Turntable The next level

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mahiruha

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Hello guys,
first of all I must thank all the memebrs who helped me starting a very interesting and enjoyable journey with vinyls. I am really impressed with the quality of sound produced by them. I am looking to get a good turntable which can complement well the Lyrita system. I am looking at a budget of 80k to 120K. I am really confused what to get at this budget. My immediate choices are

http://www.arnsystems.com/PDF/tt_pro_xperience.pdf

VPI SCOUT TURNTABLE WITH JMW 9 TONEARM - elusivedisc
the VPI TT fitted with Grado cartridge.
today I had a conversation with Sridhar of ARN systems he told me he can source this VPI scout TT fitted with Grado cartridge within my budget. He also told me he had experience with VPI classic can vouch for its quality but he had no direct experience with VP scout. I am not willing to stretch my budget for VPI classic. Can somebody throw some more light regarding what are the good choices available in this price range and if VPI scout + Grado combination cosdierably better than the project TT.
Thanks in advance,
Mahiruha.
 
The scout is an excellent turntable and is unbeatable in your budget. However you'd do good to get the Classic which in Harry Westfeld's own words is one of his best designs till date. The Classic also has a much better JMW 10.5 tonearm compared to the Scout's JMW9. I'm trying to gather enough funds to be able to buy my own. As far as I'm concerned its the Classic or nothing.

You could also look at the Clearaudio Emotion and the basic Linn LP12. They will just sound different as all of them have a distinct house sound and to my ears, the VPIs sound the most neutral. Ignore the projects. In this price range, there are way better options.
 
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Hello Roc,
Thanks for your inputs.I know That VPI classic is very good but for my associated rig that might be a overkill. Have you heard this TT? Do you know any dealer who deals with clearaudio and Linn in India.
Thanks.
 
hi mahiruha,

if you can, do stretch and buy the best turntable you possibly can. cos buying a lower end one and then selling it off to upgrade ends up being more costly. it certainly won't be overkill for your rig!!! vpi's are well reviewed and well regarded. good choice!

now i'll confuse you even more :p for bout $2000 you can get a garrard 301 off ebay and an sme 12" arm. do read up on idler drive turntables before spending that kind of moolah on a belt drive turntable. :)

regards
 
mahiruha said:
Hello Roc,
Thanks for your inputs.I know That VPI classic is very good but for my associated rig that might be a overkill. Have you heard this TT? Do you know any dealer who deals with clearaudio and Linn in India.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

Haven't heard the Classic but have heard the other VPIs - Scout and Scoutmaster. There's a classic at ARN which I'll get to listen to hopefully this weekend depending upon Sridhar's schedule. The scoutmaster sounded incredible when I heard it abroad. I think Prithvi is the dealer for Linn. Soundsmiths used to do clearaudio. I'm not sure who the current dealer is.

@stevieboy: Garrard 301s are a good idea if you are willing to tweak the setup to the limit. You also need to build your own plinth for it. Out of the box, the VPIs will absolutely destroy the Garrards. Again idlers have a distinctive sound which someone may or may not like. So its all up to personal tastes beyond that.

Cheers!
 
absolutely reign, they do require commitment. i still have to set up mine... next year project...

btw what's the classic priced at?

regards

Edit: by 'absolutely' i meant yes they're a pain to set up not that a vpi classic beats a garrard. :) reserve judgement till i hear both.
 
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stevieboy said:
absolutely reign, they do require commitment. i still have to set up mine... next year project...

btw what's the classic priced at?

regards

Edit: by 'absolutely' i meant yes they're a pain to set up not that a vpi classic beats a garrard. :) reserve judgement till i hear both.
Click to expand...

Hi Steven,
well thanks for clarifying the pain to set up thing for Garrard. Actually I am in position where I can't really audition any of the Turntable but go with the flow. The VPI classic is priced aarond 175 K + so it is out of my budget. I really don't want to spend that much on the TT only prefer to spend procuring music.Well coming to the Scout they are offering this cartridge along with VPI scout TT.
Grado Sonata1 Wood Body Phono Cartridge -specially selected species of mahogany; an intricate procedure of curing is done between production steps to achieve optimal sonic quality.
The tonearm offered with the TT is
VPI Industries Inc.
The problem is this tonearm needs cartridge weighing between 7 to 13 grams.
But the Grado weighs 6 gms. What would be a better option for cartridge in this case or it doesn't really matter. I had a chat with viren also he suggested the cartridge output needs to be atleast 4.0 mV.
Thanks.
 
reignofchaos said:
Haven't heard the Classic but have heard the other VPIs - Scout and Scoutmaster. There's a classic at ARN which I'll get to listen to hopefully this weekend depending upon Sridhar's schedule. The scoutmaster sounded incredible when I heard it abroad. I think Prithvi is the dealer for Linn. Soundsmiths used to do clearaudio. I'm not sure who the current dealer is.
Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hi Roc,
Thnaks for the inputs. From your listening experience how scout compares to the scoutmaster. Is there a considerable difference. Have a good audition and if you can let us know your feedback that will be helpful.
Thanks.
 
Hello,
I was chekcing the specifications. I have a question if it is possible to use Project speed box with VPI turntables? The project one is much cheaper as compared to the vpi one.
Thanks.
 
Hi
One clarification (since I got a couple of mails), the VPI Classic is priced around that range including the Grado Sonata cartridge. Obviously without the cartridge, the overall price comes down, with a better cartridge the price goes up. The price also includes 12.5% VAT.

cheers
Sridhar
 
odyssey said:
Hi
One clarification (since I got a couple of mails), the VPI Classic is priced around that range including the Grado Sonata cartridge. Obviously without the cartridge, the overall price comes down, with a better cartridge the price goes up. The price also includes 12.5% VAT.

cheers
Sridhar
Click to expand...

Hi Sridhar,

Can you please e-mail me further details of VPI-Classic and its price. I am absolutely novice. So you have to educate me on TT nuances. Although, as you know I have already committed decent sum for my audio set-up, but for my quest for musical bliss, TT can not be ignored. Isn't it?
 
Hello guys,
I am more or less decided to go for VPI Scout TT. Now I have few questions. I can get the vpi scout + with Grado sonata Cartridge which has a 1.5mv output.

I have gone through some forums and they are saying that Grado sonata is boring and not many people are happy with it. The other option is then to go for VPI Scout + VPI - Dynavector 20X Special Cartridge for $300 more. But this dynavecotr cartridge is having 1mv output.

The third option is I can go for Vpi scout II with Grado sonata Cartridge which will also cost $300 more.

I don't want to combine VPI Scout II with Dynavector 20X Special Cartridge since in that case it will be $600 more.

Can anybody please suggest which will be the best combination. I am limiting my choice to these two cartridges only since they are offered by VPI people and will be fitted by them. My point is since the cartridge is the most important part so I must get it factory fitted.

THe other problem is Viren's phono preamp. I had a detailed discussion with both Viren and Sridhar and they are having the opinion that Lyrita phono Pre amp can cater for 1.5mvnot sure for 1mv though. I must mention here that my current shure Cart has output of 4.0mV and my volume knob is at the 12 o clock position for my normal listening. I was also told that db level and cartridge output follows a logarithmic scale so it should suffice. I want a general opinion from Lyrita phono pre amp users if I should order an external transformer from Viren alongside my VPI order or I should wait and see if it works or not.
Thanks,
Mahiruha.
 
Hi dost,

I would go for the Vpi scout II with Grado sonata Cartridge. The reason being, it's better to go for a nicer quality turntable for now. Then you can upgrade the cartridge later on when you feel like etc. At least you will have a superior table to further maximize the benefits of any future cartridges.

Though, I strongly urge you to wait and collect the necessary funds for a VPI Classic. That would be the best way to go right now all the up the VPI Lineup for not that much money compared to their top end offerings. Just something to think about.

As for phono gain...just get the setup in when you do and see how it goes. If you need more gain, get a step up transformer or maybe even a new phono stage :)

I would strongly consider getting the Classic over the VPI Scout or even the VPI Super Scout Master.
 
Hi Mahiruha
What Shaizada proposed (Classic) would definitely be an upgrade over the Scout (we have discussed this before). To answer your question on getting the Transformer or not, my take is to wait and see if the gain is sufficient, and as Shaizada said, then decide what to do. You then have the option of a transformer or a separate pre with a higher gain.

cheers
Sridhar
 
hi mahiruha,

viren had once sent me his solid state phonostage which was speced for his cart at 1mv or so and it worked fine with my cart output of 2.5v.

however, and i strongly suggest you do some reading up on this, output volume is not your main concern. with carts and phonostages its more important to get the specs matching ie your cart voltage and the step up transformer specs.

here you go SUT

eg in my phonostage viren has built in the step up transformer, it's a make (cinemag) he has selected which co-incidentally has been reviewed as perfectly matching the denon 103 cart which i'm planning for my garrard. else i'd have had to get a different step up transformer to match the cart.

regards

edit: if you're looking at changing carts you'd do well to look up the specs of the carts you want to upgrade to and see if the step up transformer you're currently choosing will match the future cart else you might have a perfect match right now and then upgrade cart and need to change your step up transformer. some transformers even the cinemag which viren uses come with options that allow you to switch to match different carts. like i said do read up else you're gonna end up with cart purchases that perform sub-optimally
 
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Hello,

shaizada: Thanks for your useful insight. I am going with your choice ie Vpi scout II with Grado sonata. It seems to be the most VFM for me at this stage. I do agree that VPI classic will be a better choice but I am not sure if it is going to make a huge difference in my set up where performence is strictly constrained by the snooker table. May be in future when I will have a fully dedicated room for music I can consider it.

Sridhar: I am yet to find about this transformer thing. I guess the problem is Viren's pre hasn't been mated yet with the cartridges I am looking for so I need to decided on a strategy where the music won't be delayed once the TT arrives.

Steven: Thanks verymuch for your inputs. Let me do some reading and have a discussion with viren and then see what is the best solution. I would follow the route of an external transformer.
Thanks.
 
mahiruha said:
Hello,

shaizada: Thanks for your useful insight. I am going with your choice ie Vpi scout II with Grado sonata. It seems to be the most VFM for me at this stage. I do agree that VPI classic will be a better choice but I am not sure if it is going to make a huge difference in my set up where performence is strictly constrained by the snooker table. May be in future when I will have a fully dedicated room for music I can consider it.
Click to expand...

Feel free to use my suggestion PROVIDED I get an invite for a listening session at your place ;)
 
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