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VPI Scout Set up

I think I want the VPI Scout. How easy/hard is it to set up and maintain? Suggested cartridge to match? I want good sound, dependability without a lot of hassles. New to the audio scene. Want to spend $3,500 or less on TT, cartridge and cables. Was considering the Prime but that looks intimidating to me to set up properly. Pairing with a MAC 6700 integrated amp and Audio Monitor Gold 300 speakers. Open to any and all suggestions. 
janunn
lancelock's avatar
lancelock
1,107 posts
 
I would suggest the Soundsmith Zepher MI cart. This combo was very good when I had my Scout 1.1 and the Zepher is made for the Unipivot arm. I no longer have the Scout but I still have the cart.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,531 posts
 
Hard to make a judgement not knowing how much you know about this stuff.   I would rank it pretty easy if you've set up a cartridge/tonearm before.
chayro
3,050 posts
 
Nothing against VPI, but if you’re not familiar with TT setup, I think you should go for a fixed-bearing arm as opposed to a unipivot. The VPI fans will undoubtedly disagree, but if you want something easy, get a Rega with a Rega cartridge. It’s very solid stuff and easily set up. Maybe an RP6 with an exact cartridge for about 2K. Do you need a phono stage?  Once you get used to the whole analog thing, you can always sell it and branch out into something more adventurous.  
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