After a decade in production, VPI updates its
venerable Scout package with a wealth of improvements. Do these changes signal
a new direction for the company?
When VPI launched its original Aries Scout over ten years
ago, it flew in the face of turntable fashions of the times, which dictated
that the majority of decks north of $1,600 should offer bouncy suspension and a
low-noise DC motor to be up to vinyl's latest standards.
VPI's approach to its entry level Scout was decidedly
different, and based on solid engineering that offered a well thought out user
experience for longterm ownership. The Scout looked deceptively simple, while
promising lots of easy adjustment for the deck and the supplied in-house
tonearm that came as part of the package - boasting an easy to remove arm wand,
to facilitate rapid cartridge swapping.
VPI Scout 1.1
overview
VPI was clearly on to something, with the original Scout
going on to sell thousands of units worldwide and gaining an enviable
reputation in the process. Building on this success, VPI has recently extended
its entry level range with two new models sitting below the Scout.
There's the $1,320 Nomad and the $2,750 Traveler, both using
plinth-mounted motors and in-house tonearms to keep costs down, the former also
managing to include an onboard phono stage, headphone amp and Ortofon 2M Red
cartridge at its price.
Freestanding motor unit
The Scout 1.1 offers more refinement for your money, and is
the cheapest VPI turntable to use a freestanding motor unit housed in its own
steel case, which tucks into a dedicated cutout in the deck's plinth. Compared
to the original Scout, the 1.1 brings in a number of changes.
Out goes the white frosted acrylic platter, which is
replaced with a more traditional looking 1.38in-thick 6061 grade alloy platter,
which VPI says can be machined to tighter tolerances. Thanks to a solid steel
plate bonded to its underside, the 1.1's platter tips the scales at 5.8kg; and
if you want even more metal under your mat, an extra $625 buys you the Scout 2,
which is basically a re-badged 1.1 with a 2in thick platter.
The Scout 2 is
basically a re-badged 1.1 with a 2in thick platter
VPI has upgraded the Scout's main bearing to a Thompson
Engineering 60 Rockwell case-hardened spindle, formed into a #2 Jacob's taper
at its tip, to ensure a firm coupling with the platter. A chrome- hardened
ball-bearing is pressed into the spindle's base which turns against a PEEK
thrust disc within an oil bath, while the bearing sleeve is made from graphite
impregnated brass bushings.
The Scout's 30mm MDF plinth is carried over from the old
model, sporting the same steel plate bracing its underside and it comes
finished in a black-only paint job. So too are the threaded conical feet,
although their new rubber tips will bring welcome relief to your precious hi-fi
furniture.
The Scout's AC synchronous motor has also been tweaked for
UK-bound models, and while both US and UK versions use Hurst motors, the UK
version's 500rpm/4W unit has improved low resonance power supply components
specifically selected for our 50Hz mains frequency.
Updated unipivot arm
Completing the package is the latest 9in version of VPI's
JMW Scout stainless/alloy unipivot tonearm, which is brought up to date with an
anodised black and polished silver two-tone finish.
The arm essentially comes in two sections, comprising the
armboard and lower ‘bearing' assembly that's fixed to the plinth, and the upper
housing and arm wand. Being a unipivot, the bearing is actually a fiendishly
sharp tungsten-carbide point which sticks up like a rocket on a launch pad from
the lower section, onto which you balance the upper section via a machined cup
within the chunky black bearing housing.
The JMW arm still relies on VPI's trademark anti-skate
method that uses the tension in the exposed twisted arm wires looping from the
arm to the RCA junction box; and for those who find this a little too
disconcerting, VPI has now added a nylon thread and rotational weight that
provides added force.
Freestanding AC
motor nestles within a cutout in the plinth to drive the alloy platter via a
rubber belt around its periphery. Stepped pulley aids manual speed change
Adjustment wise, the tonearm is a reviewer's dream. There's
a threaded ring at its base for setting arm height and a weighted collar that
rotates around the upper bearing to ensure it's correctly balanced while
setting azimuth. Downforce is adjusted via a more conventional sliding
counterweight, which has an off-centre hole to keep its centre of mass low.
Getting the deck up and running is made easy thanks to the
deck's design and VPI's supplied tools, which help ensure all adjustments are
spot on. Simply site the motor unit with its captive mains lead trailing from
its rear, then position the main chassis around it and level it up via the
adjustable feet.
Now add the platter and thread the rubber belt around its
periphery and on to the upper section of the motor pulley for 33.3rpm or lower
for 45 (each section of the motor pulley also has three steps for fine tuning
speed). Using the supplied pressed-steel cartridge alignment jig between the
arm pillar and the platter's centre spindle allows for setting stylus alignment
and overhang.
Finally, remember to place the supplied rubber washer under
your LPs to raise their centre, which helps the Scout's threaded clamp's outer
edge to press the record fiat to the platter. All that's left to do is a final
level check on the platter before switching the deck on via the on/off button
on the motor housing.
