundsmith organization, and Peter Ledermann in particular. As many who follow the various posts about the VPI Classic turntable and carty recommendations know, I have posted many positive comments about the SS VPI Zephyr.

About two or three weeks ago, the playback on the "vinyl side of the house" so to speak started to sound off to my ears. Loss of definition and imaging, music "congestion" on complex and dynamic record tracks, and so forth.

So, I sent the Zephyr back to Soundsmith for an evaluation. Peter called me back about a week or so later and advised me to replace the sylus. I guess my ears are still workin' ok. Anyway, Peter turned the job around in one day and I got the carty back the next day. Needless to say, it sounds good as new. Oh . . . and Peter was kind enogh to give me a "good customer" discount.

I hope this OP is helpful for those out there who may be on the fence about the Zephyr as a mid-level carty choice for the Classic. Don't know what it costs to retip other carties, but the Zephyr is like the energizer bunny. It keeps goin' as long as your willing to retip it, which is a "no big deal, low cost" matter.
bifwynne
peter_s
1,335 posts
 
Peter was amazing fixing my Airtight PC-1 for minimal $$ - very honest about doing just what needs to be done - not gouging customers. Very impressed!
brf
1,715 posts
 
How long did your have the Zephyr before it failed?
bifwynne OP
2,206 posts
 
Brf, the word "failed" is a bit strong. I had about about 1500 hours on the Zephyr when I sent it in. There's a rub though. Peter told me that the wear pattern suggested the AS was off. For those who are familiar with the VPI Classic, it goes with the territory. VPI thinks AS is over-hyped. Peter disagrees.

I hooked up the VPI AS device (fish wire) that came with the TT. My sense is that less, way less, is more. What I mean is that when I set up the AS with what I thought was minimal AS force, based on a visual look-see, it appeared that the cantilever was deflecting in a way that suggested too much AS force was applied. I reduced the AS force to just about the absolute minimum I could. I'll see how well I fare.
brf
1,715 posts
 
Bifwynne, thanks for the clarification. I use the VPI AS without any of the little o-rings. I use just the weight of the metal rod. To be honest, with or w/o AS applied, I cannot see any cantilever deflection.
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