VPI Ring Clamp

I believe the outer clamp is a good thing and the new version with the felt on the inside is easier to take off and on.
It does sound a little more focused and is more natural in the treble. With the outer ring under the LP the sound is a liottle livelier/brighter. That can be a good or no so good thing depending on your system tone.
It will ensure your cartridge last longer as it is always tracking with a nice straight piece of vinyl, rather than going up and down warps however small.
The last and most important question to ask youself is - are you prepared to go to the hasstle of taking off and putting the outer ring for every LP you play.
I agree with Jameswei and 500 bucks is well spent.

A question: does the outer ring clamp all it's cracked up to be. All records are warped a little on the outer edge, but does flattening them out such a big deal. I have 19MK 4 and it would cost me $1200 to upgrade. Would that be money well spent?

Alephman,

I think the ring clamp makes a favorable difference. Whether it's worth it is up to you and your wallet.

Flattening a warped record does tend to reduce wow and other kinds of distortion. However, another key benefit of the ring clamp is to press the record more securely to the platter, which I believe draws away certain kinds of undesireable vibration.

I am not sure what would be involved in a $1200 upgrade to your 19Mk4. Perhaps it would involve replacing the platter as well as buying the $500 ring clamp. Would this also entail replacing the bearing assembly? or replacing the suspension springs? If so, these are substantial changes that I think might have sonic effects that go well beyond just getting the ring clamp. I can't say if it would be worth the money for you. At some point, you might be better off just replacing the whole table. Perhaps an audition would be helpful.

Jameswei,
The $1200 would involve a new bearing, platter, the ring itself and I'd have to have a PLC or SDS to get the speed right. Plus I might as well get the new center weight for another $150. I think I'll stick with my TNT platter although I think the whole idea of flattening out the outer edge of a record is brillant, just out of my reach.

There is one side benefit of the outer ring. It places less stress on your cartridge, as the record is completely flat so VTA is easier to adjust and your cartridge will last longer.