A1UC Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 VPI Classic 2 - Soundsmith Zephyr MK/II Looks like I will be dusting today 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonicSeeker Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprinter1104 Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest David H Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Nice, I love VPI tables. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinsweber Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 wow thats a pretty table! I have a classic 1 but really wanted the VTA. Congrats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxx Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Excellent indeed.... Enjoy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 (edited) VPI Classic 2 - Soundsmith Zephyr MK/II Looks like I will be dusting today Very, very nice! Enjoy it man! I have a VPI Scoutmaster with Classic 3 arm(10.5i)and a Dynavector XX2 MkII cartridge and absolutely love it! At some point when finances allow, I WILL grab a Dynavector XV-1s. Edited February 23, 2014 by jorjen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 Congrates once again... do a write up when you get time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks 140g with the small add on weight total around 160g I just ordered a soundsmith intuitive also Edited February 28, 2014 by A1UC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very nice A1UC Was on my short list when I decided on my Well Tempered, I'm running the Soundsmith SMMC2 on my Amadeus and love Peter's cartridges Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Nice table! I was wondering about the Sound Smith cartridges.....feel free to say more about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 (edited) Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks 140g with the small add on weight total around 160g I just ordered a soundsmith intuitive also You will love the counter intuitive! Makes life sooo much easier with the VPI arm. It is not perfect like some may say but a lot better. You can still inadvertently change azimuth when adjusting counter weight and vice versa, but it stays so close it makes error correction a breeze. Also, there is a screw-in(hex head)weight slug in the tail end of the arm tube for fine adjustment. Makes it a little harder to adjust counter weight without it, but remove the slug. Arm sounds better without it. Slightly more open and dynamic, worth it IMHO. You will still have enough counter weight for adjustment. You can always screw it back in for any reason. Try it, I think you will like it. One other thing(can you tell I love playin' around with VPI tables?). The cartridge alignment tool that comes with the table is great but you can do better. Order a "Mint Tractor LP" alignment tool from Yip. He custom makes them using mirrored glass specifically for a table/arm combo, about $100. The precision makes a great deal of difference and the mirrored glass makes alignment and azimuth easier and more precise. Little things add up to a very noticeable improvement. I also use a mini bubble level to level the table and to set the initial VTA placing the level on the headshell and adjusting the tower to level the bubble. I also use the bubble to get azimuth dialed in. As long as the bubble matches at the table AND arm you are there. Once you know you have achieved a level arm(or cartridge body), you can fine tune VTA from there. You can use the index card method also because your arm tube is not tapered but I like the bubble level better. Remember that changes in VTA can change VTF and vice versa. Slightly, but a change none the less. Don't drive yourself nuts with this stuff rather have fun with it. Seems at times the journey may be just as enjoyable and satisfying if not more so than the destination. Edited February 28, 2014 by jorjen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks 140g with the small add on weight total around 160g I just ordered a soundsmith intuitive also You will love the counter intuitive! Makes life sooo much easier with the VPI arm. It is not perfect like some may say but a lot better. You can still inadvertently change azimuth when adjusting counter weight and vice versa, but it stays so close it makes error correction a breeze. I just tried to call VPI but no answer they need to update the manual , the azimuth ring is fixed on the new classics and the 2 set screws must be for decoration since they don't unlock nothing - azimuth is set my rotating the tone arm weight from left to right . Glad no one saw me trying to turn the azimuth ring lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Also had some static from my right speakers but after raising the tone arm up so it was Parallel to the record took care of that , don't ever have Music Direct setup your TT everything was wrong including the 4g tracking force that should of been 2g max Anyways it sounds awesome now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Also had some static from my right speakers but after raising the tone arm up so it was Parallel to the record took care of that , don't ever have Music Direct setup your TT everything was wrong including the 4g tracking force that should of been 2g max Anyways it sounds awesome now A VPI arm, or any arm imho for that matter, just cannot be setup and THEN shipped, no way, no how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks 140g with the small add on weight total around 160g I just ordered a soundsmith intuitive also You will love the counter intuitive! Makes life sooo much easier with the VPI arm. It is not perfect like some may say but a lot better. You can still inadvertently change azimuth when adjusting counter weight and vice versa, but it stays so close it makes error correction a breeze. I just tried to call VPI but no answer they need to update the manual , the azimuth ring is fixed on the new classics and the 2 set screws must be for decoration since they don't unlock nothing - azimuth is set my rotating the tone arm weight from left to right . Glad no one saw me trying to turn the azimuth ring lol Azimuth has always been set by counterweight rotation on the VPI arms as far as I know. I do see that the manual does not make sense of this adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 One last thing to consider A1UC. Mike and others at VPI are not not keen on the mechanical anti-skate device. They also say that the Classic 3(10.5i)tonearm does not really need any anti-skate applied anyway.You can apply some AS force if you need to with the wire twist method since your tonearm does not have the Valhalla wire. Noticeable sonic improvement witout the mechanical AS. Try removing it and see what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 One last thing to consider A1UC. Mike and others at VPI are not not keen on the mechanical anti-skate device. They also say that the Classic 3(10.5i)tonearm does not really need any anti-skate applied anyway.You can apply some AS force if you need to with the wire twist method since your tonearm does not have the Valhalla wire. Noticeable sonic improvement witout the mechanical AS. Try removing it and see what you think. Soundsmith swears by the anti-skate , But I tossed that thing in the box 2 min after looking at it .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A1UC Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 Very nice! Which counter weight are you using with the zephyr, i.e. How many grams? Thanks 140g with the small add on weight total around 160g I just ordered a soundsmith intuitive also You will love the counter intuitive! Makes life sooo much easier with the VPI arm. It is not perfect like some may say but a lot better. You can still inadvertently change azimuth when adjusting counter weight and vice versa, but it stays so close it makes error correction a breeze. Also, there is a screw-in(hex head)weight slug in the tail end of the arm tube for fine adjustment. Makes it a little harder to adjust counter weight without it, but remove the slug. Arm sounds better without it. Slightly more open and dynamic, worth it IMHO. You will still have enough counter weight for adjustment. You can always screw it back in for any reason. Try it, I think you will like it. One other thing(can you tell I love playin' around with VPI tables?). The cartridge alignment tool that comes with the table is great but you can do better. Order a "Mint Tractor LP" alignment tool from Yip. He custom makes them using mirrored glass specifically for a table/arm combo, about $100. The precision makes a great deal of difference and the mirrored glass makes alignment and azimuth easier and more precise. Little things add up to a very noticeable improvement. I also use a mini bubble level to level the table and to set the initial VTA placing the level on the headshell and adjusting the tower to level the bubble. I also use the bubble to get azimuth dialed in. As long as the bubble matches at the table AND arm you are there. Once you know you have achieved a level arm(or cartridge body), you can fine tune VTA from there. You can use the index card method also because your arm tube is not tapered but I like the bubble level better. Remember that changes in VTA can change VTF and vice versa. Slightly, but a change none the less. Don't drive yourself nuts with this stuff rather have fun with it. Seems at times the journey may be just as enjoyable and satisfying if not more so than the destination. got the bubble level way before this table used it on my last table ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorjen Posted February 28, 2014 Share Posted February 28, 2014 One last thing to consider A1UC. Mike and others at VPI are not not keen on the mechanical anti-skate device. They also say that the Classic 3(10.5i)tonearm does not really need any anti-skate applied anyway.You can apply some AS force if you need to with the wire twist method since your tonearm does not have the Valhalla wire. Noticeable sonic improvement witout the mechanical AS. Try removing it and see what you think. Soundsmith swears by the anti-skate , But I tossed that thing in the box 2 min after looking at it .... They probably like it because of the Elliptical stylus on the Zephyr. My Dyna has a line contact type where AS is not as critical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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