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Upgrades for Scoutmaster, In order of improvement?


Hello all,
I am looking to buy a VPI Scoutmaster table, and am trying to configure a table with the various improvements and upgrades to match my budget. The question is this:
In your opinion, what is the order of importance of the upgrades I have listed below? Or, in order words, which upgrades give you the most bang for your buck, and which upgrades will improve the sound of the table the most?

Here is the list of upgrades in order of cost. My starting point is the basic Scoutmaster table.
1. Mini HRX feet upgrade.
2. Ring clamp and heavy center weight.
3. SDS speed controller.
4. From JMW-9+ Sig tonearm to the JMW-10.5i tonearm.
5. From the Acrylic platter to the new heavyweight platter.
6. From the Scoutmaster table with single motor to the Super Scoutmaster table with the flywheel motor.

Thanks for your comments. It will be fun to read you opinions.
Joe
jbcello
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,460 posts
 
The addition of the feet is only a mild improvement. The change from the 9 inch sig to the 10.5 is a minor improvement except that it is easier to dial in VTA if that is important to you. The heavy platter, the SDS, the ring clamp are all worthwhile improvements. It pays to upgrade so that you can have your desired table and pay for it as your budget allows. It is also instructive and pleasurable to listen to the new upgrade and hear the improvements...a growing experience.
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Hi, I am currently enjoying a modestly upgraded Scout, went to Sig. arm, then instead of the SDS, which I also think is overpriced, got a PS Audio P-300 power regenerator. While it will not precisely control speed under all circumstances, it does regulate voltage. I have noticed much better pitch control, while at a much reduced price, being purchased used on Audiogon. Though not a VPI product, be sure to try Mapleshade's Nanomount System. It works. An isolation platform is a must, and perhaps most important, order a MintLP arc tractor for set-up, which will make the biggest difference of all.

Best of luck,
Dan
pryso
1,927 posts
 
Based on my experience of hearing a friend's Scout with the Teres VERUS rim drive/controller, if I owned any VPI table that could accommodate it, that is the upgrade I would make before considering any other.

A logical question may be, why spend as much on any upgrade that costs as much as the table/arm to start with?. My reaction would be, can you find another new table/arm with better performance for less than $3,500?
jbcello OP
25 posts
 
I am enjoying reading all the opinions on this thread and appreciate everyone's input. So far, after a bit of research and reading, the SDS, outer clamp, and upgraded platter all seem to get almost unanimous thumbs up. I am still not sure about the advantages of the HRX motor compared to the regular Scoutmaster motor. and the 10.5i arm compared to the 9+sig arm. It was interesting to read Stringreen's opinion that the 10.5i arm is a minor improvement over the the 9+sig. Does anyone else have opinions about this?
sonofjim
557 posts
 
I like my 10.5i considerably better than the 9 sig. The flexibility in being able to accurately and reproducably raise and lower the arm makes something as simple as accurate VTF measurement much easier even if you don't mess with VTA much. There's obviously less tracking error with a longer arm too. Audibly, I agree it's one of the more subtle upgrades I've made but worthwhile. If you plan on doing many of these upgrades you might want to compare the cost of just selling and buying the SSM ref.
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