VPI 2nd Pivot for 3D

robes,

Hello. You've hit on a few things I thought no one would ever relate to but me. I'm a Townshend Rock 7 owner and a long time VPI owner.

I have a long term TT project in play. One of my thoughts was to integrate the Townshend trough into my own design. (Frankly, it should be incorporated into more designs.)

As far as integrating it into a Prime (unipivot arm), I would think it could only help. Your "Third" potential preference is a complete unknown. This is what makes this hobby fun! I hope you find a way to make it happen.

My current preference with my Rock 7 and using "flat records", I find using no clamp or weight brings me closer to the music. I own and have used VPI delrin clamp, VPI SS center weight, BDR two-piece clamp, Stillpoints LP-1, among others in several situations within my 3 tt combinations. I like a flat record with no clamp. This is in conjunction with my 1mm thick platter mat and the Funk Firm Achromat (used together.)

Look forward to your thoughts.

What damping does is to stabilize the arm....the exact result of adding the VPI second pivot.

Damping the cartridge (as it is the initial mechanical source of sonically intrusive resonances) is I think, what the OP is looking at.

Practically, there would have to be modifications to incorporate it onto a Prime.

From my perspective, using the 2nd pivot, while it may be a sonic advantage, takes away the objective of the unipivot design. The addition of a damping trough, as in the Townshend, adds damping at the most critical point without changing the main objective of a single mechanical point.

This, to me, is the challenge of the potential project.

Slaw-
  Nothing less then thrilled to hear from you. In reference to your reply about the clamps, in keeping this in stride with the OP's discussion (and posting etiquette) , have you (in regard to your VPI) noted any increased stability of arm by using the clamps. Of course, that would have to be in regard to use with a unipivot, if that's what your VPI has.

  I find it interesting that you prefer no clamps. If I bought a rather warped record today I would return it as I always did years ago (sometimes not buying the album after 3 tries cause the whole lot is bad). My innate feel is that the clamps could sharpen or affect the sound in some way, simply for it's bed rock foundation (& how that would interplay with cart/stylus) - then again, for better or worse dependent on TT setup I presume.

I have never used a clamp, so I know not what I say, and I have never heard a clamped record play. As others here I'm reading and not in tune with experience. I've read probably 2 reviews (at least 1) that swore clamping made better sound, specifically with the ring on the Prime with 3D arm (of course that is the link I have searched my history back a month for & can't find- then, it was just a review).

So, I hope others chime in on the clamp effect in relation to stability issues on the unipivot arm. I have no electronics background but a year of physics, & it's that which made me think clamping a record no matter if warped or flat will make a different foundation to which sound can be affected. Bring the warped ones back and I'm thinking clamp the flat ones to affect sound production which could be beneficial dependent on the TT setup. But does it make a flat record sound better, if so, then I would assume it has a stabilizing effect on the arm.

 I have nothing to experiment with, some of you do, I just brought the clamping issue up to see who has noticed any beneficial stabilizing affects it may have on the unipivot.

 @Slaw; the Rock 7 is on my list but I don't want to hijack this thread with Townshend questions. I don't see a way to direct message you on this forum, is there? I have a pressing question on it. If there is no messaging here I can start a new thread-
Robes