Spacedeck Vs. Scoutmaster

You can upgrade from Scout to Scoutmaster, but not from the Scoutmaster to the Super Scoutmaster do to a smaller non motor housed plinth design. Having spoken with VPI recently they are not offering any upgrades into the Super. You can however buy it without the SDS, Ring clamp, & Center weight should you have already purchased these items for your Scoutmaster. That takes the $5000.00 MFRP, down to about $3350, & you would sell the Scoutmaster yourself.

I really wish Harry had called the Super the "BEASTMASTER" instead of SSM.

What's next the Super Duper Scout Master???
Maybe Super Trooper Scout Master, has a better ring to it???

If you are looking for a slightly different flavour, then you could consider doing this, but IMO it's not an upgrade. I honestly prefer the sound of the Spacedeck by a wee bit. This one is likely a "my ears, your ears" standoff.

I say keep the Spacedeck until you are ready to move farther up - like to a TNT5 or 6, or farther up the Nottingham line.

Ozzy,
It's a really good question.
I have a Spacedeck, and heard my friend(Slipknot1)'s Scoutmaster, but not in the same system. Given the big differences in the two rigs, I sure can't say for sure. My gut tells me that it's a lateral move because the two both pass thru a pretty true signal that results in a sound that reflects the downstream components.
For example, The Scoutmaster w/Aragon mono, Supratek pre & Maggie3.6s has tons of jump, moves lots of air and is very seamless across the frequency range. You could say, "Well that's what Maggies do", but they just usually don't do it quite this well. IMHO, the Spacedeck at home brings out characteristics often associated w/the sound of my other gear(e.g. 3D images via Merlins&OTL), so it's tough to say. If we ever get the two side-by-side, we'll be sure to post up...Regards,
Spencer

I asked the same question about a week ago and I was also considering the Thorens 850 due to its reviews in the press. I will buy something early in January, probably the Scoutmaster but it's a really hard call based on what people have said. I haven't heard either myself.

I haven't heard the Scout Master in all of its possible incarnations and price points. I have heard your Nottingham and it is a wonderful table. It is neutral sounding in a way I never have found any VPI to be. If you want to make it perform at its best and way way beyond any Scoutmaster, trade in your Benz L2 for a Benz Ruby 3. Benz has sweetheart deals for trade-ups. Also, experiment with your phono cable. I don't know if you have a din connetion or standard RCA's. I have RCA's on my Welltempered Classic and I recently switched my Transparent Cable to a Purist Audio Museus which is the quietest cable I have ever heard yielding the lowest signal/noise ratio I have ever had. I also run the Benz Ruby 2 with an Extreme Phono Non-Felt + Carbon Mat and I can tell you that I sincerely believe my combo performs as well as any set-up to $8000.00. These changes will benfit you in the same way since I think your table has a similiar sound to my Welltempered.