Beware of Wayne's audio - Poor product quality & worst business ethics


I wanted to get a periphery outer ring for my VPI Scout Master. The VPI ring was around 1200 bucks and I couldn’t convince myself to spend that much for something that wouldn’t make a significant night and day difference in sound quality. So I decided to look for other cheaper alternatives and came across Wayne’s Audio. These rings are advertised as “universal rings” and seemed significantly cheaper (almost 1/2 price). I asked around on the VPI forum if anyone used these and someone replied saying he wasn’t happy with the quality. Considering its mostly a “VPI only” forum, I took his comment with a grain of salt and decided to reach out to Wayne audio regarding the “quality concern” and Wayne replied saying his products were top notch and I could return them if I wasn’t happy for any reason. I was convinced and bought the ring. The ring arrived and here are my findings:The ring was much bigger than the VPI Platter. A “centering plate” came with the ring. This plate should be used to center the ring while placing the ring on the platter and then you remove the plate. After placement, when you turn on the tt, the circular motion of platter creates a centrifugal force and since the ring ( which is not exactly the same size of the platter) is being pushed around and hits the sides of the records. Centrifugal force is the same force that makes you feel like you are being thrown out when you sit on a merry go round. If you directly look at the record while its spinning, you could see the ring moving around. I am fairly new to turntables but I assume, vibration control is very important in turntables which is why people buy expensive platforms, better feet, heavy platters and outboard motors. This subtle movement of the ring (being thrown around by the circular motion of the platter) creates micro vibrations by hitting the record. You can clearly see this while the record is spinning. Though the spinning ring looks really cool, it defeats the purpose of anti-vibration and in my humble opinion creates more issues than providing any benefit. To add to this, there was also a small dent on the inside of the ring.My 2 cents - If you are looking for a ring, spend the extra money and find the perfectly sized ring for your platter, probably the one that your tt manufacturer makes. Universal rings sound like a great idea, but in my experience they worsen your sound instead of improving them.When I was in the market to buy a ring, I couldn’t find much reviews on Wayne’s ring, all I saw was cool YouTube videos. I was misled by those videos and ended up buying one. In my humble opinion, you are better off with no ring, than a ring that’s not the same size as your platter.

I reached out to Wayne's audio for a refund. This is where things got a little complicated. I reached out to him with pics and videos explaining why this will not work for my tt explaining the reasons above. I was thinking he'd charge me for 15% restocking fee but he never said anything about a restocking fee and reluctantly agreed for the ring to be sent back. He also emailed me the address the ring should be sent to. I packaged the ring and sent it back to him through USPS. The tracking said the ring was delivered to him but I didnt hear back from him. When I reached out, he said he didnt receive the ring. Although I sent him proof that the ring was sent to the right address and was delivered he said it was probably stolen from his front porch and would not refund the money. After a lot of back and forth emails and phone calls I was able to get 50% of my money back. So in the end, I paid 50% of the cost for a product that I don't even have with me lol. However I learned 2 valuable lessons from this whole experience:

1. Never send anything without "signature reqd" option.
2. When a reputable company sells a product for a higher price, there is probably a good reason behind it. Don't discount that and go for a cheaper alternative as you may at loss in the end. Now I believe a company like VPI would have never done this to me.
Ag insider logo xs@2xaudiofool1982
He could mean that more than half of his customers use VPI turntables,
Not half of his VPI customers are happy with it.
audiofool1982,

"I don’t know what else to say. I am sure he is refusing to do this because it will prove that he is a fraud. For what its worth, if he feels all this negative publicity is worth the 350 dollars he cheated off of me, so be it.

The purpose of this writeup is to have the future wayne’s audio customers think twice before buying Wayne’s audio products."


Bad situation, with no winners. Good of Wayne to give his side of the story.

On the other hand even if it was stolen, improbable but who knows, what would the thief do with it?

Sell it on via Audiogon/eBay??

Looking at it, as Wayne mentions, the original ring does seem to be a tad overpriced for what it is. Is VPI now reading the Linn book of consumer strategy?

https://www.musicdirect.com/analog-accessories/vpi-periphery-outer-ring-clamp

I could probably buy a set of alloy wheels and tyres for less. Or even a whole car. Not to mention an entirely respectable turntable.

Anyway, good luck with your efforts.
Many of us have been bitten similarly but failed to pursue it.

Which is exactly what some unscrupulous traders might be counting on.

The best of all worlds would be a satisfactory resolution for both sides and for Wayne to produce a turntable ring in future which sonically equals its far more costly counterpart.






@bdp24 wrote

Well then, if the Wayne's ring doesn't use the platter edge to secure it in place (as does the VPI), there is nothing to keep it from sliding around on an 11.5" platter when the latter is spinning, which is just what the OP discovered. Sounds like a fatally flawed product! Glad the OP posted this: I was thinking of getting one for my 11.5" TNT-5 platter. For some reason, VPI never made a ring for that size platter (afaik).


I have no direct experience with Wayne's rings, but "Universal" periphery rings are not totally flawed. If the periphery ring is completely concentric and balanced, the outward force away for the center of rotation (spindle) will be equal around the ring's circumference (offsetting opposing forces), therefore, preventing movement even on a frictionless surface.  Most issues with "universal" rings can be eliminated with the careful application and use of the centering tool required to center the ring to balance the forces. 

With respect to cost of manufacturing a periphery ring, please note that to produce a ring you must start off with a solid piece off material and remove approximately 90% of the material.  Machining is quite complex to ensure the required tolerances and to prevent warping. The former TTW Audio, who manufactured universal rings and whose primary business was precision parts for the aerospace industry chronicled in great depth the machining challenges of periphery rings.
I have met Wayne and he is an upstanding, honest person.  His depth of knowledge is great and he is a very genuine person.  I have serious doubts that he has intentionally done anything dubious.  Further, his products are well made and at the prices he offers they are a very good value (relative to the high priced models offered from other brands).  As others have stated, Wayne's ring is universal and not turntable/platter specific.  Properly set on the LP, by using the supplied centering tool, and this very well machined & balanced periphery ring will perform as specified.  I would suggest contacting Wayne once again and discussing any and all options.  As I stated, he is an upstanding and honest person.