Cartridge upgrade for VPI Scoutmaster

Thanks for all the input.
I am sure that my "entry" level arm won't do the new cart justice, though I'll be very interested to hear what happens. (the carts' list is more than my TT/arm combo)Maybe my next step will be a new arm or perhaps even a new TT. Seems to me for $2700 my rig should have less background noise. I have heard the Airy is pretty quiet, but I don't know if the bulk of my noise is coming from my TT or the cart, though I suspect mainly the TT.
Even with the noise vinyl is awsome!

Madfloyd-
I'd buy the cart if you want it. Listen and see what you think. Add a new arm later. Or don't add one if your happy. Generaly you should only make one change at a time, then listen for a while. Then decide the next step. It's an enlightening.

Srwooten...don't be misled by some venom one poster has sprayed around. The VPI arm is actually very good and the 10.5i is excellent. I have heard many Triplanar, SME, and other arms that don't sound as good as my 10.5i. Who knows what the best is.... a 9mm H&K or a 9mm Smith and Wesson.

>>I have heard many Triplanar, SME, and other arms that don't sound as good as my 10.5i.<<

I would suspect the TP or SME were not set up properly.

Or perhaps you don't what to listen for.

This seems like a topic in which there might not be any right, or wrong answers, and I can understand what Bill Feil is saying, and he is probably correct.

Srwooten'a last post makes some logical sense, try-buy what you wish, and go from there.... :-)

I can remember reading an article which J Carr of Lyra once wrote, about how certain Cartridges can be a bit of a compromise, where the designer makes them that they will work well with a variety of Tonearms.

With that being said, I then surmise that there are the few that may not, and this may likely be some of the very top tier Cartridges from certain manufacturers.

Some of Doug Deacon's writings as well seem to confirm this, with certain Unipivot Arms having a hard time handling-controlling certain MC Cartridges. Probably one of the reasons some Unipivots have Damping Troughs included? Mark