Upgrade Tonearm for VPI Aries 3

You have a unipivot tonearm that changes azimuth and VTF. A loose counterweight could do that but yours is ok. Does your arm clear the lift when playing? Are the tonearm wires binding between the arm and the connection block? Is the anti-skate ok? Is the cartridge suspension damaged? Is the point on the unipivot damaged? Is your counterweight hitting anything?

I have a new Aries 3 with the 3D arm.
I like the table but I'm not a big fan of the arm.
I'm sure the engineering & manufacturing is top notch but the design of this uni-pivot arm is not for me.
I've owned gimbaled, uni-pivot, and linear tracking arms. This is - for me - the twitchiest arm I've ever owned. Even with the Soundsmith counterweight gizmo, this arm is very difficult to set.
The deal killer for me is that I have no confidence in the my settings. When trying to really "dial it in" it is too easy to lose the rough settings. Eventually I just quit trying when I think it is OK.
This is not where I want to be with a rig at this price point.
Anyone know if a Tri-planar or a Kuzma 4Point can be rigged to work on the Aries 3?

Wlutke,

Thank you for the suggestions,
The cartridge is only 3 months old,the lift is clear but I never though of looking at the wires.

I'll check them.

Maxh....I couldn't agree with you less. It just sounds like you don't know how to set up the arm. The 3D is so stable when set correctly, that it feels like it's gimbaled...no shake, at all. The cartridge finds the record groove and is locked in place. Of course its your money - but you aren't going to get a better arm. ..just wondering if you have the wrong counterweight on it...

FWIW ... I own a tricked-out Classic 1/2 plinth with a Classic 3 tonearm/base. I agree with everything Stan (Stringreen) said about checking the arm. My VTA, VTF and azimuth are pretty stable. I check every couple of months when bored. No changes.

I also agree with the advice about making sure the hex on the VTF counterweight screw is tight ... but not overly so. I also assume you're using the S-S counterintuitive gizmo. That's a big help.

Let's go back to the wires. In the past, I noticed that VTF and azimuth would change when measured at different places on the record if the tonearm wire that tied into the juntion box was over-twisted. IMO, less is more. I use a one donut as a bias weight on the anti-skating mechanism and err on the side of just a mild twist in the tonearm wire. If the wire is over twisted , the torque will affect azimuth and VTF a little.

Also, make sure there's clearance if you're using the AS mechanism. You may have to loosen the little AS ring that hooks onto the tone arm and move it around a bit as needed to ensure clearance with the VTA tower. My VTF and azimuth jumped around a bit until I properly set the AS ring.

Last point. VPI reconfigured the heavy azimuth stabilizing counterweight ring that attaches to the bottom of the heavy bell housing. The newer azimuth ring has larger counterbalance ears. That helped me a lot.

Hope this helps. You're not alone out there. To quote Mike, VPI service rep, if properly set up, the VPI/JMW arm combo sings. I agree.