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VPI Turntable Owners Thread

I like the Zyx, I just don't like it on the VPI. But even then I didn't hear the magic that others seem to find in their carts, or at least I didn't find it with the Yatra. By magic I mean, some property over and above other carts that I've tried that makes me not want to listen to anything else. That's not to say it isn't a very fine cart. But I prefer other carts I have to it, even a Shure V-15vmr when stuck to the end of the right arm (not the JMW). They have a very passionate following so mine is just one opinion. I have it on my Sansui SR-929 now, however, and its quite a formidable cart. Much happier their than on the VPI's arm.

I ran across this this morning and thought it interesting given the other review's comparison of the Shelter not stacking up to the DL-103 for dynamics. This author is also referring to a DL-103.

"Dynamically too this cartridge is no slouch. Much like the Denon, in fact, even more so than the Denon, drums thwack out with verve, and the sound is very much more alive and powerful than with the Benz cartridge."

http://www.tnt-audio.com/sorgenti/shelter_501ii_e.html

There are so many variables with this stuff. I think you can read 15 reviews and still only get a general feeling about something unless you really know the tastes of the reviewer and the track record of their taste against your own.
 
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Just to provide an alternate view, I have a Benz LP-S MR on my ScoutMaster and I think it's phenomenal. I had a Dynavector 20x on it before, and while that is good sounding, the LP-S is light years above it to these ears. It's also of course quite a bit more expensive, and the higher end DV carts would make for a better comparison.

All that said, Benz seems to be having supply problems still, so not sure getting one is a great choice at the moment anyway. But not everyone dislikes VPI + Benz ;)
 
Skylab said:
But not everyone dislikes VPI + Benz ;)
Click to expand...

Or VPI + Zyx. :)

My experience is limited to the Zyx Fuji & Airy 3, both in the 'SB' (silver base) versions which include a silver plate bringing them from the std. 5.0g up to 9.0g. It is my understanding that the 'SB' option is needed for them to work properly in the VPI arms. Not sure how true this is but I know I love how they sound (or sounded in the case of the Fuji) in the JMW-10.5 arm on my Aries.
 
I was using the Zyx with the added headshell weight from VPI. I still think that, given that it works fine on the Sansui, that there is some alignment thing that I just never managed to get right.

The Benz I had was a high output Glider. It wasn't bad, just not to my liking. It didn't gel with the rest of my system. All of these carts were previously used, one by another AKer (Zyx), the rest were two different store's demo carts with low hours on them, at least going by the fact that I hardly ever saw any of these stores ever play vinyl. I'll happily pay 1/2 price for somebody to break a cart in for me.
 
One OC9 leaves a Classic and somewhere another one is reunited...

I have been chasing intermittent IGD with my AT33EV on the Classic so tonight I got motivated. I moved the 33 over to my PX2 and the OC9 that was there is now on the Classic. It's too soon to declare victory but so far the OC9 is tracking perfectly. It is a little brighter than the 33 so I may adjust the loading on the Xono down some. I like to keep both tables similarly voiced so that when I'm using both back to back I don't hear large differences in tone. I will report back in a week or so with my extended findings.

I will be eager to hear more about that Shelter as well...

Jblnut
 
The OC-9 tracks better than the Shelter so far. I'm spending more time getting the Shelter to track correctly than I really enjoy spending. The OC-9 was a cake-walk.

I think I've got it dialed in. I like the presentation of the Shelter better. I like the tracking performance of the OC-9 better, and how it just seems to cut through surface noise on older records that other carts don't.
 
So a few more comments on the Shelter 501.

This is the finest cart, certainly, that I have owned. But I haven't owned that many cartridges all things considered. My foray into "serious" vinyl, though I've collected records for 20 odd years, has only been about 7 years in the making.

Everything just seems more fleshed out. Its more "there". Performers aren't just there in space, where they should be, they seem to have more dimension to them. There's more tonal complexity/completeness. The timbre portrayal is better than with the OC-9. Instruments sound more like themselves. The OC-9 and certainly the Zyx were not bad at that, but the Shelter, at least in this context, is better to me.

I think my next hardware purchase is going to be a Fosgate Fozgometer. Imaging is so precise and full, however, that I feel I must be at least close to ideal azimuth.

I love this cartridge!

This weekend I will play with the OC-9 on the Mitsubishi LT-30. I need to conjure up an additional surface to place a table on before that.
 
I'd love to know what you're doing exactly to dial-in the Shelter on the Classic. Are you using the VPI alignment jig or doing it yourself with some kind of other protractor (and if so which one?). Are you using the anti-skate "device" for the unipivot arm? Are you playing with tracking force ?

I ask because I was doing a lot of this myself trying to get the 33EV to track better. Adding more tracking force helped but didn't 100% cure it. The OC9 swap was instantly better and like you said - it just worked without any fiddling. The 33EV is also tracking like a champ on the linear arm of the PX2. I spent a few hours last night and am very happy with the change. The only thing left to do is play with the loading to "tame" the OC9 a bit on the top end.

jblnut
 
jblnut said:
I'd love to know what you're doing exactly to dial-in the Shelter on the Classic. Are you using the VPI alignment jig or doing it yourself with some kind of other protractor (and if so which one?). Are you using the anti-skate "device" for the unipivot arm? Are you playing with tracking force ?

I ask because I was doing a lot of this myself trying to get the 33EV to track better. Adding more tracking force helped but didn't 100% cure it. The OC9 swap was instantly better and like you said - it just worked without any fiddling. The 33EV is also tracking like a champ on the linear arm of the PX2. I spent a few hours last night and am very happy with the change. The only thing left to do is play with the loading to "tame" the OC9 a bit on the top end.

jblnut
Click to expand...
I used a Van Den Hul cartridge alignment gauge as I currently can't find the VPI gauge (might be in the box, got misplaced in a recent move though I remember putting it somewhere). It seems to work well with this arm. I added a bit of tracking force over where I started, probably at about 1.75 grams but its hard to tell specifically with the Shure balance. What seemed to make the difference, though, was very very subtle changes in cart rotation in the headshell. I mean VERY slight. I just played around until the groove went quiet and sibilance disappeared.
 
Noise hash from VPI PLC

Anyone using a VPI PLC noticing a noisier background floor using the device?
I have the 2nd-series twin-dial version and it is unusable with my OC9/II-AD797 battery-powered LOMC phono stage equipped playback system.
 
I added some weight to the headshell using the heavy Soundsmith EZ-mount screws, which REALLY opened up the Shelter and helped really lock in tracking. Tracking about 1.75g.

I suspect that if anybody thinks this is a non-dynamic cart, that they have it on too light of an arm.
 
I use the brass Soundsmith screws on my Scout. They aren't long enough to mount the Denon DL-304, so I use them as headshell weights. They look sort of neat with the large brass heads sitting up top of the arm and let me balance the cartridge easier. I also have the Soundsmith Counter "Intuitive" which works great for tweaking balance and azimuth but adds to the counterweight so it balanced too far forward without the brass screws.

John
 
I've thought about the counter-intuitive. I don't mess with the weight/azimuth enough to really justify it I guess but I'm all for things that make other things easier. I wasn't sure about those heavy screws at first...bought them on a whim. Now they're on both of my tables, with carts that both benefitted from the added mass.
 
I use the Soundsmith screws for both my DL-103r and 17d3. The 103r because it has too low of compliance for my Scout's arm and the 17d3 because it is so light. Given the specs I've read with the Shelter, I bet it would like even more weight at the headshell (if the 9cu compliance I've seen is correct).

PS: Nerdorama, if you look online you can find mounting plates for the 103 series carts. You just superglue them on the top and it allows you to use the Soundsmith screws (plus you get threading so no need to fuss with nuts).
 
andyecon said:
PS: Nerdorama, if you look online you can find mounting plates for the 103 series carts. You just superglue them on the top and it allows you to use the Soundsmith screws (plus you get threading so no need to fuss with nuts).
Click to expand...

Thanks for info. I did some web searches, including Soundsmith, but can't seem to find the brass mounting plates. Can you refer me to a link?
Thanks,
John
 
Well, I got a solid deal on a second hand Traveler, which turns out is going to be a brand new traveler (for the same price) thanks to an error on the part of the seller. Looking forward to getting it, which if things go well with UPS, may be tomorrow. I'll post my thoughts on it if anyone gives a crap. :-)
 
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