New VPI turntable

ack

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Alrainbow

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Dec 11, 2013
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Hiw much us something like that with the two tone arms but no cartdrdge ???
Al
 

ack

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I have mixed feelings about VPI; I love the Aries 3 and HRX platforms - and this one looks a lot like them - but don't care for most of the Classic line, save for the DD (even that has a base that's quite lively). And then some arms leave me confused, like this 3D - why would anyone want a plastic arm is beyond me; and I am only speaking from a engineering perspective, meaning that steel will provide hum isolation to the wires, plastic won't; and both aluminum and steel should be more rigid than plastic?!? Puzzled
 

kennyb123

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Nov 30, 2012
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like this 3D - why would anyone want a plastic arm is beyond me; and I am only speaking from a engineering perspective, meaning that steel will provide hum isolation to the wires, plastic won't; and both aluminum and steel should be more rigid than plastic?!? Puzzled

Calling it a "plastic arm" sells it short, I think.

I'm lusting for one simply because I anticipate it to be far less colored than a metal arm due to more consistent control of resonances. This is exactly what's being reported by those who've heard it. And, I've yet to hear of anyone reporting an increase in hum when using this arm.

A few quotes from this review and this review (italics mine) that point to the engineering advantages of this approach:

"By combining Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with the structural flexibility and internal complexity possible through additive manufacturing, it was possible to create a physical form that optimized the damping and mechanical behavior of the 'arm to an extent that designers could only previously dream about."

"It’s not just about the shape or vibrational characteristics either: the depth of insight delivered by the FEA along with the range of options possible through additive manufacturing allowed the 'arm to be not just stiffer and better behaved, but its effective mass and weight distribution could also be optimized, while the way the part is grown eliminates any material or manufacturing inconsistencies. The sculpted shape combined with a constantly varying wall thickness makes for an 'arm with an impulse response that’s as flat as a barroom pool table"

"The really important aspect of this is that the manufacturing method allows the creation of a single-piece structure, from cartridge platform to counterweight stub, that can be optimally shaped and formed to provide a totally even mechanical response. It’s not just a case of being able to produce shapes that can’t be machined; the wall thickness, the internal structure and even crossbracing can be infinitely varied, so that in conjunction with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) modeling, the resonant character of the piece can be almost infinitely refined."

"By now you’ll have figured out that the 3D armtop is a compelling performer. It’s not inexpensive but frankly I don’t know how else you are going to achieve an upgrade in musical performance that is so big and so fundamentally important, spending that money anywhere else on the equipment in your system."

In other words, this 3D arm just gets the heck out of the way. Who wouldn't want that?
 
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ack

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OK I will give the 3D a chance. But keep in mind one important thing: a metallic armwand is (in most cases) connected to ground, thus providing a shield.
 

kennyb123

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a metallic armwand is (in most cases) connected to ground, thus providing a shield.

Given the 3D arm's reported greater ability to disappear, other sources of noise would have been easier to spot during the arm's development. Very good chance that VPI took appropriate steps to address this, else we'd be hearing that the arm doesn't actually have a greater ability to disappear.
 

kleinbje

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2012
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I have been extremely pleased with my 3D arm wand, I find sibilance an almost complete non-issue for me now and I am very sensitive to it. I found it to have better defined bass, much better separation and spacing, and much more fine detail i.e. the cymbal brushes on KOB really became palpable and clearly defined instead of the record player in the runout groove shh noise I have hear on lesser set ups like when I had my MMF7. I must note they have changed the wire too, so it is not completey apples to apples, but to me the difference was so profoundly better that I really didn't care :)
 

PeterA

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Dec 6, 2011
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"The really important aspect of this is that the manufacturing method allows the creation of a single-piece structure, from cartridge platform to counterweight stub,

This surely is an advantage, but it is not unique. The SME V and V-12 arms are a single-piece structure from the cartridge platform to the counterweight stub also. And the armtube is also tapered. They are made of magnesium.
 

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