VPI Classic hum

Hi, Bifwynne ... as of now, I'm still getting that hum, although, again, in the lead-in and quiet parts.

My dealer says none of his customers who have got the Classic report any such issue. Anyway, he's offered the Aries 3 to me for the weekend, and I'll be taking it home to hear how it behaves in my place. He's also got a new batch of Classics coming in soon, says I can try one if I want to.

Let's see how it goes with the Aries first, so I'll know if it's an issue specific to my Classic or overall set-up.

I've so far not encountered any tonearm resonance with the Maestro.

Bassraptor, thanks for the update. Did you try the suggestions I made on the 23rd, namely:

"Do you get the hum with the stylus sitting on the record, but with the motor turned off? I suspect that the answer is no. Then if you start the motor, I assume that the hum starts up. If I'm on target so far, what happens if you touch the ground wire to the tone arm base. Does the hum go away? If not, what is your ground wire connected to? If the pre, any possibility of a ground loop? Just for fun, if you can extend the ground wire to touch a water or gas pipe, you might get a clean and solid ground that will eliminate the hum."

The suggestions should take all of 10 minutes to try out. If the problem is, as I suspect, related to the motor and its interaction with the stainless steel tube, maybe the grounding ideas will help.

BTW, it's very nice of your dealer to let you try out another Classic TT this weekend. I suggest that you try out a Classic 1 with the stock arm, which as I mentioned above is an aluminum/stainless steel combo. If my suggestions above don't work, try twitching out your stainless steel arm with the Maestro already mounted onto the test TT. If the hum persists, I think that's credible evidence that your motor is ok. Next, I would mount the Maestro on the stock Classic 1 arm that comes with the test TT. If the hum disappears, then I think you have localized the problem to the stainless steel arm. If the hum still persists, maybe your Maestro is defective or the Maestro/Classic is simply not a good combo.

As I mentioned above, Mike from VPI is exchanging my Classic 1 stock arm for a Classic 3 stainless steel arm. In light of what you said on the 26th that you don't hear the bass resonance/ringing that I seem to have, then that's a good indication that the stainless steel arm is better suited for the Maestro. I just hope I don't wind up fixing the bass resonance problem, while adding a hum problem.

Please report back on how you make out. Good luck.

Curiouser and curiouser ...

Some quick facts:

1 - The Classic and Aries 3 tonearm don't seem to be interchangeable.

2 - The Classic arm, with counterweight attached, and steel arm tube, is lighter than the Aries 3 tonearm, which is all aluminium, also with weight attached.

3 - The Classic counterweight appears to be heavier.

Seems to be some significant differences between both the 10.5 tonearms.

Oh, I say this because the Maestro with headshell weight is too light for the Aries, but just right with the Classic's arm.

I'm now trying to get a heavier cartridge. Or a lighter counterweight ...

So much fun ... unlike the Regas, just fit and play ... (sarcasm intended) ...

more later ...

Just get a better shielded cartridge, that's all it takes. No other changes needed. It's not the arm, it's not cords.

Motor in plinth = hum with unshielded cartridge.

I have the Classic. I had a Grado Statement the Reference 1 (great cartridge) and I was getting tons of hum. Tried all sorts of things ($$$$), Michael Fremmer suggested that I try the Soundsmith Cartridges since they are so well shielded by design. I did, and what a huge change. No hum, great sound. I have a Soundsmith Zypher, which was quite a bit cheaper than my Grado, and sounds so good with the Classic I can't believe it.

Bassraptor, anything to report about the hum issue?

Mike at VPI said that I should receive my Classic 3 arm towards the ned of next week, already set up to take the Maestro. We'll see.

I agree, this is way too hard. I admire the build quality of the Classic, without qualification -- kinda reminds me of the way things were back in the 50s and 60s when "made in the USA" meant something. Ooops -- showing my age. But . . . I think the uni-pivit arm is too "unusual" for the Maestro.

In an e mail to Mike, I suggested that VPI try to disclose in its marketing data situations/cases where the uni-pivot arm is not a good match with such and such cartridge. There must be some common denominator where the arm is a poor, fair and good fit.

Perhaps VPI, as an alternative design, should provide as an option a more traditional fixed double pivit arm. I'm sure anything VPI comes up with would be top flight quality. In the end, I think whatever VPI comes up with should be, as you say, an easy plug and play situation --like the Rega. For me, I'd willing to "sacrifice" squeezing out the last "n percent" of capacity/sonics from a cartridge/arm combo for plug and play convenience. Just my humble opinion as a consumer and audiophile.