VPI periphery record ring for VPI Scoutmaster

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.

In a simliar vein, how much of an improvement does the flywheel and upgraded motor make in the Scoutmaster? Thats an expensive upgrade. How about the new armwand? I already have the SDS and outer ring. Thanks

I noticed a very big improvement with the ring and weight. In fact, more than the SDS. Someday, I'll take the SDS out to see if I still think that. (It was added to a Scout, while the ring and weight were added to the Scoutmaster) It's a great upgrade IMHO.

Mlkiz, I've had the new JMW9 Signature arm now for nearly two months. It's a fairly significant sonic upgrade from the standard JMW 9. It's added adjustment features are the cherry on top.

I'm also considering getting the outer clamp. I read a review and the reviewer said the opposite of Narrod. He said to get the clamp first, and then get the SDS, if you want. His logic was that the additional mass (something like 7 lbs. if I remember correctly) goes a long way toward stabilizing the speed. The next question, now that you have much more stable speed, is whether you are spinning at a stable 33 1/3. You may be able to get there, with belt adjustments and some form of power regulation that you may already have (Monster, PS Audio, etc.). If not, then the SDS becomes more important.