VPI Classic Series Discontinued 2017

Discussion in 'Vinyl Nutjob World: Turntable and Related Gear' started by Wfojas, Oct 18, 2016.

  1. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    Maybe its a play to get more respect in the world of obscene price performance. I know Harry complains about scant industry press attention for the Avenger Reference, relative to the megabuck tables, and their performance is in the same league. At the same time, he also takes offence on the magnetic drive being a money play vs a cheaper way to get direct drive performance,. The direct drive tables are a nonstarter, production wise I read.
     
    Last edited: Oct 28, 2016
  2. deniall83

    deniall83 Acquaintance

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    I'm torn. The Classic is pretty much my end game table but in Australia the base model costs over $5k. There's no way I can afford that right now and my chances of finding a used one are practically zero. Never even seen one for sale. So I guess my question now is, what comes close for around $2500? There must be something worthwhile at that price range.
     
  3. Pyruvate

    Pyruvate Friend

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    Some photos of the Shinola table being assembled. MSRP is $2500 I believe. Just wanted to share and see what you guys think.

    More at http://imgur.com/a/sPkeD
     
  4. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    Do they have older Aries or even TNT tables available in that price range? Those sound very very good, if a bit warmer, and are upgradeable. VPI makes tables to a price point, and makes adaptations when the current parts are not cost effective. And really, in a table (not tonearm), its bearings, platter and motor that wear, and the platform, suspension, resonance that affect the sound and amount of noise that goes through the needle?
     
  5. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    The TNTs are my favorite tables VPI has made. The Classic lineup is a close second, but if you can find a good deal on a used TNT, I say go for it.
     
  6. deniall83

    deniall83 Acquaintance

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    VPI products have never been very popular in Australia. The old importer of VPI would price them so high that no one would touch them. The new importer is much better but they're still very expensive due to the poor Australian dollar at the moment. There are only two used VPI tables I can find for sale at the moment. An original Scout with Memorial arm and phono stage for $3900 and a TNT V(5)-HR for $7000.

    I can get a new Scout Jr for $2500 but I'm not sure how it would perform compared t other similarly priced tables.
     
  7. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    For that price I'd definitely go with the Kuzma Stabi S over the Scout Jr, personally.
     
  8. Chris F

    Chris F Boyz 4 Now Fanatic - Friend

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  9. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    Is that an preamp being installed inside the deck? Don't know if I'm a fan of that. Also noticed Shinola is a HF sponsor. Not sure how to take that...
     
  10. MuppetFace

    MuppetFace Sultana of Seafoam Green - Moderator

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    The pre-amp in the plinth thing is definitely a sign that the Shinola is aimed at consumers who aren't experienced with turntables or who just want something as minimally fussy as possible. Reminds me of the Sony TT my bro and I played with when we were growing up... I didn't even realize a phono pre was something separate you needed until I got my first turntable (a modest Rega P2). Same with realizing that most turntables today *don't* automatically place a tonearm down for you when you push a button.
     
  11. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Is that transformer is noisy, it's going to ruin the sound of that table. Hell, if it throws off an it too much EMI it's not far to the phono board. As to the HF sponsorship, I expect an ad blitz over there in the next month or so, drumming up some holiday revenue. If they get good ROI, they'll stick around Hype-Fi for a while. So long as they don't try to shill over here until they start to take performance seriously, I could care less about what they do.
     
  12. Smitty

    Smitty Too good for bad vodka - Friend

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    Actually, taking a longer look at the photo, that might not be the phono board, it looks more like a regulator/PS board. And that might be a sub chassis, not the main plinth.
     
  13. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Last edited: Nov 24, 2016
  14. Dino

    Dino Friend

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  15. JK47

    JK47 Guest

    Interesting... using a center clamp, a custom periphery ring, a super plinth, and a steel arm?
     
  16. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Looks like it, to me. The plinth is what really caught my eye.
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2016
  17. shaizada

    shaizada Friend

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    Looks like a removable arm board, kinda like he did with the earlier TNT series.
     
  18. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    Speculating, but it does look like a acrylic plinth armboard, tnt mini feet, delrin clamp,belt driven, on HW-19 looking box. Looks like a spare part mongrel to clean out the bins?

    The only odd thing i see are the bolts on the armboard, which is unusual. Maybe its some kind of stone arm board?
     
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2016
  19. Dino

    Dino Friend

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    Good eyes, Wfojas. That acrylic plinth didn't register with me until you mentioned it. And I have an acrylic plinth on my HW-19 Mk III. (Maybe I am so used to seeing it that I didn't think about it?) I wonder about that armboard. I noticed that it looks kind of speckled, maybe stone.

    I have been on Music Direct's mailing list for decades and they mail me out catalogs and fliers. It is not uncommon to see a VPI special/limited edition in them. Often they are made up of various unusual combinations of parts. The last one that stuck in my mind was from the early part of this year. It said that Harry was inspired by coming across some HW-19 acrylic platters and made the special edition in that flyer. I forgot most of the details, except it had the acrylic platter and a 3D tonearm.

    Something about the acrylic platters seems so right to me. I remember their reasoning was the platter had the same "physical impedance" as the vinyl LP when you screwed the clamp onto the spindle, coupling the platter to the vinyl, the stylus saw them as one. It made sense, kind of. I was surprised when VPI first went back to metal platters. (That was before VPI was coming up with different ideas every time I turned around.)
     
  20. Wfojas

    Wfojas Friend

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    Yeah, interesting armboard.

    I do see them go back and forth on the acrylic platters. I remember the HW-19s had them and the TNT Jr.. Then they moved from the Superplatter back to the acrylic then to the aluminum one. I know the acrylic was bad for the rim drives, due to the tight distance tolerances required with the rim drive, and the new aluminum platters weren't grooved, but based on really recent correspondence I've had with them, they continue to encourage use of the delrin/steel platters. Maybe just differing mix of resonances?
     

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