Santaduck
06-29-2003, 02:59 PM
Well, since the US company VPI Industries, http://www.vpiindustries.com/, who almost single-handedly led the vinyl high-end revival of the 90's just came out with their new monster vinyl rig, the $10,000 HR-X, I'd figure I should get off my bottom and review some of their more affordable stuff.
I'll begin with the SAMA, the $400 upgrade "Stand-Alone Motor Assembly" for the HW-19 series.
__________
Introduction. (skip if you already know VPI)
If you are a 44Khz CD, or compressed MP3 fan, then read no further. If you are a vinylhead, you know that belt-drive turntables (motor turns a belt, which is connected to platter) have supplanted direct-drive turntables (motor directly turns spindle of platter) in the late 80s, due to less transference of motor noise, and less fluctuation in rotational speed.
VPI is the company that is ackowledged to have led this revolution. Of course for the DJ/dance scene, direct-drive turntables are still the norm, as the application is not strictly hi-fidelity, but rather professional robustness in a club, back-cueing, and responsive rotational speed adjustments.
Prior to the HW-X, VPI's badboy flagship rig was the TNT, now in the "Mk V" incarnation at a cool $8K. More recently they have come out with "mini TNTs" from the TNT Jr. and the Aries configurations, ranging in price from $1500-$2800.
However, for the rest of us, has been the "poor man's" VPI, the HW-19 Jr., which starts at $650, and provides solid entry into the high end. The 19Jr.'s hallmark is that the turntable platter rests on a plinth (platform) that is isolated from the motor by a suspension: the isolated motor spins a belt, which makes contact with the platter, which is riding on a very high tolerance bearing inside the plinth-platform. This all costs a bundle, because all parts are machined to very close tolerances; this is why microcscopes, calipers, cameras, etc. will always be very expensive. For example the motor pulley that holds the belt is machined to +/- 0.0002"!
Although there are other affordable entry-level tables, such as Music Hall's MMF 2.1 ($300) and MMF-5 ($500), the key is that the HW-19 Jr. is upgradable in increments to almost-TNT performance, with the "19 Mk IV" configuration which retails at close to $2K, & with other available mods to motor & power supply, will be about $3500. These prices do not include a tonearm or cartridge, which of course can run from say $50-200 each, to perhaps $1400 each.
________________
Now with that out of the way, let's consider what we are reviewing.
There are three configurations of the HW-19. The entry level Jr. at $650, the Mk III at $1250, and the Mk IV at $1850. The Jr. has a one-inch thick acrylic platter, the Mk3 a platter that incorporates a six-pound lead ring, whereas the Mk IV has a 20-pound four-layer TNT platter. Changes in suspension are of course necessary at each level, and beginning at the Mk 3, the plinth platform changes from MDF to a quieter steel-and-acrylic combo.
Now for the regular-joe audiophile on a budget, we're talking big bucks here! The Jr. costs about $650, and perhaps you'd get a budget $300 tonearm (say Rega RB-250), and a $100-200 cartridge, which puts us at about a grand. We're hurtin. Now say you've had this for a while, and you aren't satisfied with the sound... it still doesn't kill your CD digital playback all the time.
The standard upgrade path to a Mk3 is for about $700. Also available (but not typically considered) are the custom power supply (SDS) for $1000 and the $400 Stand-Alone Motor Assembly (SAMA). Ouch ouch ouch.
Here's what I did. I'm a starving student, so I began with a Used HW 19 Jr. For some reason it came with a Mk3 suspension, which means it has concentric springs instead of sorbothane rubber to support the platform ($50 if bought new). The rest of the Mk3 upgrade path would include the heavy lead-lined lead-lined platter ($210) and new plinth platform ($370). I got the platter, used, for $50. That was a no-brainer, since the Mk3 spring suspension was meant for this heavier load. Did the rotational inertia should work wonders for my sound? It did! Suddenly there were no audible fluctuations, and the sound pacing was solid. For the first time, the turntable became noticeably better than my CD player ( a separate-DAC heavily-tweaked Cambridge Audio DACMagic combo).
Therefore I'd recommend buyers on a budget to get the Mk3 platter and spring suspension, but forgo the $370 plinth upgrades at first. For $260, not bad and welcome to the high end!
______________
The Review
Where to go from here? Completing the Mk3 upgrade with plinth platform would be about $370. Going to Mk4 parts (new platter, plinth, bearing, and spindle) would be about $800. There is the new power supply, the SDS, but it costs $1000 alone. No way. But the SDS is sexy, as it adjusts the voltage and frequency fed to your motor for even greater stability... it avoids AC line noise by actually converting it fully to DC, then back to a digitally-regenerated custom-shaped AC-- this is no mere filtering here, it is full reconstruction.
But... a thousand bucks is too much, and for that matter so the $800 Mk IV, which can't really be implemented incrementally.
Should I, audiophile-on-a-budget, complete the Mk3 upgrade for $370? Could this new steel-and-acrylic plinth platform really make a difference?
I chose another route. Instead, I plunked down my $400 (almost the same price) on a new Stand-Alone Motor Assembly, or SAMA. Again, we have a high-tolerance device, probably a motor designed for high RPMs at tolerance, and downgraded to 33 1/3 or 45 rpm. The other key, however, is that it is "standalone".
In the all the HW-19 tables (Jr., Mk3, Mk4), the motor is the same. It sits bolted to the chassis... the chassis is connected to the platter and plinth with a suspension in between; therefore some vibrations do make it through the suspension. However, the SAMA replaces this motor, and the SAMA sits independently on its own, as the bottom of the chassis is hollow to the floor in the center. A super-rugged high-tolerance motor that is isolated is what we have here, and it seemed like it weighed a good 10 pounds. How much difference could a $400 motor make?
________________
SAMA (Stand-Alone Motor Assembly)
Three words: YOU ARE THERE. I described the improvement in pacing earlier when upgrading to the Mk3 platter. There was no audible wow& flutter, loud passages didn't slow down, and piano (the absolute benchmark) sounded okay for the first time.
The SAMA presumably also affects pacing, but for the first time it was so subtle I couldn't actually perceive the speed differences. However, I could easily and immediately appreciate the MUSICAL difference in only a few seconds of listening. It was that obvious. When you are at a live concert, be it a classical symphony concert hall, live jazz from ten feet away, or the amplified riffs at a club, it is always unmistakedly LIVE. When the band at the club goes on break and puts on a CD, you can easily tell. When they are back live, you can easily tell. One reason is the dynamic punch (which also seemed improved), but the other reason is pacing. Realistically, this comes through as a sensation, as in all live performances (even nonmusical theatre), that you *don't* know what is coming next, and the performance is continually moving forward. There is a slight pause, and the music can crescendo, or it can go silent for effect, the players can make a mistake, or they don't.
This unpredicatability of the music is what the SAMA brought to me. Listening to live rock performances with the SAMA brought back that whole live uncertainty of what note was going to be hit next, and at what timing, even with studio recordings I already knew well and by heart. Listening to symphonies made me sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy the human performance of the musicians. Jazz instrumental and jazz vocal was simply phenomenal, again, like they were standing in my room... a quality that had more to do with pacing rather than the aspects of soundstaging that result from speaker/amplifier quality. Bass was tighter as well.
In short, I'm glad I didn't go for the $370 Mk3 plinth set. I'd recommend the same to you. That is what "high fidelity" is about: not special effects, but being able to imagine that you are THERE.
My next upgrade? Well either the Mk4 upgrade, in which case I'll need the plinth, and it will cost about $1100... or the $1000 SDS power supply. I'll keep you posted.
________
equipment used in review.
Turntable accessories: Rega RB-250 tonearm, Custom tonearm wiring from Cardas, Pneumatic suspension under turntable, Low-end grado cartridge but nuded and with a stylus swap-out with Grado ZF3E+ elliptical stylus.
Amp: Golden Tube SE-40 single-ended pentode. Highly modified circuitry and higher-capacity capacitor bank, stock Sovtek 5881 power tubes, CV-151 driver tube.
Preamp: Conrad Johnson PV-2A. Modified to heat tubes by 12V DC power supply, with some circuit modifications and point-to-point re-wiring through signal path. Includes Bybee filters for phase correction.
Speakers: Mordaunt Short MS 10. Customized crossover circuits, stiffened cabinets and diffraction absorbing felt over front.
Power Conditioning by Power Wedge, spec-grade wall outlet.
Wiring: Interconnects: van den Hul The First & The First Ultimate (no metal, all carbon). Speaker: Nordost Flatline.
Other tweaks: pneumatic suspension and carbon Black Diamond Racing cones on all components.
I'll begin with the SAMA, the $400 upgrade "Stand-Alone Motor Assembly" for the HW-19 series.
__________
Introduction. (skip if you already know VPI)
If you are a 44Khz CD, or compressed MP3 fan, then read no further. If you are a vinylhead, you know that belt-drive turntables (motor turns a belt, which is connected to platter) have supplanted direct-drive turntables (motor directly turns spindle of platter) in the late 80s, due to less transference of motor noise, and less fluctuation in rotational speed.
VPI is the company that is ackowledged to have led this revolution. Of course for the DJ/dance scene, direct-drive turntables are still the norm, as the application is not strictly hi-fidelity, but rather professional robustness in a club, back-cueing, and responsive rotational speed adjustments.
Prior to the HW-X, VPI's badboy flagship rig was the TNT, now in the "Mk V" incarnation at a cool $8K. More recently they have come out with "mini TNTs" from the TNT Jr. and the Aries configurations, ranging in price from $1500-$2800.
However, for the rest of us, has been the "poor man's" VPI, the HW-19 Jr., which starts at $650, and provides solid entry into the high end. The 19Jr.'s hallmark is that the turntable platter rests on a plinth (platform) that is isolated from the motor by a suspension: the isolated motor spins a belt, which makes contact with the platter, which is riding on a very high tolerance bearing inside the plinth-platform. This all costs a bundle, because all parts are machined to very close tolerances; this is why microcscopes, calipers, cameras, etc. will always be very expensive. For example the motor pulley that holds the belt is machined to +/- 0.0002"!
Although there are other affordable entry-level tables, such as Music Hall's MMF 2.1 ($300) and MMF-5 ($500), the key is that the HW-19 Jr. is upgradable in increments to almost-TNT performance, with the "19 Mk IV" configuration which retails at close to $2K, & with other available mods to motor & power supply, will be about $3500. These prices do not include a tonearm or cartridge, which of course can run from say $50-200 each, to perhaps $1400 each.
________________
Now with that out of the way, let's consider what we are reviewing.
There are three configurations of the HW-19. The entry level Jr. at $650, the Mk III at $1250, and the Mk IV at $1850. The Jr. has a one-inch thick acrylic platter, the Mk3 a platter that incorporates a six-pound lead ring, whereas the Mk IV has a 20-pound four-layer TNT platter. Changes in suspension are of course necessary at each level, and beginning at the Mk 3, the plinth platform changes from MDF to a quieter steel-and-acrylic combo.
Now for the regular-joe audiophile on a budget, we're talking big bucks here! The Jr. costs about $650, and perhaps you'd get a budget $300 tonearm (say Rega RB-250), and a $100-200 cartridge, which puts us at about a grand. We're hurtin. Now say you've had this for a while, and you aren't satisfied with the sound... it still doesn't kill your CD digital playback all the time.
The standard upgrade path to a Mk3 is for about $700. Also available (but not typically considered) are the custom power supply (SDS) for $1000 and the $400 Stand-Alone Motor Assembly (SAMA). Ouch ouch ouch.
Here's what I did. I'm a starving student, so I began with a Used HW 19 Jr. For some reason it came with a Mk3 suspension, which means it has concentric springs instead of sorbothane rubber to support the platform ($50 if bought new). The rest of the Mk3 upgrade path would include the heavy lead-lined lead-lined platter ($210) and new plinth platform ($370). I got the platter, used, for $50. That was a no-brainer, since the Mk3 spring suspension was meant for this heavier load. Did the rotational inertia should work wonders for my sound? It did! Suddenly there were no audible fluctuations, and the sound pacing was solid. For the first time, the turntable became noticeably better than my CD player ( a separate-DAC heavily-tweaked Cambridge Audio DACMagic combo).
Therefore I'd recommend buyers on a budget to get the Mk3 platter and spring suspension, but forgo the $370 plinth upgrades at first. For $260, not bad and welcome to the high end!
______________
The Review
Where to go from here? Completing the Mk3 upgrade with plinth platform would be about $370. Going to Mk4 parts (new platter, plinth, bearing, and spindle) would be about $800. There is the new power supply, the SDS, but it costs $1000 alone. No way. But the SDS is sexy, as it adjusts the voltage and frequency fed to your motor for even greater stability... it avoids AC line noise by actually converting it fully to DC, then back to a digitally-regenerated custom-shaped AC-- this is no mere filtering here, it is full reconstruction.
But... a thousand bucks is too much, and for that matter so the $800 Mk IV, which can't really be implemented incrementally.
Should I, audiophile-on-a-budget, complete the Mk3 upgrade for $370? Could this new steel-and-acrylic plinth platform really make a difference?
I chose another route. Instead, I plunked down my $400 (almost the same price) on a new Stand-Alone Motor Assembly, or SAMA. Again, we have a high-tolerance device, probably a motor designed for high RPMs at tolerance, and downgraded to 33 1/3 or 45 rpm. The other key, however, is that it is "standalone".
In the all the HW-19 tables (Jr., Mk3, Mk4), the motor is the same. It sits bolted to the chassis... the chassis is connected to the platter and plinth with a suspension in between; therefore some vibrations do make it through the suspension. However, the SAMA replaces this motor, and the SAMA sits independently on its own, as the bottom of the chassis is hollow to the floor in the center. A super-rugged high-tolerance motor that is isolated is what we have here, and it seemed like it weighed a good 10 pounds. How much difference could a $400 motor make?
________________
SAMA (Stand-Alone Motor Assembly)
Three words: YOU ARE THERE. I described the improvement in pacing earlier when upgrading to the Mk3 platter. There was no audible wow& flutter, loud passages didn't slow down, and piano (the absolute benchmark) sounded okay for the first time.
The SAMA presumably also affects pacing, but for the first time it was so subtle I couldn't actually perceive the speed differences. However, I could easily and immediately appreciate the MUSICAL difference in only a few seconds of listening. It was that obvious. When you are at a live concert, be it a classical symphony concert hall, live jazz from ten feet away, or the amplified riffs at a club, it is always unmistakedly LIVE. When the band at the club goes on break and puts on a CD, you can easily tell. When they are back live, you can easily tell. One reason is the dynamic punch (which also seemed improved), but the other reason is pacing. Realistically, this comes through as a sensation, as in all live performances (even nonmusical theatre), that you *don't* know what is coming next, and the performance is continually moving forward. There is a slight pause, and the music can crescendo, or it can go silent for effect, the players can make a mistake, or they don't.
This unpredicatability of the music is what the SAMA brought to me. Listening to live rock performances with the SAMA brought back that whole live uncertainty of what note was going to be hit next, and at what timing, even with studio recordings I already knew well and by heart. Listening to symphonies made me sit back, close my eyes, and enjoy the human performance of the musicians. Jazz instrumental and jazz vocal was simply phenomenal, again, like they were standing in my room... a quality that had more to do with pacing rather than the aspects of soundstaging that result from speaker/amplifier quality. Bass was tighter as well.
In short, I'm glad I didn't go for the $370 Mk3 plinth set. I'd recommend the same to you. That is what "high fidelity" is about: not special effects, but being able to imagine that you are THERE.
My next upgrade? Well either the Mk4 upgrade, in which case I'll need the plinth, and it will cost about $1100... or the $1000 SDS power supply. I'll keep you posted.
________
equipment used in review.
Turntable accessories: Rega RB-250 tonearm, Custom tonearm wiring from Cardas, Pneumatic suspension under turntable, Low-end grado cartridge but nuded and with a stylus swap-out with Grado ZF3E+ elliptical stylus.
Amp: Golden Tube SE-40 single-ended pentode. Highly modified circuitry and higher-capacity capacitor bank, stock Sovtek 5881 power tubes, CV-151 driver tube.
Preamp: Conrad Johnson PV-2A. Modified to heat tubes by 12V DC power supply, with some circuit modifications and point-to-point re-wiring through signal path. Includes Bybee filters for phase correction.
Speakers: Mordaunt Short MS 10. Customized crossover circuits, stiffened cabinets and diffraction absorbing felt over front.
Power Conditioning by Power Wedge, spec-grade wall outlet.
Wiring: Interconnects: van den Hul The First & The First Ultimate (no metal, all carbon). Speaker: Nordost Flatline.
Other tweaks: pneumatic suspension and carbon Black Diamond Racing cones on all components.