The next big step is to opt for the Avenger Rim-Drive option, a two motor with centre flywheel set up that is derived directly from the HR-X rim-drive. That can either run directly against the platter or you can upgrade that too, to a double layer magnetic drive system in which the motor contacts the lower, full-sized sub-platter that in turn spins the upper magnetically floated main platter. This is an option that I’ve used and that I’m definitely keen to investigate further – although I’m only too aware of speed consistency problems with stand-alone rim drives, like the one on my HR-X. In this instance, its not a case of speed instability in play, but of variations in absolute platter speed, from one session to the next and caused (presumably) by small shifts in relative position/contact pressure between the rim-drive and driven platter. It will be interesting to see whether VPI’s evolutionary developmental approach has grasped (and pulled) this particular nettle.
Finally, you can go the whole hog and opt for the twin drive, twin chassis stack that comprises the Titan, or a similar arrangement with the direct drive motor, dubbed the Vanquish (relax – it’s an Aston Martin reference, rather than a bellicose statement of belligerent intent). The sky is, as they say the limit, at least as far as the height of these top-end models goes. Having lived with the rim-drive HR-X – and fully understanding the benefits when it comes to dynamic impact and timing – in a reviewing context I’m happy to stick with the consistency of belt-drive which, with the ADS hooked up, is pretty darned impressive anyway. I guess I could whip out my HR-X rim-drive if required, but the basic belt-drive is so good I simply don’t feel the need.
In use, the Avenger is also a model of simplicity. The chassis can be easily levelled using the feet, with fine speed control via the ADS. The biggest challenge is finding a platform with sufficient footprint. One result of the three-footed symmetrical layout is a significant front to back dimension. The Avenger needs a supporting surface fully 460mm deep and that’s not easy to find. I use the Symposium platform specially built for the TNT (a ‘table which presented similar problems) complete with separated section for the standalone motor. It’s actually wider than required, but that just gives me space for spare arms and other accessories. You can mitigate the problem (and upgrade the deck still further) by swapping the large Delrin feet with their industrial isolators for something a bit more sophisticated. Depending on circumstances and system context, I use Nordost Sort Feet that, in conjunction with the Symposium platform, deliver a significant increase in focus, transparency and dynamic range. It’s an arrangement which requires spacers under the motor to maintain relative height, but that’s easily accomplished by replacing the rubber feet with StillPoints (minus their screw caps).
The other part of the Avenger package is the established JMW tonearm, another VPI product that has steadily evolved over the last two decades. For those unfamiliar with the beast, it is a uni-pivot design of the increasingly common off-set mount and VTA tower type, a format that might have been ‘borrowed’ from the TriPlanar but which the JMW helped to establish. Available in 10” and 12” lengths and, in its latest guise with the option of medium and high-mass (the fabulously named Fat-Boy) 3D printed armwands, the JMW has become an entire family of user configurable parts, allowing owners to specify an arm that meets both their budget and mechanical requirements. But what sets the JMW apart is the interchangeable armwands, an arrangement that allows users to swap out an entire arm top and cartridge in moments, while maintaining all of the critical alignment parameters. Along with the VTA tower, a cartridge can be exchanged just as quickly as you can change a record. The attraction for reviewers is obvious, but as already noted, with the increased awareness of mono replay and the importance of VTA adjustment on a record-by-record basis, the JMW has really come into its own. I’ve used the arm in all its guises since its introduction, accumulating a collection of both aluminium and 3D printed armwands, a situation that allows me to run (and directly compare) a variety of cartridges simultaneously. But the beauty of the inherent simplicity that those inveterate audio tinkerers, the Weisfeld clan have built into all of their products and which continues today, is the they also lend themselves to third-party mods. Just as the SortFut elevates the Avenger (in every sense) if you opt for the JMW arm, then the Soundsmith Counter Intuitive set-up accessory is a God-send…
Sound in heart and mind…
The sound of the VPI ‘tables is something else that has steadily evolved. That sense of mechanical integrity and simple, solid engineering carries over into the Avenger’s musical presentation. When I reviewed the original TNT I described it as “meaty, beaty, big and bouncy” a phrase that encapsulated its sheer presence and musical enthusiasm, impressive dynamic range and acoustic scale. In a world inhabited by light-weight suspended decks, with their limited bandwidth and dynamics, shrunken sound stages and two dimensional imaging, the big VPI wasn’t so much a breath of fresh air as a tornado of musical intent, momentum and entertainment. Just like an overly energetic St Bernard puppy, the boundless energy of those early decks could occasionally lead them into trouble, but over the years that unruly streak has been trained out of the breed, each subsequent model better behaved and more refined than the last. The Avenger retains that crucial grasp of musical substance and projection, dimensionality and scale, easy dynamics and musical momentum, but keeps it all on a tighter rein. Along with greater resolution and a calmer stability, that planted quality brings a convincing sense of musical, dynamic and spatial coherence. All grown up and articulate, the Avenger is the most accomplished TNT by far.
