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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
sonofjim
557 posts
 
Is it just me or does Sirpeedy always seem to nail things right on the head?
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mapman's avatar
mapman
22,210 posts
 
The tables are probably fine. I heard an entry level model recently and it sounded fine. Probably just need to match the cartridge, as Audiofeil indicated. The Unipivot design is new to me and not sure what to make of it yet, but it would not surprise me if bass was impacted with a low compliance cartridge in the Unipivot.
madfloyd OP
411 posts
 
So, is it fair to say then that MM sounds darker than MC?

As I mentioned, I've heard two different VPI tables with different cartridges in different systems and they both seemed to be bright sounding. Only thing in common was the Signature arm.
josephdtorres
7 posts
 
Nordost wiring is awesome, but is also very revealing of problems in your system. It takes time and patience to find the sources of any problems in your system and eliminate them.

My current setup comprising a Scoutmaster with a JMW 10.5i has no problems with bass or treble. Bass is deep, controlled and solid. High notes are silky smooth.

I wouldn’t consider switching turntables because as good as my system sounds now, I’m still not done. Turntables are mechanical devices and it is very easy to change the sound of your turntable.

A friend of mine was having trouble with a Technics and fixed his problem by putting it on a more solid foundation.

My Scoutmaster sits on a Gingko Cloud 11 with Herbie’s 2” grungebuster balls. I placed 15 lbs on the Gingko Cloud 11 underneath the Scoutmaster, which dramatically increased the soundstage and eliminated almost all the noise.

The point is, it doesn’t really sound like your system has been correctly set up. If you experiment with your system, you may be able to isolate the real cause of any problems in your system and come up with your own solutions to fix them.
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