VPI periphery record ring for VPI Scoutmaster

I have found that the periphery ring weight and the heavy center weight are important to the voicing of my TNT Mk. 6 turntable. In upgrading my turntable, I first upgraded my Mk. 4 lead/acrylic/cork platter to the Mk. 6 acrylic platter and inverted bearing, and I used this platter/bearing with my Mk. 5 record clamp for a little over a month. I found that the resulting sound was a bit analytical and on the cool side of the spectrum. The addition of the center weight and periphery ring weight restored some warmth to the sound of the turntable in my system. I gather that the weight and the clamp are designed to do more than just flatten the warps in an LP and that they serve a role in vibration damping that, at least in my system, is important and beneficial to the sound.

I have a Merrill Heirloom with the periphery ring. (I believe Merrill first offered them.) I have only owned the table a month, but I notice an improvement in warped AND unwarped records.

As a previous writer notes, is that worth 500 dollars...I don't know.

Dave

Unfortunately, the question you need to be asking is whether it is worth $600, which is the current retail. What something is worth depends on the end user's perception. It is machined to an exacting circumference, which it must in order to sit precisely over the acrylic platter. I'm sure this is an expensive, labor intensive process. I'm extremely pleased with mine and once making the commitment, I chose to just sit back and enjoy. I wouldn't want to return it, so I guess that means, in my estimation, its worth it.

My Super Scoutmaster came with both the SDS and the Periphery ring. Is is worth it??? I think so....big difference in sonics from my VPI Scout. Let's put it this way if you use the outside ring for let say 3 years and would like to try something new--You can always unload it for at least 65% of what you paid for. That would be a lost of $210.00 base on a $600.00 retail. $210.00 divided into 36 months is around $5.83 a month. Heck, I spend a lot more than that for coffee. So, I would suggest to go ahead and get one and enjoy the music.

It's a pain in the butt to take off and put on, but I'd buy it again for my Aries, particularly because I have several records that have seen better days. VPI will tell you that one of the bennies is a bit of consistency in frequency/smoothness in decay from eliminating speed changes due to records not being perfectly flat. I'd look for it used or on discount though, 500 list was high and 600 is silly. IMHO.