VPI Super Scoutmaster Turntable – Satin Black

Here we have a very well regarded turntable from American company VPI Industries. Our Super Scoutmaster is fitted with a JMW 9 Memorial Tonearm and comes with a Synchronous Drive System. It is in excellent condition with just a very few minor blemishes – please see photographs. It will be supplied in original factory packaging along with manual, mains cable, tonearm alignment jig, lubricant, bearing grease, belt, plus of course our standard 3 month warranty.
VPI Industries Say….
The Super Scoutmaster was the next step of having the high-end marker while still providing room for a customer to upgrade and grow with their system. The owner has the ability to upgrade the table form its standard form to a “Reference” level by adding the Rim Drive and JMW 10 tonearm.
After 27 years in the turntable business and the release of the HR-X we thought we had seen and done everything. Suddenly one day we were listening to the Scoutmaster and the thought hit us “This sounds so good what could we do to make it better” the end result was to cross the Scoutmaster and the HR-X producing the Super Scoutmaster or SSM as we called it. The SSM uses the most accurate motor drive in the business, the HR-X system. The massive flywheel and dual motor drive controlled by the revolutionary SDS power supply gives the smoothest rotation in the business. You can almost say that if your expensive table doesn’t have a flywheel driving it, why is it so expensive?
The finishing touches are the specially designed, totally non resonant vinyl wrapped chassis and the periphery ring clamp. The ring clamp lowers warp induced speed variations to near zero making the combination of HR-X flywheel drive and perfectly level record sound like a master tape.
Before you purchase any expensive turntable, you must compare the facts. Does it have a flywheel drive? Does it have a warp flattening system? Does it have an inverted bearing running on a silent Teflon surface? Does the speed control come from a state of the art power supply? The SSM has all of this and more.
Features:
Dual motor flywheel (300 RPM US / 500 RPM OS)
Clear or black acrylic 12″ platter with inverted bearing
Periphery ring clamp
HR-X Centre weight
JMW 9 Memorial Arm
VTA adjustment on the arm base (not on the fly)
Machined aluminium isolation feet
Sandwiched vinyl wrapped chassis with steel centre
Specifications:
Drive Method: Belt drive
Motor: AC synchronous
Wow and Flutter: 0.1% WRMS
Rumble: 85 dB
Speed Accuracy: 0.05%
Weight: 29.5 kg
The Synchronous Drive System (SDS) combines a turntable motor speed controller and a line isolator into one convenient 16” x 3” x 12” (W x H x D) package. The SDS breaks new ground in clean accurate power delivery using advanced digital technology and quartz crystal accuracy.
The SDS allows for the adjustment of both the voltage and frequency fed to the turntable motor. Adjustments are easily made from the front panel using intuitive, soft touch controls. The selected output voltage and frequency are shown using large, easy to read LED displays. The SDS slowly ramps the voltage and frequency up or down to the selected value in order to prevent premature motor wear due to abrupt changes. During motor startup, the SDS increases its output voltage in order to bring the platter up to speed quickly. Once the desired platter speed has been reached, the SDS ramps the output voltage down in order to reduce motor vibration and, therefore, the systems noise floor. The circuit used in the SDS provides an incredibly accurate line frequency of great stability. Additionally, the electronic circuitry effectively isolates the output voltage from the input voltage, doing away with voltage spikes, low level fluctuations, RFI, and frequency variations.
Instead of merely filtering the power line, the SDS first changes it into pure DC voltage and then digitally regenerates its own clean signal. This approach is superior to that used in many of the other power line conditioners on the market. The SDS works best with synchronous motor driven turntables, such as those from VPI. The speed of a synchronous motor is determined by the frequency it is fed. It is only logical then, that a device whose speed is based on the line frequency will always function better when a stable frequency is delivered. A constant motor speed translates into a quieter, more
faithful musical presentation.
JMW 9 Memorial Tonearm Specifications:
Pivot to spindle: 223 mm
Effective length: 240.7 mm
Effective Mass: 10.2 g
Overhang: 17.7 mm
Offset angle: 22.85 degrees
Average RMS distortion: 0.36%

“Now here is a surprise. This, the third generation of Harry Weisfeld’s “Scout” series, borders on greatness! In its first form, it was certainly the best buy among American LP playback devices. And if you consider what you will get for extra money in this hot-rod version, the “Super” makes a fine long term investment!” — Absolute Sound Editor’s Choice Award Winner, Issue 150

T.A.S. – Golden Ear Award 2005
Absolute Sound – Golden Ear Award 2004