VPI 2nd Pivot for 3D

"It has been experimentally shown that with such high pressures and forces of friction between stylus and the vinyl, that the outer skin layer of the record material melts as the tip slides over the plastic and then refreezes almost as fast as it melted. It has been suggested that since the melting temperature of vinyl is about 480 °F (248 °C) that the same temperature exists in the contact area.”

Thank you again very much Raul for supplying the biggest laughs I am getting this week this claim is absolutely astoundingly extraordinary and it is obviously intended NOT to be taken seriously perhaps as a lesson that we should not believe everything we read or perhaps as a lesson that "fake news" is not a new phenomenon! It should be patently obvious to anyone with even a limited understanding of thermodynamics or who even knows how to operate a common household thermostat that a record does not go from room temperature to melting to freezing (!!!!) all in an instant simply because a stylus passes over it. While I suppose a conjecture could be made and it is only a conjecture that a stylus may heat a record due to friction but to suggest that it will melt the vinyl and then FREEZE It is beyond silly it is so funny thank you, Raul!

What would be really great is if we could capture those FREEZING temperatures and conduct them in such a way to offset the heat produced by our tube amplifiers! That would be great especially in the summer months Raul will you please use Google to see if that can be done and then cut and paste cut and paste and cut and paste and cut and paste cut and paste and cut and paste and cut and paste and cut and paste some more and share that with us??? Thank you and thanks again for the big laughs you made my day your stuff gets funnier and funnier.

The many versions of VPI arms that can use pivot damping fluid are very stable, and have no wobble.

I have heard the 3D arms, and they have nothing over a properly setup metal VPI arm, IMO!

The 3D arms look cheap!

The new second pivot "supposed improvement" is simply "expectation" bias - nothing to shoot out about.

stringreen is a long time VPI shill!

I like VPI, but I am not "mad" about all their newer products.

Don - you do not know what you’re talking about. I’m sure you are not a VPI fan, but if you don’t know what truth is, you shouldn’t post to steer subscribers in the wrong direction. Damping fluid in the metal VPI arms can be useful if you want to tune out a wart in your speakers, etc....in truth the damping fluid in a high end system reveals a closing in of the soundstage. Even with the damping fluid, the metal arms wobble.The metal VPI arms are very good, but the 3D’s are exceptional....ranking with the very best, even if they too wobble. If the look of the 3D is not pleasing, you can always glue diamonds to it....if the arm breaks, there is the VPI team that will readily repair/replace the arm. The 2nd pivot on the already excellent 3D that does not wobble,will make you want to re-listen to your records. I am a long time purchaser of VPI. I have a Supersoutmaster/rim drive/SDS/3D/2nd pivot. I even have one of their black VPI polo shirts that Harry sent me after helping me with an issue.

Dear @moonglum /friends: Torsianally stable?,  any tonearm suffers from that torional huge forces but the unipivots are where affects in the worst way to that very hard cartridge job.

In any cartridge mounted in any unipivot tonearm design combination first than all puts the " possibilities " to be nearest to the recording really far away.

That item combination is more an acrobatic act  that a listening experience. Unfortunatelly, that acrobatic act is made it with no real success.

We only have to think the total unstability that persé has any cartridge that rides through that very tyny stylus tip dimension and at the other extreme ( unipivots. ) side an inverted " stylus tip " that function as the pivot.
It's imposible to have any kind of stability in between, a stability that's a must to have for the cartridges can makes its job.
Even in static way an with the stylus tip in the LP with the TT spining exist no real stability. Imagine when in true motion ridding those grooves with all those  huge ( every direction ) generated forces ! ! ! 

Remember that I'm talking on what we like when listening to unipivots.

Btw, damping can't disappear the unstabilities at microscopic stylus tip as pointed out Don.

Even, in the VPI case, its design comes not caring very seriously about the needs for anti-skate.

I think that unipivots were and are designed because are easy to design, manufacturer and assembly. Additional comes with low market price. Well not so in the price subject when exist unipivots over 20K and there are audiophiles willing to own it ! ! ! Incredible.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Raul.... I believe you are correct....that's why the 2nd pivot works so well. ...as to why the unipivots work as well as they do ....if one looks at a bautiful phonograph....even though it is clear and clean, when looking very closely, you'll see that it is made of many dots that all meld as one into that picture.  Many listeners will be very happy with a unipivot on their turntable (I was)....but as you said...in finding and eliminating "possibilities" ..looking for the very best that can be done....the 2nd pivot brings us very much closer to the performance. That 2nd pivot increases dynamic range, widens  and deepens the stereo image, solidifies the low end, stabilizes the images within the sound field, et al.  I'm sure in the future, there will be even more modifications and applied engineering to bring tonearm designs to increased abilities, but for the moment, satisfaction can be found for most people.