[topround]

Spoke to Harry today about his new Clasic TT

supposed to sound like a classic 60's TT
Anyone hear one?

I want one
I LOVE the way it looks

Mike

[Sonny]

Mike, I talked to him too today...
I don't think the table is shipping just yet!

Finally got the TNT up and running a couple of months ago...and been spinning records ever since!
How's that RB300 working with your HW19?
Tuan

[2bigears]

   good catch Mike,very cool deck.i-sa want one....

[TheChairGuy]

http://vpiindustries.com/table_classic.htm

I've been on the list for one for almost 2 months now.  It's been delayed because of new investment tooling of a diecast aluminum platter with slick inverted bearing.

Tho it looks kinda' like a HW-19....it really pays homage to the old Empire tables of old.  It's an update to it with more inert plinth, longer/optional damped 10.5" arm, heavier platter (with ability to add periphery ring), more silent inverted bearing, more overall mass, and 4 (serious) feedback rejecting feet.  I question whether the motor will be up the standards of the old Pabst/West German made motor...it was a beast, (reportedly) very quiet and good torque.

The motor on the HW-19, in my estimation, has been it's relatively weakest link.  So, if they've improved that, as well, we're in for good tune-age 

It's not a re-invention of the wheel....it's just a modern update of a true 'classic' Empire table.

With the ring and SDS, for 4K, it might be top 1% material 

I imagine it will kill Atma-Sphere's aftermarket mod business on old Empires : http://www.atma-sphere.com/products/208.html

John

[TheChairGuy]

Mike/topround - I got an email from Sheila at VPI earlier today. 

The new, aluminum platter with inverted bearing are not due for another 2+ weeks to VPI....I think that is the last holdup for shipping the table to folks on the wait list.

John

[Listens2tubes]

Mike, I'll make a deal with ya. If any NJ Audio Society members lay hands on one I'll post here, if you'll do the same with the Rave crew. Then we can all converge on the lucky recipient for some ogling with eyes and ears!

[TheChairGuy]

They seem to be shipping now (tho VPI hasn't contacted me for mine that's been on order for almost 4 months now )

I'm sure Sheila will ring me up soon

That new aluminum platter looks huge and quite fetching

http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HW-CLS10B

John

[rajacat]

   20 lb. platter

[Browntrout]

I'm really happy for you Chairguy, I don't think you'll have any problems with speed stability with the solid mounted motor and heavy platter. Are you expecting much improvement over your current table? Perhaps you can allow yourself to buy that Grado The Reference now?

P.S What finish have you requested?

[TheChairGuy]

I'm really happy for you Chairguy, I don't think you'll have any problems with speed stability with the solid mounted motor and heavy platter. Are you expecting much improvement over your current table? Perhaps you can allow yourself to buy that Grado The Reference now?

P.S What finish have you requested?

The oak finish for me (oops, edit, I choose walnut )

I owned the VPI HW-19 Mk. III for a while and tinkered with it.  It didn't meet my criteria of a real good table until I added SDS to the line....and then it was superb.  I still preferred my JVC direct drive unit....but, I know 5 of 10 people would consider me insane for feeling like this.  But, this is all a very personable decision, no?

I am expecting it to better my current table and I wouldn't be too unhappy if it was my last table, either

I've thought about the top line Grado Woodies a lot over the years....I just dig the naturalness of even their Prestige series (and wonder if the higher line series might have a bit more of that reflex speed that I hear with moving coils)

Life is lookin' and soundin' good

John

[Browntrout]

Good to hear it. 
The Grado I listen to is alot faster and cleaner than the other models with a wider window in terms of frequencies. Certainly recommended. 

[BobM]

I wouldn't call the Grado woodies neutral. Very lush and musical though, not a lot to complain about unless you are looking for a bit more leading edge detail and more of that MC quickness and expansiveness. In that case I would suggest looking at a Dynavector, like the 20X.

Good luck with the new table. I'm looking forward to the reviews of this baby.

Bob

[TheChairGuy]

Bob,

Grado and Dynavector (and probably the higher line Denon's) would likely be my next tentative step forward in cartridges.

I bought a London Decca Jubilee recently (US$2795 ) and while it was a very good cartridge, it was no significant advance on a $179 Denon DL-160 I felt.  So, it ain't London Decca as my answer

I chronicled my adventure with it at The Vinyl Engine:

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=18276&highlight=

John

[Browntrout]

You know thinking about it I've been really lucky in hifi. I've bought two turntables and two carts and I don't feel like changing at all. Now that can't happen very often, to find yourself content with so little swapping around can it? If you know what sound you like go for it, no point changing for the sake of change, improvement is the way to go.

Can you oil that plinth Chairguy? If so after a few months of oiling and rubbing it the grain would look really deep and lush. I used to use walnut oil from the kitchen on my shotguns stocks and they looked really beautifull.

[Wayner]

Looking at the bolt pattern on the motor ring, I'm betting it's the same Hurst motor that they use on most of the line. It's s a very good motor, tho needs a really connected anchoring system to bleed off the pole vibrations. I use the same motor in my ARmod and it is very steady state and powerful.

I will disagree that it will sound like the older Empire decks like the 208 (298) or one of those non-sprung plinth models. I was told that the technique Empire developed for balancing their platters was "jet engine" balancing. That is why several here at AC like Doug S. and Berndt like them so much.

Still, it will have a sound of it's own. I think that die-casting the platter is a grave mistake. Any engineer will tell you to stay the hell out of die-casting unless you plan on making 250,000 units. There is tremendous cost and because of that, I suspect that VPI has sourced the platter overseas, like Tiawan. They will be disappointed in the quality, unless they do all of the machining to the casting here in the states. I certainly speak from experience on this issue.

I can't wait till John gets his so we can get the low-down.

Wayner 

[TheChairGuy]

Wayner- my suspicion is that the platter is sourced overseas, too.  I'm not certain of that, but the lead times seem to indicate overseas manufacture. btw, Harry Weisfeld is a machinist by trade...so the quality should be good no matter where it hails from.

browntrout - I ordered the Classic in walnut, not oak   I don't know if it can or should be oiled (I'm not a real wood connoisseur to be honest)

John

[Browntrout]

Walnut is nicer anyway. I'm going to have a read about your new table on the web. Must be nice buying brand spankers! No fiddling though I don't want to read about any 20lbs of plasti-clay with this one!

[TheChairGuy]

Walnut is nicer anyway. I'm going to have a read about your new table on the web. Must be nice buying brand spankers! No fiddling though I don't want to read about any 20lbs of plasti-clay with this one!

No - not likely any plast-i-clay needed with this one.

But I stand ready with a 5lb brick of plastina modeling clay (in lovely muted red color) just in case

I agree on walnut...tho I'm not an officianado of woods, walnut looks very nice to my eye

John

[Wayner]

Back to the platter, it seems that what went around, came around again. I remember folks blasting the aluminum platter because it "rang" or something to that nature. Then the acrylic platters became all the rage. Now, it's 1969 all over again and VPI is going back to aluminum platters. I'll bet the aluminum platter shows up on many of their other models, to hose down the cost per unit and get away from the tremendous cost of the acrylic platter. I know VPI will machine them up nice and pretty, but castings can produce an unbalanced load, because the casting itself is out of balance (sporadic density) and VPI will have to figure out how to balance each and every platter they sell. This is what Empire did. This is what AR did. A little lead weighted strip, anyone?

Wayner 

[Wayner]

Just to add that I'm not blasting VPI. I just hope they know what they are in for.

I myself am thinking of buying this model as it is the right price, love the walnut base and aluminum platter and all will fit right in here with the Empire, Armod, Armod II and the VPI HW-19jr. Sometimes it is a belt world after all.

Wayner