I am the one who sold Manorraul the super platter. Some of the posts here suggest there is a question as to whether he can get his money back. I have assured him that as soon as the platter gets back to me (which will be tommorow according to USPS) I will refund the full price plus the cost of shipping it back to me.
Like Manorraul said, it is a NOS platter which I bought about 3-4 years ago. I inspected it when I first got it and put it back in the box. I did not notice the out of roundness then. It may have happened during shipping, or just sitting in my closet for all that time.
I will contact VPI when I get it back to see what they can do, but I won't accept the aluminum platter. If they can't fix it I may try myself, or take it appart and use the stainless steel portion for a platter build of my own, if that's possible. |
I agree with both Stringreen and Dougdeacon that a platter that has a problem with concentricity simply cannot be used with a rim drive.
Is the stainless steel middle sandwich out of round, or just the Delrin layers? You can always run the rim drive on the stainless portion (which is the recommended) if it's round. |
A platter that's out-of-round (not out-of-square, obviously!) will sound hideous with a rim drive. Been there, done that. Couldn't tolerate it for even an hour.
Whether you have a basis for returning to the seller depends on the terms of your purchase and sale agreement. If you can't then you need to deal with VPI for a repair or replacement. Either way, deal with it you must.
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Its true VPI has issue with Super Platter and that explains why it was discontinued. You could try putting it in freezer and adjust the centering, any off-centering is usually caused by thermo coefficient difference between stainless and acrylic.
However, I beg to be different on the sound. I have both SSM Ref and Classic, my Super Platter had issue and VPI offered me a Classic platter for replacement. I like the Super platter sound, it has more bass weight, depth, and blacker background to my ears. Mike in VPI agreed and took him month to find me another Super Platter, I was glad I waited.
You can send it in to repair, but on return trip it could become untrue again and that's the risk you need to take. |
The rim drive VPI MUST have a perfectly circular platter because if there is an out
of roundness, the large side pushing up against the drive disc will push the
whole turntable away from the motor assembly, and as the platter turns will
release the pressure letting the turntable move toward the motor assembly.
There is a space between the turntable and motor assembly...if you lightly put
your finger in/on this space, you can feel the oscillation of the turntable/platter
moving toward, and away from the motors. This will cause the VPI arm which is
balanced on the head of a pin to rock back and forth....not good for the sound or
for the cartridge. If you must keep the Super Platter and its out of roundness,
you must stabilize the turntable by using very solid cones instead of the VPI feet
which permit movement. Also, you should use soft feet under the motor
assembly so that the motor can move out and in, not the turntable itself. I found
that the very solid cones (I use Bearpaws) make a much improved sound in the
turntable even though I use the VPI ceramic platter. |
Ive owned most of VPI platter offerings. I never had a problem with concentricity with my Super Platter and I also use a rim drive. VPI discontinued the Super Platter as it was becoming very labor intensive and costly to produce. VPI claims a higher machine tolerance with the new Classic platter, as for the Classic sounding better that is subjective (I personally prefer the Classic platter).
It sounds like a bad batch of Super Platters was produced but really never realized until the launch of the rim drive. The Super Platter is still a highly sought after platter, especially for those who want to use it with a periphery ring.
If you like the sound of the Super Platter, IMHO there is no better platter made than the TNT Mk5 stainless steel and Delrin combo. The Mk5 stainless steel portion is machined to the highest tolerance and works well with the rim drive. I still use both the Mk5 and Classic platter and have since sold my Super Platter. |
On what basis are you asking the seller for a refund? |
You really should contact VPI directly about this problem. They are world-class at customer support. If you play your cards right, they may offer to remachine it or replace it or swap it out for an aluminum classic platter. They helped me tremendously last year when the table I bought from used on agon didn't have a motor or SDS last year. HW ended up rebuilding and repainting a show unit for me for only $800, despite the $2200 list price. He even threw in a belt kit and some lube.
Note that although Harry gave control of the business to his son, he seems to haunt the Audio Asylum vinyl pages and seems to swoop down like a guardian angel to solve problems people have with his gear. Good luck with resolving your problems. Due to my owning a SSM machine, I have done quite a bit of research into its configurations. The consensus seems to be that the classic platter perform better with the rim-drive, but that the super platter mates better when using the 2-motor belt-drive option, which I use. As to the machining quality, I checked my super-platter for runout (concentricity) with a dial test indicator reading 1/1000" that I had when I was a toolmaker. Total runout is less than a half a thousandth of an inch on all three layers. If yours left the factory with misalignment greater than that, it should be brought first to VPI's attention. |
Stringreen is right. VPI had problems with the Super Platter. I traded in my Super Platter for a Classic Platter on my SSM with Rimdrive Ref. and it sounds much better and works better with the rimdrive. VPI claims it is more accurately machined than the super platter. |
I'm confused again. How can a circle be of square?
Out of round is the phrase your looking for here. |
Right you are Manorraul.... That's why VPI doesn't make them anymore...also, the sound sucks compared to the new Ceramic or previous Classic platters. Return your purchase as quickly as you can ...it will create havoc with your arm and cartridge. |
