VPI Fatboy Tonearm.

Not having a VPI arm, i don't really know if this fixes peoples' objections to the 3D arm. I guess I'll wait for @shaizada, @Marvey and other owners of a VPI arm to weigh in. Scroll down to the bottom for a picture in the link.
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/AXPONA_2017/Part2/

 

The article doesn't say much about what it is. Care to elaborate? I tried to google it but no joy. Is it made out of the 3D printed material or something else? Was the issue the previous arm was too light, too heavy, too hollow?

 

People's objections to the 3D arm (at least any that I've seen) were based on sound, not fragility. So whether or not this fat arm fixes those objections would require hearing it, I suppose.

BTW, "Fatboy" as a search string yields zero hits in the vpiforum. It's still 3d printed, but my first question would be whether or not they used the same material as the original printed arm.

 

I did some searching and came up with nothing but @Wfojas link.

I wondered if it had anything to do with the reported sagging on some 3D printed tonearms. I realized that I had not read 1st person remarks on the sagging issue. I came across this from Mat on the subject:
http://vpiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=7244&hilit=sag

(Not really on the Fatboy topic, but I found it interesting.)

 

Wow. Above average heat stress due to California and Florida climates? *sigh* .... VPI under Mat ....

 

The 3D arm is a joke in my opinion....but some people like it, and there is nothing wrong with that. Solid engineering and high quality design cannot be compromised without proper motivation behind it.

The metal tonearms were inspired as a tribute to Harry's elder son, Jonathan Weisfeld who had passed away....there was real heart and motivation there. To get it right. To get it the best they can, to give all who seek a tonearm that doesn't have them mortgage their house to enjoy. A high end tonearm for the masses.

What exactly is the motivation behind the 3D arms? To be the first adopter of a yet unproven technology....a "saggy" motivation indeed.

 

You left out the 'motivation' to sell an arm that is/will be less expensive to manufacture, yet oddly retails higher, and of course sounds so, so, much better. In other words, VPI's marketing arm (sorry) at its finest.

 

I have been searching but haven't been able to find it again. I read that Mat has some kind of educational something* in 3D printing.

The 3D tonearm is Mat's baby:
"His first solo design was the VPI Prime and JMW 3D tonearm which has been the identity focus for the company, since VPI is in it’s Prime!"

http://www.vpiindustries.com/mat


*I remember it sounded more substantial than a certificate from a class to me, but I cannot remember how it was phrased.

 

Agreed, this cannot be overstated. It goes directly against the principle of the exact manufacturing process it purports - a means of inexpensive, rapid processs which yields repeatable results and a means of prototyping new changes way more efficiently than any other manufacturing means.

It would cost tenfold more to prototype the metal tonearms.

This aside, if it sounds good, it sounds good, but I do not agree with the marketing method.

 

What material are the 3D arms printed in then? ABS? PLA? Something else?

I figured they were using DMLS technology at a minimum.

 

In the end, I don't believe he revealed it. There's a thread where he talks about the trial and error process before arriving at the material that was productized. But I think he left it at "it was the best sounding." His testing protocols and apparatus are just so amusing too. "We left it outside for two days"? Haha, do you think Franc Kuzma developed the 4 point with methods like this? ;-)

 

"The material is basically epoxy..."

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/vpi-3d-printed-arm-cartridge.346670/ (scroll down to VPI post)

 

That's both funny, sad and rather disturbing at the same time!

Thanks @bazelio and @powermatic ... I shall have to really pay attention when I finally get some of this stuff lined up to audition properly. I'm not nearly as well versed on the VPI side of things as I am with some other tables/brands. A possibly bad assumption is that their arms that aren't labelled as "3D" are more traditional in their use of materials/fabrication and rather less likely to have me concerned about "The Melty Man Cometh" type scenarios.

Otherwise it'd be too tempting to wind up 3D-scanning the thing, editing the model as needed, and then printing it on the DMLS setup or throwing it at the 6-axis mill. Nothing good would come of that, for anyone!

 

Oh I've mentioned that a billion times littered all over the forum It was a brilliant way to reduce real machining costs and rapid development. You want an order of 100 more arm wands, "PRINT!".

Look, I'm all for moving things forward. However, not at the expense of sound quality. The warmer fuzzy 3D sound might be great for those hyper detailed, forward sounding, solid state audio setups. But just not the right approach. Oh well...

 

Remember the Fremer 3D vs metal JMW needle drop sound clips? Well, through my Yggdrasil I had preferred the 3D. But through this new DAC ... guess what ... not anymore.

 

Oddly enough, despite being a VPI owner, I've never really wanted to audition a JMW, after hearing it a few times. I never quite felt it was at the same level as the Grahams, Tr-Planar and Kuzma. They do voice their tables with their arms, though, so you have to make an allowance for that if you buy their newer stuff.

Having said that, the whole VPI business model has always been get something accessible and integrate it on the product. If your VPI TNT bladders leak, you can order the part in Mcmaster Carr. If you need a new quieter motor, there's a Hurst part for that. That's always been part of their appeal to me, but that doesn't mean they are going to get to the summit. They may get close, and at what passes for a comparatively reasonable price. Pick your poison.

 

I found it while looking for Fat Bob links, lol. I have to ask a friend who's going to VPI training for more info.

Oh, this I saw. Its slated for the Titan.

https://www.audionirvana.org/forum/...his-new-vpi-fat-boy-12-inch-3d-dual-pivot-arm

 

VPI do know that its possible to 3d print metals right? They can easily 3d print a titanium arm, why f**k around with epoxy.

 

Resonance frequency, probably in part. I.e., I don't think they can just carve an arm wand out of a block of titanium, plop in on the arm base, and get good results. And it'd probably be more work to get right than relatively simple trial and error iterations with various epoxy resins. And of course, cost.

 

This is the picture of the JMW Titan (aka "Fatboy"). Note the second pivot. This is stated to be for more medium compliance cartridges, like the Grado Statement. Not having a JMW, I can't tell, but there's a second pivot there?