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Anyone NOT like the sound of VPI?

I'm wondering if I'm just not a VPI guy. Bought a Scoutmaster with signature JMW arm and a Shelter 501 MKII cartridge. This was after buying a Rega P3-24 with an Elys II cartridge. Thought the Rega was very dark sounding (at least with that cartridge).

The VPI sounded unnatural to me (no midbass whatsoever). Thought it was a bad cartridge, but recently heard a Scout (with signature arm) equipped with a Dynavector cartridge. This was on a system at a retailer where I was auditioning speakers and I didn't think it sounded much different from what I have at home.

While I hate overdone midbass, I certainly miss it if it's absent. I'm wondering if I'm just not a VPI guy and should try something else - maybe a Rega (P5?) with a different cartridge...

madfloyd
narrod
1,064 posts
 
Differnt tastes. There is nothing wrong with the frequency response of the VPI line. I've never heard a Rega described as dark. You might try a Michel Gyrodec SE
or a Linn LP12. They both sound quite different from VPI and Rega.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,468 posts
 
Everyone has their preferences. Did you give your Scoutmaster enough time to break in that Valhalla wiring? There are a great many audiophiles that think your table is the cats pajamas..make sure the warts are indeed from the table and not elsewhere in the system. One upside is that your table is very sellable. ..just thinking.. you might want to try damping if you haven't and/or the VPI weght for the headshell to increase mass there...
selfdivider
33 posts
 
Try Nottingham. I think you might find what you're looking for on a similar budget.
Post removed 
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
i'm not a vpi 'cheerleader', but the 501 cartridge can be outdone by lots of mm's. especially on warmth and dynamics....before you go chasing other tt's, try a different cartridge.
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