VPI Scout "tweaks"


My analog rig consists of a Scout with JMW-9, Dynavector 10X5, SDS, Sutherland Ph3d, VPI turntable IC, and Gingko Cloud 9. I have the geometry set via MintLP. The rest of my system is comprised of Vandersteen 2Ce sigs, Rogue Magnum 66, Anthem MCA-20 and Audioquest Diamondback IC's and Bedrock speaker cables.
It sounds really good so my question is...are there any upgrades/tweaks that will make a definitive improvement, short of buying a new table? I have about $1k to spend. Thanks in advance.
kmulkey
Remove the foam collars from the top of your cone footers. Screw cones tight to the bottom of the plinth. Don't unscrew the cones to level the tt-use a combination of nickels/dimes/quarters to achieve level (coin combos may be epoxied together). Cost-free. Well, yeah, there's the coins...

Agree with 'Ptmconsulting'-if you like the DV sound, your best bang for buck will be moving up the line to whatever you can afford-even the DV20L is a big jump over the 10X5. It would be the acme of foolishness to buy 600 dollar ICs with an entry-level cart.
One that is cheap but that makes a considerable difference I just discovered tonight. Put Star Sound coupling disks under the feet. I had my Scoutmaster on the TNT stand resting on top of which was a 3" maple platform supported by Star Sound cones. I thought that this would make anything else unnecessary but the disks really tightened up the bass and made the top end better. They are brass and cost $8.69 each. They also have replacement feet for the tables but not sure which ones they fit. Going to check on this.
One major improvement is making sure the Cloud 9 is mass loaded for the numbered of balls you are using. For example on my scout I use 4 balls and 10lb dive weights on the plinth. It was like a componenet upgrade.
Got the brass feet from Star Sound last night. To my ear they were a big improvement. Instead of aluminum feet coupled to the table by a large rubber washer you have a machined brass foot coupled to the table directly. What I heard was increased transparency with better bass and transient response. No magic involved, brass is almost universally considered to be a better material than aluminum and costs much more. I ask Harry about it before I bought some and he thought it might well be an improvement. The ones that fit are the 1/4th-20 thread ones.