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  1. Mellotronix

    VPI owners--HW-40 Isolation Feet upgrade program is back

    Thought I'd pass this along. I noticed that VPIindustries.com has a fresh batch of HW-40 Isolation Feet in stock. If you own a VPI Prime, Prime Scout, Prime Signature or a deck with Classic feet, you can upgrade to the HW-40 feet for $250. You pay $450 up front and VPI reimburses you $200 when...
  2. Mellotronix

    VPI Prime Scout vs. Prime—Observations, Comments, etc.

    I am fortunate to have both a VPI Prime and a Prime Scout set up in my small mixing/mastering studio. I purchased the Prime Scout with a 9” JMW 3D printed tonearm two years ago and have used several different cartridges including Grado low output Reference 2 and 3, Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC Star...
  3. Mellotronix

    Why I went with the VPI Prime instead of the 21

    This got pretty long. Sorry. Would be interested to see your comments though. Ive owned my VPI Prime Scout for over two years now, and a recent windfall presented the opportunity to upgrade. I will likely be selling my PS or giving it to my son, so with that in mind, I need a turntable in my...
  4. Mellotronix

    Is VPI acknowledging a serious design flaw?

    Just curious about this. I bought one of these Prime Scouts in Spring of 2019. Almost immediately, I noticed that it generated extreme amounts of ESD (static electricity) which I documented here on AK. I damaged three phono preamps in the space of a month while trying to sort out the issue. Two...
  5. Mellotronix

    Grado Woodie Microphonics and Mounting Screws

    I'm feeling particularly pleased that I solved a problem with my beloved Grado low output Reference 3 by following a hunch. Love it when that works out. Every few weeks I rotate cartridges on my two VPI Tonearms--I have three carts: a Hana ML with a brand new ruby cantilever and fineline...
  6. Mellotronix

    A Hana ML with a Ruby Cantilever?

    Yep. After Neo and I (mostly Neo, but he says it was my fault) broke my Hana ML's aluminum cantilever, I sent it to Soundsmith. Peter Green rebuilt it using a thin slice of ruby and a fine line diamond. Sounds really clean, but it's gotta break in, so I'll reserve judgment until then. I was very...
  7. Mellotronix

    Made the switch to Soundsmith. Impressions.

    Slightly long story. Not sure if it's worth your time, but anyway, here goes. Over the 4th of July, my son arrived for the weekend with his dog Neo. It had been awhile since he had seen me and the little Beagle/Doberman mix came bounding into my studio at just the wrong moment. A stray paw sent...
  8. Mellotronix

    Hana ML cartridge setup takeaways

    I was setting up my Hana ML on the VPI Prime Scout and I noticed that the geometry of the body is designed, I'm assuming, to aid in the initial setup process. As you can see from the photos, the front surface is angled at exactly -88º (or 92º depending on your point of reference) which gives you...
  9. Mellotronix

    New Grado Timbre Series (and good deals on old versions)

    Some of you are certainly aware that Grado changed their naming conventions to eliminate confusion which was a major headache for retailers and customers. The woodies are now called the Timbre series and there are no more Reference Reference, Statement Reference, Reference Statement, etc. It's...
  10. Mellotronix

    Motor hum/rumble solution on VPI

    When I upgraded my VPI Prime Scout with a Hana ML and a Grado Statement Reference 2 cartridge a few months back, I started to notice some low end noise that was audible through my speakers. It was very subtle, but since my room is acoustically treated for mixing and mastering, minor issues can...
  11. Mellotronix

    Grado Statement Reference 2 finally working well

    Last November, I purchased two new carts for my VPI--a Hana ML and a Grado Statement Reference 2. Traded up from a Statement Master 2. Mounted it on my 3D printed tonearm and used it lightly for a few days before going back to the Hana ML for the month of January. February rolled around and I...
  12. Mellotronix

    New armwand for VPI

    I had an older Project Carbon Esprit set up to play my mono records, but I decided that I was really missing out on something special by not playing them on my phenomenal VPI Prime Scout. The Beatles in Mono deserves the full VPI treatment, as do the mono reissues by the Stones, Beach Boys...
  13. Mellotronix

    New Grado Woodie riding' the rails...

    Statement Reference 2. Got it last Friday so it only has about 15 hours on it, but I can tell already that this is a rock and roll machine. Fantastic on bass and drums. Very hard to tell the difference in tone between it and my recently retired Master 2, but it is significantly better at...
  14. Mellotronix

    Ode to my Grado Woody

    My Hana ML is just about broken in and it sounds heavenly, but I miss my Grado Master 2. It's worn out. So, I ordered a new Grado Statement Reference 2 and it will be here on Friday. Grado/MusicDirect generously offered me $500 for my old Master 2 to facilitate the upgrade. You may ask, "Why...
  15. Mellotronix

    Vinyl Pops and clicks vs styli type

    I've owned about a half dozen phono cartridges in the last 5 years, and while they differed in their design, materials, price and output specs, they all had nude elliptical styli. They were also a bit on the poppy, clicky side, even when properly calibrated and playing clean, new vinyl...
  16. Mellotronix

    New Hana ML set up and rolling

    After learning that Needle Doctor was out of business, I sidestepped doing an exchange of my beloved Grado Statement Master 2 and went for a Hana ML after reading lots of positive reviews. Initial impressions are that it's way too polite for my taste, but I'm reserving judgment until it has at...
  17. Mellotronix

    New mono cartridge arriving tomorrow

    It's only been a few short months since my foray into the world of mono which was spawned by my worldwide search for sealed copies of all of the albums from the Beatles in Mono box set. Being late to this particular party will cost you plenty, but I finally found all of them for between $35 and...
  18. Mellotronix

    Cartridge enthusiasts--tell me what I'm seeing here

    These are really low res photos taken with my iPhone, but I have a couple of questions. First, I've highlighted in blue what looks to be a small fastener (screw?) of some type. Obviously, I can guess what it does, but maybe someone can enlighten me further. Second, Is the entire mass resting...
  19. Mellotronix

    Need turntable opinions, advice, guidance please.

    I'm getting ready to upgrade my VPI Prime Scout with 3D printed tonearm. The frontrunners are both VPI's Prime and Prime with Gimbaled Tonearm I'm working with MusicDirect since I purchased the Prime Scout from them just a few months ago and they are willing to make me a generous offer. The...
  20. Mellotronix

    Does this look like a retip?

    I don't have a microscope, but from this photo you can see a vertical element at the end of the cantilever up against which the diamond is mounted. I assume this is a retip...am I correct?
  21. Mellotronix

    I told you so

    Love it when this happens. Should have bought two copies. Didn't follow my own advice, but at least I have one. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (LP, Album, RE, RM, Gat) Media Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-) Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM or M-) Out of print. Audiophile analog master...
  22. Mellotronix

    Interesting (yawn) speaker break-in experience

    Yeah, this could be a snooze worthy topic :boring::boring:--but maybe not. It has me scratching my head. I've had these little Bowers and Wilkins 705 s2's for just over a year. They have about 1000 hours of service time, mostly around 85db, and, even though I'm using a sub, the bass is not...
  23. Mellotronix

    Robbie (Robertson), Ringo and a bunch of other talented musicians

    You should watch this. You can thank me by sending me a new Koetsu Blue Lace cartridge.
  24. Mellotronix

    Drum mix on surround version of Abbey Road has me scratching my head

    Listened to the brand new DTS mix on the Abbey Road blu ray that was released just today. Overall, it's very good and the last part of the medley gave me chills. Guitars are huge and Ringo's drum solo is nicely spread across the front speakers. So why, in many of the other songs (notable...
  25. Mellotronix

    A doff of the cap to Sumiko-Project

    and Music Direct! Last winter I took delivery of a new VPI Prime Scout with 3D printed tonearm. I was so excited about the new deck that I completely ignored the fact that it was charged with more electricity than one of those generators at the Hoover dam. I tried everything to de-static the...
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