VPI Classic

Well, I got a hold of VPI this morning. VPI thinks that I might need a little damping fluid and a different periphery ring. The Benz Gullwing is being effected by the stainless steel ring. Yes, I know stainless steel is supposed to be non-magnetic, but according to VPI some Benz Micro cartridges can be influenced by some of the rings they have manufactured. Some are less magnetic than others. So, they are sending me a ring from a new batch they just machined. You can see the cartridge being pulled towards the ring. Anti-skate is set correctly. So, earlier today I added two drops of damping fluid and that seemed to help quite a bit. I must also mention that VPI's customer service is great. They listened to my issues and were not familiar with my cartridge, so they did some research on my cartridge and called me back with some solutions to fix my problem. So far I am very happy with my treatment from VPI.

Anyways, the new table sounds great. It is a huge step up from my Rega! I loved my Rega and it sounded really good, but I didn't know until recently what I was missing. The VPI Classic has really transformed my system. The soundstage is much wider and deeper. Recordings that sounded flat on my Rega sound fantastic on the Classic. I also noticed a giant reduction in surface noise. So, overall I am very happy with my purchase.

If you are still having issue, you can debug yourself.

Does it wobble when the platter is not spinning but music is playing (play CD for example). If yes, it could be some feedback vibration from floor.

Does it wobble when the cue is up and platter is spinning? If yes, could be from the motor of the table.

You get the idea.

Seems like there could be a few things going on with your setup, but I'm still a little unclear on the plane in which the cartridge is wobbling. You said "back and forth," but did you actually mean "side to side" as in sides of the cart moving up and down, like a row boat when you rock it? Unipivot tonearms are very susceptible to any type of vibration and are rather unstable by design; that sharp spike is the only point where the entire tonearm articulates with the base so the tonearm has nothing to provide stability to it. In ideal conditions, it is not a problem, but if your table is not isolated well, it will wobble. It's simply the nature of unipivot tonearms. I used to own a VPI Scout and now have the Classic, and the Classic, even though in a different league, is not immune to mechanical vibrations that cause the cartridge to wobble unless it's perfectly isolated. I live in an apartment building that has rather "live" floors that carry vibrations easily, and I noticed listening at night results in almost no wobbling whatsoever, but during the day the cart wobbles slightly here and there, but it does not affect the tracking ability or sound. If you don't have it already, I suggest putting the equipment rack on a slab of concrete (or 4 thick concrete tiles, about $2 each from Home Depot), then putting the Classic on a maple block and the block on 4 Isoblocks. It worked great for me.

The the rear of the tonearm was wobbling like a bell. The damping fluid seems to have help with that. It will wobble for about 10-20 seconds and then it settles down with very little movement. I am using a salamander rack at the moment, but I think I might try to squeeze my Levinson 331 amplifier on the bottom of the rack for more stability. The rack is rather tall with my table on the top which is quite heavy. Maybe that will help further stabilize my table. All of the heavy components are near the top of the rack.

It does seem rather strange and I never heard of this problem before. I'd still suggest isolating your rack by putting it on an inert, heavy and solid base, and putting the Classic on a maple block. VPI recommends a maple block under its tables and for a reason--the improvement is not subtle. At least for me it wasn't. I would also double check the tonearm for any defects and the VTF and VTA settings, as well as the azimuth. If it was my table, I'd also take the tonearm to the dealer and put it on his Classic at the store to see what happens. If it doesn't wobble, you'll at least know it's not the tonearm.