VPI Classic hum

If you ran your tonearm/cartridge in balanced mode, you would be able to turn up your volume control to the max and not hear hum. (if indeed you have a grounding grounding issue) As I read trough the above posts, I still think that Bearpaws would eliminate lost of the feedback you are getting (putting the cartridge (just above the record without noise) and touching the record (noise). There seems to be some subsonics coming through the supporting structure, the turntable, the arm that from which you are hearing the harmonics. Also, VPI sells a small weight that can be attached to the head of the arm to change the mass...but I wouldn't readily go there before trying the Bearpaws.

Stringreen

I have a CJ PV5 which doesn't have a balance mode. The last time that I turned my volume up to check for hum and noise, I blew out one of the drivers in my Vandersteens. It cost me $950.00 for that experience. As a result I would be hesitant to recommend that anyone do that. The hum only happened when the stylus touched the record and the motor was running. Now nothing is happening, :-).

I've had my Classic I with the Valhalla wiring, and a Lyra Delos for over two years now, and after three or four different interconnects across my system, three different speaker cables, two different phono preamps, a line preamp and power amp upgrade, I have not experienced any hum so many posters here complain of. I run tube line preamp and monoblocks so I do have what I'd describe as "hiss" when I turn the volume up to about a 90 dB level, but it has no effect on the sound; record imperfections are way more obvious than any hiss during quiet passages. So I'm puzzled by this mysterious hum problem and why the turntable would need any fixing or looking at. It's most likely poorly shielded cartridges than might be picking up some interference. I'm not sure how VPI or a VPI dealer can possibly fix the problem.

Btw, Macster, I also bought my Classic and the rest of my system from Stereo Unlimited in San Diego. If you want to get in touch, feel free to email me at actusreus13@hotmail.com.

I never a problem until I had the bright idea to detoix my Goldring GL2500. The result was a nightmare and I ended up klutzing the stylus.After that I made some interconnect changes and from there I got on the cartridge merry go round to try to solve the problem. Now I'm going back to square one.

Actusreus

IMHO that hiss is a normal tube by product, but I'd talk to Bruce about it. Thanks for the contact info.

Another thing peter lederman at soundsmith told me was that the wire coming out of the tonearm of the classic that plugs into the junction box is un-shielded wire. This wire can pickup interference. I took a single strand of copper wire about the size of a human hair, then spiral wrapped it around the tonearm wire. I left a long piece near the base that I connected to the ground lug on the turntable. I then wrapped both wires in PTFE tape. This did eliminate a small hum issue I had. Those of you with the valhalla wiring, I think valhalla is shielded already so this would be no help to you.