VPI Classic in for Review

[pbda]

Hey! You guys shut up. I wanna hear more from pbda. Give us a preview dude.

You rock, my friend.

So much interest! So many thoughts! Even some misconceptions! I'm sitting in a hotel in Milan at 2:30am (business trip), so in the interests of rest will try to cover a lot in a short post.

1. The shelf is not glass. It's Plexiglas (aka Perspex for our European friends). And it's not the review home for the TT, it's just my "setup" shelf. I'll be placing the Classic on a 2 1/2 inch thick slab of maple (suggested by Harry Weisfeld), which will in turn be placed on shelves of MDF.

2. I'll be using the Bellari VP-129 for the review, but will also listen with the Classic plugged directly into my preamp's phono section (McIntosh C712). I have a high-output Grado Sonata on the TT, so in theory the preamp isn't essential. I've replaced the stock tube in the Bellari with a new (not NOS) Mullard tube.

3. I plan to compare and contrast the sound of the Classic with my LP12 (which has an Ittok LVIII arm).

4. Sinewave test: I'll give this a try in due course. I've been using the supplied clamp, which does really "batten down the hatches". I may try the peripheral clamp if VPI is interested in supplying one. We'll see.

5. Yes, that's a dustbug-like unit on the TT at the moment. I've got a thing for them, you see, that dates back to my first "serious" turntable in the mid seventies. Let's not go there for the moment...

The turntable is not yet optimized. Besides placing it on the correct stand on the requisite slab of wood...

-The counterweight supplied is too heavy for my Grado, so I can't get tracking force over 1.45 grams; I'm awaiting a lighter counterweight from the Weisfelds.

-While it is suggested that the user place the vinyl directly on the aluminum platter, Harry is also sending me a (prototype) paper mat with which he's been experimenting. He feels that it makes a difference in the sound which may or may not appeal. We'll see.

-Harry also suggests using damping fluid in the unipivot with Grado cartridges. I've been doing without for the moment, but will eventually add the fluid and determine if this influences the sound.

Thanks again for the interest, and stand by. I'll post again once I have some meaningful listening observations.

[TSWisla]

Any update? I am considering this table as an upgrade to my Xperience. Please let us know.

[pbda]

Still waiting for the lighter counterweight from VPI, so nothing further at the moment. Part one of the review will be in the November issue of Affordable Audio; this will focus on setting up the turntable.

I've got the TT set up on the correct stand, and sitting on a block of maple, so once I get tracking force correct I'll provide some initial thoughts. I hope to do this by early November.

[analogous]

hallo,

i don't think that glass is the best material for a hi fi rack.
this will certainly colour the sound coming from the turntable.
don't you have a better base to place the VPI on?
not to be too piercing, but this is one of the reasons that reviewers are not taken seriously anymore.
clear mistakes like this.

regards,
bastlnut

This kind of glass is super hard, much harder than steel. Does that mean diamond sucks?



http://www.waterfallaudio.com



http://www.perfect8.com

[pbda]

The initial article on setting up the Classic will be in the November issue of Affordable Audio, which should be available at some point on Tuesday, 3 November.

[Brinkman]

The initial article on setting up the Classic will be in the November issue of Affordable Audio, which should be available at some point on Tuesday, 3 November.

FYP

Though I have to say, it's kind of a drag to have to wait for the other parts of your review.

Then again, it's not like I'm going to go out and purchase this table tomorrow or anything.

By the way, would you please measure the wiring capacitance from the cartridge clips to the RCA jacks?

[gotoma8]

great looking table...can you tell me if you used the VPI jig to set up the cartridge and also, could you tell me the distance from spindle to pivot (in millimeters)?

Thanks
T

[bonzini]

without a belt! boo hoo hoo hoo. also without warranty card and manual, but the manual is online at the VPI site, and I am pretty sure I can sort out the warranty card eventually.

Adversity being the handmaiden of invention, I found this honkin' big rubber band... sort of works, too springy and the speed is off. Still sounds pretty fine despite all that.

But anyway! My old Ariston/G707 is sitting on the island in the kitchen - I'm bound to hear about that tomorrow if I don't move it sooner.

A couple of other surprises: it comes in two boxes now - platter alone in one, everything else in the bigger box; also there is a paper cover on the platter upper surface, and beneath that a kind of a thin foam thing. You don't suppose this is some kind of new mat?

Anyway. Nice to be able to set the machine up using the supplied tonearm jig and Shure cartridge gauge. I have a few levels but I can imagine that being a stopper for some. The instructions suggest the use of a big level, so I guess it's not practical to put one of those in the kit.

Two immediate impressions - there is much more bottom end in this baby; and percussion seems to have much more energy. Altogether much more lively than the old machine.

[bonzini]

Wow. Still waiting for the real belt, still enjoying it with various jury-rigged contraptions.

Lack of Real Rubber doesn't stop the whole family from being blown away by the dynamics. Listened to the new Massive Attack EP. Huge, huge dynamics. Listened to Crosby Stills Nash 200gm yesterday. "there's bass in that record"? I thought to myself. "never heard that before".

Harry and Sheila, thank you for bringing this enjoyment into our household.

[lanny]

I heard my first Classic tonight, in a friend's system with which I'm quite familiar. My jaw dropped as soon as I came into the room. The level of resolution was remarkable, smooth and natural with none of the dreaded etched effect. Timing and dynamics were impressive, and the speed stability may be even better than the two SDS-equipped VPI tables in the room (Aries and rim-drive HRX). If I had to pick one standout quality, it might be the sweet, seamless midrange. I'd brought the Hogwood Messiah (ho ho ho, and all that), and even Emma Kirkby sounded lovely. The articulation of vocal vibrato and trills, from all the soloists, gave me goosebumps. Echoes of the tympani on the far right were bouncing off the venue's left wall. It was easy to pick out individuals in the chorus and orchestra, yet even easier to relax and let the music wash over me without analysis.

This Classic had only about 2.5 hours on it when I got there, with a new OC9 ML/II of similar experience, more-or-less aligned but not with any precision. The too-light counterweight was shoved as far forward as possible, VTF unknown (it seemed to track fine). I can only imagine how this rig will sound with some break-in time and TLC, and perhaps plugged into an SDS. At the very least, the OC9 will open up even more and make some real bass.

I think I need to sell my Scout...

BTW, the foam disk is apparently just packing material, not a mat. Don't even bother listening with it--the naked platter is best. The VPI periphery ring works very nicely, and should be the next $600 a Classic owner considers spending.

[pbda]

Part 2 of my VPI Classic review ("Listening") is in the January issue of Affordable Audio magazine http://www.affordableaudio.org/aa2010-01.pdf

This is a very good turntable; very honest across the frequency spectrum. Love the sound, and beautifully built. VPI has done their homework.

[bauzace50]

Hi,
that is an impressive review! Thanks for sharing! The other reviews in the link are also very helpful.
May I request revieweres to consider very carefully the reasons and meaning of "punching above its price", or "punching above its weight", or "performs way above its price".

Meaning about the product under review is actually conveyed by describing what it does! But saying it "performs over its price" is falling for the falsity that higher price is the measure of higher performance.

It's just as meaningless as saying that Mariah Carey peformed at fully $2,000.00 more than the ticket price. Or The Philadelphia Orchestra played the Mahler symphony at about $3,000. over the ticket price.

It conveys no meaning about the performance, but says much about the reviewer's cliché of describing performance with price instead of results...lacking the language to convey what was actually heard.

Idem for conversations at audiophile meets. It's one of the more horrible cliches one hears all over the room. It would seem that the entire idea of beign an audiophile is hearing price relations (which is an impossibility).

Regards,
bauzace50

[Cambot]

I broke down and ordered one with a Dynevector 20X cart and a walnut finish. I've been listening to one at a shop and am very impressed.