VPi HW 19 jr upgrade

Per a recent conversation with VPI: The was an, "early" Mk II, frosted acrylic platter, and the, "later" acrylic/lead Mk II & III platter which you own. Regarding the springs, vs the pucks: Some prefer one over the other. The low cost allows for much experimentation(except for the MK IV springs). The spring tension/design DOES VARY GREATLY, between the various iterations of platter, and their weights. Buying a used platter can be risky, as the spindles/bearings can be easily damaged(there are a lot of clutzes out there). The steel and acrylic BOTH comprise what is called the, "chassis" of the HW19, and the heavier/the better(by a wide margin). Of course- the acrylic armboard is a separate entity, on all but the Jr(no steel) & Mk IV. I own the SDS, and they do make a huge difference in sound quality, providing your house voltage is not a stable 60Hz(mine wasn't), or- if your speed is off, for any reason. Good luck finding one at a price used, that allows any room(within your budget) for further mods. You can buy one new, at MSS Hi-Fi, for $995.00. Isolating the motor from the plinth(as with the SAMA), will cost you very little, if you can DIY. Of course the Denon 103R is a nice cartridge, IF your phonostage will support a .25mV moving coil's output, as opposed to your present 4.5mV, and allow for proper MC loading.

Well thats two recommendations for SDS...
Thanks for all the help. I've certainly got a number of different thoughts. And I both the Mark2 and Mark 3 platter.
And yes, it weights 9 pounds.
ss

Rodman,The platter sits on the plinth.The feet are mounted to the base.

Rodman,

You mention,
"Of course- the acrylic armboard is a separate entity, on all but the Jr(no steel) & Mk IV."

All photo's I've located and a stereophile review show an armboard on the MKIV. I'm looking at the option of a Mark IV chassis.

I am quite certain that either the Jurior's MDF, or the more costly versions, with Steel Chassis Plate-acrylic top were referred to as "Plinths".

The Oak, Black Oak, Walnut, or Piano Black wood was referred to as "Bases".

And I have once seen a MK-III Platter, in which the lower 1/2 of the Platter was metal. What about that one boys?

I knew the person who owned it, and in fact I helped him have constructed a solid one piece 1.00" thick black acrylic plinth for his own turntable. I underatand he later was able to acquire a MK-IV platter from here about a year ago.

As I'm sure many of you VPI fans know, that over the years, Harry made mucho stuff. Some came and went.

About any arguments about Harry, and his being a savvy businessman, and talk about upgrades to the upgrades, I for one am happy that he did offer many upgrade paths for these old classic tables.

It permeitted me to start out and get the VPI without too much initial outlay, and as time allowed, was able to improve this table. Sadly, I did wait a bit too long for much of it, and thus much was no longer available, and then harder to acquire on the used market.

I would assume as time passes, the logical answer will be, it will become harder and harder to acquire certain parts for this model.

But where there's a will, there's a way. There's many paths, as far as plinths, Platters, etc that could be implemented with some expertise, and some thinking.

If I had the funds, and the desire, I could probably retrofit a 42 lb Galibier Design Stelvio Platter on board, or some other maker's exotica. The question is, would it be worth the costs? Mark