Should I buy a VPI SCOUTMASTER. I OWN 25 RECORDS.
From having owned, upgraded, modded and ultimately built my own tablehttps://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 my take on it is this. A turntable is really, really simple and easy to make. You take a board, stick a bearing in it, put a disk on the bearing, spin it somehow with a motor, and you got a turntable. There really is nothing more to it. Everything from there on is simply a matter of doing each one of those four things increasingly better little by little. The reason things are the way they are is due to a confluence of factors. The first one being its really, really easy to make any turntable better. Any. With most its as easy as adding a little mass or damping to the plinth or platter. Or if not that then adding a cone or shelf under it. Everyone knows this. Hardly anyone seems to understand the implications. All a manufacturer has to do is make the same damn thing only thicker and wala, it sounds better. Could literally put the same damn motor in a heavier pod with better feet and presto change-o a new model is born. The two most common materials are acrylic and aluminum. Next comes acrylic and aluminum laminated together. Next would be more and more layers of acrylic and aluminum laminated together. No I am not writing what I see on the VPI model page, that's just the way it works which I know having built the damn things myself! I'm sure its a total coincidence that all the VPI tables right up to their flagship model is more and more layers of acrylic and aluminum. What's that? Oh yeah. And color. Cool colors and shapes distract from the reality its just more and more of the same old same old. Second big factor, tablejockey nailed it, you get 20 lined up and compare. Yeah. And then go for a victory lap on your unicorn. Can we get a show of hands, how many have had even 2 tables lined up to compare? Tables. Hello? Not "tables" by which you mean different table, arm and cart. Tables. Two tables with the same arm and cartridge. Anybody? Beuller?? Right. So never happens. What happens instead is people have a VPI. And not to pick on VPI, could be Basis, Project, whatever. All the same far as I'm concerned. VPI happens to be the worst, but not worst in the sense of worst tables just worst in the sense of greatest offender in the lots of tiny little stairstep upgrade models. So you have your VPI and you find it impossible to truly compare side by side with anything. So you take the safe bet and upgrade to a better VPI. Lo and behold! Its better! Well of course it is! VPI is greedy and cynical, just not stupid. For damn sure every model is better than the cheaper one below it. Because that is the one thing their customers are gonna know, how the old one they had compared to the new one. So that's all they have to do to keep the customer satisfied. And understanding the first factor now maybe you can see how silly easy this is to do. This is why I always tell people, if you want to make your first table a package, fine. Go for it. Might be the smart move. I don't think so. But depends on the buyer, and below a certain threshold is the only option anyway. But everything from that point on should be focused on the individual components. If you buy a table, buy a table. Run your current arm on it, or buy a good arm. Or buy an arm and upgrade the one on your current table. Whatever you do though do not just upgrade to another model up the line. Get off that merry go round. |
