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VPI Super Platter out of square-will it work?

After years of looking I bought a NOS Super Platter in July. Yesterday my Rim Drive Super Scoutmaster was delivered so I took the Super Platter out of the box for the first time and I could feel the edges of the 3 layers thru the plastic! The outer surface is not square. One or the other of the 3 layers protrudes or recedes as you run your finger around the circumference. Sometimes the steel layer sticks out, sometimes one of the acrylic layers sticks out. This platter is new but its as if the acrylic shifted slightly here and there. I don't seed how this could happen with the shaft in place. Is it usable? I contacted the seller for a refund because I don't want to chance losing the $1000 I paid by mounting the platter. Is this what VPI refers to as "thermally unstable"? Is it a partial melting of the acrylic? Someone must have had a similar problem since VPI cancelled production due to production problems. Thanks for the help.
manorraul
hiendmuse
257 posts
 
Stringreen is right. VPI had problems with the Super Platter. I traded in my Super Platter for a Classic Platter on my SSM with Rimdrive Ref. and it sounds much better and works better with the rimdrive. VPI claims it is more accurately machined than the super platter.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,216 posts
 
On what basis are you asking the seller for a refund?
dreadhead
353 posts
 
I'm confused again. How can a circle be of square?
Out of round is the phrase your looking for here.
mcbuddah
93 posts
 
You really should contact VPI directly about this problem. They are world-class at customer support. If you play your cards right, they may offer to remachine it or replace it or swap it out for an aluminum classic platter. They helped me tremendously last year when the table I bought from used on agon didn't have a motor or SDS last year. HW ended up rebuilding and repainting a show unit for me for only $800, despite the $2200 list price. He even threw in a belt kit and some lube.

Note that although Harry gave control of the business to his son, he seems to haunt the Audio Asylum vinyl pages and seems to swoop down like a guardian angel to solve problems people have with his gear. Good luck with resolving your problems. Due to my owning a SSM machine, I have done quite a bit of research into its configurations. The consensus seems to be that the classic platter perform better with the rim-drive, but that the super platter mates better when using the 2-motor belt-drive option, which I use. As to the machining quality, I checked my super-platter for runout (concentricity) with a dial test indicator reading 1/1000" that I had when I was a toolmaker. Total runout is less than a half a thousandth of an inch on all three layers. If yours left the factory with misalignment greater than that, it should be brought first to VPI's attention.
brf
1,715 posts
 
I’ve owned most of VPI platter offerings. I never had a problem with concentricity with my Super Platter and I also use a rim drive. VPI discontinued the Super Platter as it was becoming very labor intensive and costly to produce. VPI claims a higher machine tolerance with the new Classic platter, as for the Classic sounding better that is subjective (I personally prefer the Classic platter).

It sounds like a bad batch of Super Platters was produced but really never realized until the launch of the rim drive. The Super Platter is still a highly sought after platter, especially for those who want to use it with a periphery ring.

If you like the sound of the Super Platter, IMHO there is no better platter made than the TNT Mk5 stainless steel and Delrin combo. The Mk5 stainless steel portion is machined to the highest tolerance and works well with the rim drive. I still use both the Mk5 and Classic platter and have since sold my Super Platter.
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