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New Air Suspension Footers for VPI TNT

During November of last year, I ordered the air suspension footers for my VPI TNT Mk. 3.5 turntable, and I patiently awaited the arrival of the upgraded footers until they finally arrived yesterday. As has been rumored here in this forum, the design of the footers has been upgraded to a sealed design that no longer requires air to be pumped into the footers. The new design should solve the tweaky issues relating to air leakage, periodic re-inflation and periodic re-leveling adjustments. So, for all who are interested, I think you will find that VPI now has the upgraded air suspension footers in stock and available to ship.
cincy_bob
cincy_bob OP
270 posts
 
I installed the footers on my turntable this morning, but I have not yet had a chance to listen to my system since the installation. Maybe this evening...

I will update this thread with my listening impressions once I have a chance to get a handle on the changes in the sound. I should note that, like Rives, I never took the plunge on the previous model air suspension footers. So I will not be able to provide any comments comparing the new footers to the now superceded air suspension model. I would also be interested in observations from anyone who has heard an A/B comparison of the old and new model air suspension footers.
rives
953 posts
 
I went ahead and ordered these new ones. They are back ordered by a few weeks, so it may be a while for me to respond. I think they are actually some type of silicon or other gel substance rather than air, that's what I gathered talking to Harry through Sheila.
cincy_bob OP
270 posts
 
Rives, the suspension mechanism in the new VPI footers is compressed air in the form of a paddleball. The paddleball sits in a cradle atop the footer, and the four stainless steel cylindrical corner posts that are attached to the plinth envelop and rest atop the paddleballs.
rwd
695 posts
 
Cincy bob....are there the same air footers that are uased in the new VPI HR-X????
cincy_bob OP
270 posts
 
Rwd, I believe that the new TNT footers are a newly engineered design that VPI just finished within the past month. I was told that the footers I received this week were from the very first production run of the new parts. I don't know if the HRX air suspension footers are similar to the now superseded TNT design (i.e., require manual inflation, prone to leakage, etc.) or if the HRX footers have always involved a sealed ball design similar to the new footers for the TNT. Maybe someone who has assembled or disassembled an HRX can chime in here on this topic.
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