New Toy: VPI HW-19 Mk4

[thekid]

That VPI is a sweeeet looking TT.
Congratulations!!!

[frenchmon]

Hey Frenchie,
What's the status on your MMF-7.1? A curious mind wants to know

Oh its still in the works...paying cash to my dealer so I have a few more green backs to give him. Shhhhhh. ma ma doesn't know. She cant see why I want to upgrade from the table she bought me last years.

Been really thinking about a cart. I have a 2M Red and I love it. My dealer can also get me a deal on the 2M Black or Bronze...great review.... or a Dynavector 10x5...wha-cha think?

[02audionoob]

I think the 10X5 ought to be nice on a MMF-7.1, but is it going to come with an Eroica? That's a nice cartridge.

[frenchmon]

I think the 10X5 ought to be nice on a MMF-7.1, but is it going to come with an Eroica? That's a nice cartridge.

im not sure...I thought he said it was, but im to afraid to call him and ask seeing he is giving me the table for $900. He might then say..."thats to much of a deal"

[jrhymeammo]

Hey Frenchie,

If it doesn't come with the EroicaH, I can send you my Denon DL-110 LOMC.
Moving from MM to HOMC might be the most rewarding musical experience you'll have. The DL-110 is far from neutral but it's one of my all time favorites.
I'll say it has 100~200 hrs on it(it's my 2nd one).

[hifitommy]

"Tommy,
I bet the SME VI was one hell on an arm. But as you stated, what sold me on the 309 was the removable headshell. I'm sure the arm's rigidity has been sacrificed a bit, but I doubt I'll ever be able to tell the difference."

oh yeah, it was a great sounding tt/arm combo. ihe diff between that and the 309 is miniscule. its optimal to have a one piece arm/shell but the convenience and pleasure of having the detachable shell is much more to my needs. if only for inspecting the stylus, its a major advantage.

i know the BENZs are well spoken of but i qould be more inclined to get an ortofon Kb or current equivalent. it has a ruby cantilever and was my friend's fave and he even had a jubilee.

enjoy.

[frenchmon]

Hey Frenchie,

If it doesn't come with the EroicaH, I can send you my Denon DL-110 LOMC.
Moving from MM to HOMC might be the most rewarding musical experience you'll have. The DL-110 is far from neutral but it's one of my all time favorites.
I'll say it has 100~200 hrs on it(it's my 2nd one).

That sounds good jrhymeammo.

I was at my dealers today and he has the new Bel Canto outfit...amp preamp DAC. The DAC has a analog input. Bel Canto is solid state that sounds like tubes...very nice. I would love to get my hands on that DAC. He also had a mm-f 5.1 set up that had a Goldring cart on it. He played a album and it sounded sweet....that cart sounded really good. My dealer works out of his house...he closed his doors to his store years ago and sells out of his home so over head is really low. My dealer is in his 70's....nice guy too. He said he has the 7.1 down stairs still in the box so I wonder if the cart is on it. He had the Bel Canto driving the new Golden Ear Triton speakers...very nice. So he takes me in the back room and shows me his personal TT that he is thinking about selling that he has owned for years...Its a VPI HW-19 MkIII with a SME arm that he says sold for about $2000 alone back in the day. It looks just like yours...all but the arm that is silver. The TT was a little dusty but its just like the one in your picture. I asked him if he will let that go for $900 and he said he does not know...he would have to look and see what they are selling for these days. I think he was just being nice to me and did not want to say "hell no!". If he did I would be very surprised. He has a tone of stuff down in his basement and I can purchase any of it without charging anything which is a good thing for me. I hate bills.

[jrhymeammo]

That sounds good jrhymeammo.

I was at my dealers today and he has the new Bel Canto outfit...amp preamp DAC. The DAC has a analog input. Bel Canto is solid state that sounds like tubes...very nice. I would love to get my hands on that DAC. He also had a mm-f 5.1 set up that had a Goldring cart on it. He played a album and it sounded sweet....that cart sounded really good. My dealer works out of his house...he closed his doors to his store years ago and sells out of his home so over head is really low. My dealer is in his 70's....nice guy too. He said he has the 7.1 down stairs still in the box so I wonder if the cart is on it. He had the Bel Canto driving the new Golden Ear Triton speakers...very nice. So he takes me in the back room and shows me his personal TT that he is thinking about selling that he has owned for years...Its a VPI HW-19 MkIII with a SME arm that he says sold for about $2000 alone back in the day. It looks just like yours...all but the arm that is silver. The TT was a little dusty but its just like the one in your picture. I asked him if he will let that go for $900 and he said he does not know...he would have to look and see what they are selling for these days. I think he was just being nice to me and did not want to say "hell no!". If he did I would be very surprised. He has a tone of stuff down in his basement and I can purchase any of it without charging anything which is a good thing for me. I hate bills.

The silver SME should be the VI. Very expensive and that's the one Tommy used to have. I think the VI has much better bearing than my 309, and as Tommy stated, I think the other difference is in the headshell. If you can score it for $900, it would be a score of the millenium!!!

Just send me a PM when you get a TT. I'll send you the Denon for a trial.

JRA

[jrhymeammo]

"Tommy,
I bet the SME VI was one hell on an arm. But as you stated, what sold me on the 309 was the removable headshell. I'm sure the arm's rigidity has been sacrificed a bit, but I doubt I'll ever be able to tell the difference."

oh yeah, it was a great sounding tt/arm combo. ihe diff between that and the 309 is miniscule. its optimal to have a one piece arm/shell but the convenience and pleasure of having the detachable shell is much more to my needs. if only for inspecting the stylus, its a major advantage.

i know the BENZs are well spoken of but i qould be more inclined to get an ortofon Kb or current equivalent. it has a ruby cantilever and was my friend's fave and he even had a jubilee.

enjoy.

The Benz ended up being no Benz... The seller wasn't very knowledgable of analog aspect of audio. It wasn't exactly what he had described, so I had returned it for a refund. I'll be sure to keep my eyes open for an Ortofon.

Thanks again,

[hifitommy]

here are some:

http://cgis.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/src...=ortofon&B1=go

[frenchmon]

The silver SME should be the VI. Very expensive and that's the one Tommy used to have. I think the VI has much better bearing than my 309, and as Tommy stated, I think the other difference is in the headshell. If you can score it for $900, it would be a score of the millenium!!!

Just send me a PM when you get a TT. I'll send you the Denon for a trial.

JRA

Sure will do...

Yeah, I don't think he will give me that table...he was just being nice.

[Enochrome]

jrhymeammo,

Love the deck. That VPI is one of my dream decks to own. And with that SME arm, I would never leave my house. Great purchase!!! Have you tried it with your Denon DL-110? if you still have it, or that might be a compliance issue.

[jrhymeammo]

Thanks Eno,

I still got the Denon and have played with the SME. The SME isn't very stubborn about cartridges so far. Needless to say, the Denon sounded very good. The Lyra sounds best to my ears so the Denon is on idle until frenchmon gets another TT.

Update:
I've received the 4" tall dust cover and the VPI Isolators.
I've installed the Isolators and played 3 1/2 LP, then took them right off. The background was much quieter and bass was tighter, BUT it sucked out emotion out of music. I'm sticking with ol' school springs.

JRA

[hifitommy]

i too believe in springs even though i havent made the comparison. i went from the vpi to a sota sapphire, springs again. having a cement slab floor is a help here, otherwise a wall mounted shelf is probably better.

the sota uses two prings wound one way, and two the other way to prevent oscillation of the suspension. pretty slick.

[Enochrome]

For me , I feel that spring suspended tables (is there any other kind; rubber bands?) offer greater low level detail and more holographic imaging. Although, that is relative to comparative tables in different classes.

[hifitommy]

clarification-i had a sme IV. if i accidentally inverted the I & V, excuuuuse ME. i did love the sound but really like changing carts so went to a MMT/sota sapphire. a sme 309 would DO but its a money thing, i am not rolling in it.

the vpi also struck me as a keeper but i sold the tt/arm/cart as the system i bought. the recipient was happy enough to get it. he got about $5k worth of stuff for $900, i had paid $1k for it.

[frenchmon]

Took me about an hour to unpack and 30 minutes to setup.
The dusk cover arrived cracked. It's too bad because the seller packed it extremely well.

Anyhow, the turntable sounds very liquid.
I've moved all of gear to the back of the room awhile back, so feedback is not an issue.
Not sure how much the platter weights but it feels like it weighs more than my Technics.



I may call in sick tomorrow.

Have Fun,
JRA

Bump...
...cause its sexy....