VPI Classic hum

In my post from May 28th I said "I installed my old CA Virtuoso and I'm back in business. Phono pre is ok. No hum or resonance that I can detect." Sorry guys and gals -- too quick on the draw "pardners."

After more listening, I get the same exact bass resonance with the Virtuoso as I did with the Maestro. And that makes more sense because the cartridges are very similar.

I am still trading e mails with Mike at VPI about the bass resonance issue. I am 100% confident everything will be resolved to my complete satisfaction this coming week. When everything settles down, I'll report back.

In the meantime, to everyone reading this post, have a safe and restful Memorial Day weekend. Let's not forget what the holiday is all about. G-d bless America and the brave men and women who have taken up arms in her defense.

The Aries 3 is running beautifully. Itchy fingers - wondering how it would sound with the Classic's metal platter. Mike of VPI said no prob using it with the Aries 3, so I did a switch.

Wondering if it's my imagination that the metal platter gave the sound more weight and control ...

Damn, this road doesn't end, does it?!

Cheers!

Hey Bassman, I'm burned out with all these delays. Too much gatification delay. Still waiting to get my Classic 3 arm. BTW, I just sourced a new Ortofon 2M Black and a practically new DV 20X H MkII. Should get both before end of the week. I hear both sound great on the Classic. I'll try both and run with the better one. I'll report back.

So I've traded in the Classic for the Aries 3. Sad to see the Classic go, but I think I'm going to have fun upgrading parts of the Aries 3 in the years (months?). Platter, feet, maybe rim drive ...

Epilogue: Mike, the VPI customer service rep, came through 100% as I surmised. I recently sold my Clear Audio cartridges for scrap/re-tip credit. As mentioned above, the Maestro's cantilever disappeared into the Fifth Dimention (not the pop group from the 70s). The Virtuoso's cantilever is bent and/or out of alignment. I definitely must stop loading the effective mass of my tone arm with a brick.

On a more serious note, Mike did some testing of the Classic 1 arm and Maestro combo. He reported back to me that the resonant frequency was 16 Hz, which is too high. This could possibly be the cause of the bass ringing, but I can't say for sure now because those cartridges are history. Anyone reading this post who is interested in installing a Meastro on a Classic 1 arm arm would be well advised to call or e mail Mike at VPI first to learn what tweaks may be necessary to get the combo to work at its top potential.

In addition, it recently came to my attention that the VTA adjustment set screws at the bottom of the Classic 1 tone arm base were loose. I'm currently using a Dynavector 20X2H cartridge. The DV opened up after I tightened the VTA set screws down. Something to keep in mind with the Classic 1. Don't know if the Classic 2/3 is susceptible to the same issue since VTA is adjusted on the fly.

And btw, I haven't got a clue if the source of the bass ringing I heard on the Maestro and Virtuoso in some way related to the VTA set screw issue. As stated above, check with Mike.