THE MAKING OF AN AVID FAN...Let me start by saying that in the 26 years that I have lived with the VPI HW 19 MKII and the ET2 combo, there have been sporadic instances when an ‘inner voice’ would whisper softly ‘palitan mo na yan…matanda na yan, lumang technology na yan…kulang na yan ng ‘transparency and resolution’…
That is called, ‘Tempting Thyself’.
The truth was, I was thinking if I had to sell this rig and get another, I probably would have to spend 2x the value of the VPI and 3 or 4x the value of the ET2 to really get an ‘upward movement’ in terms of build quality and sound performance. And the harsh fact is, the lotto numbers have not been showing up, in fact, I had not even bought them tickets in a long long time.
The concern for the aging of the VPI table has been its suspension. Obviously the 4 springs would have ‘mellowed down’ after bearing so much weight the last 2 and half decades. The only calibration is done only via the 4 rubber feet, but here, we have an ‘unlevelled’ plinth, and resting on this uneven plinth is the venerable ‘His Airness’ – the ET2 air bearing arm, left to level itself via the front feet and back feet of the VPI. Something just isn’t right here, apparently. Next worry, the aging of the ET2. The designer recommends a once in a few years cleaning of the air bearing, which entails removing the bearing from the outer manifold housing, which in turns requires the de-soldering of the RCA box to remove the 4 litz wires so that the air bearing can finally be slid off its manifold. Thinking of that process had led me to procrastinate a ‘change’ for several years. But alas, one cannot cheat father time, and the movement of the air bearing has through time started to tighten up on the last few minutes of an end track. I figured if I cannot be tasked to this cleaning process, then it’s time to move on and let more capable hands do it while I find another pasture to graze on.
I had to put on my thinking caps the last few months. I had grown to love suspended turntables after my first and only disastrous encounter with a non-suspended table. My mantra became 'Noli Me Tangere' - I did not want the vibrations to touch the cartridge, which itself was already vibrating in the first place. I wanted isolation in a table design. So I went with the UK made Ariston RD 110, suspended and isolated, and lived with it happily for several years until something told me to buy a new table and arm. I recall in those days, I didn’t need any reason to buy a new audio toy. I was SINGLE!
I had in my mind 3 models – SOTA Sapphire, Oracles Delphi III, and the VPI HW MKII. My heart would have gone Oracle but there were problems with its motor then so it was gone. Sota had problems with its wood and vacuum hold down platter so the final choice was the VPI HW19 II, which after serving its purpose for 26 years without any problem, I have to conclude I made the right choice then. Fast forward to present day, I had on my radar the Linn Sondek LP 12 a few years ago, when a local distributor brought it in. Semi-horror stories about calibrating its suspension (needing 2 chairs and a lying down mechanic position) and playing 45 RPM LPs (solved by pumping more $$$ for the Lingo power supply) finally made me forget about it, not to mention its countless add-ons, from the mentioned power supply to anything or any part you can upgrade it to. Just too much for me to handle.
Enter my long time trading partner Senor Sensible. I called him and he offered me a Gyro SE with SME 309 which I had interest in. Somewhere along the line trade talks bogged down, and I was offered a Linn LP12/Ittok combo. That I had to pass given my prior reservations. A few days later, Senor texted me and offered me a B/N old stock Avid Diva 1. I had to admit I was not familiar with the Avid line at all, having only heard once a top line model in the place of Audio8. I knew the cost of that should be stratospheric and hence I didn’t pay too much attention.
I had to research on the Diva 1. Suspended table. Yes! Separate motor and power supply. Yes. A Rega RB300 arm which I have had good impressions with when I mounted a Koetsu Rose Sig on it many years ago. Yes! Good reviews. Yes! Elegant design, as MSM would say, ‘maporma’. Well...to me it's ok. Like a simplied big $$$ table. But it is maporma in the sense that it is ‘baby cute’,
being the entry level model a few years back, and now completely replaced by a Diva 2 or a Diva 2 SP. Both cost more than the Diva 1. And so I was looking at a UK made suspended table that was made many generations after my VPI and so I thought it must be 'improved'. Fits the bill right. My only reservation is that it doesn’t have a hinged dust cover. But what table today does? NONE.
They've gone all nude!. What else can I say?
Another minor thing bugged me and a more realistic question was, how will the RB300 perform vis a vis the ET2? That, I have to bite the bullet to find out.
And so the die was cast. Senor delivered the Diva 1/RB300 and I had to assemble the thing piece by piece for the first time in my analog life. It was interesting, I thought. All parts knocked down but i got to feel the fit and finish of this very well engineered product. I loved the looks and design of the turntable as a whole. And the process wasn’t too difficult, as the AVID manual was very clear and easy to follow. After putting it all together, I had to request our resident WS Needle Doctor Remus to lend a helping hand in setting up the tonearm and align my Rose Sig as I do not have a pivot arm alignment kit anymore. I shouldn’t actually, as I only had a linear tracking arm for the longest time.
His work was impressive, as I had mentioned previously. Anti-skate, overhang, tracking force and platter speed were all checked. On the dot. My other lament was there was no on the fly VTA adjustment but Remus told me it can be done but not on the fly and not while the record is playing. Good enough.
MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC:
Now that I have spent a few more days listening to this table. I can make some impressions from the old table/arm combo. Immediately, I sense that there is more depth now in the soundstage. Better focus too. And the overall tonal balance is warmer and richer. That, I like very much. And wonder of wonders, like hitting the 4 number lotto, is that the little remaining hum I had with the ET2/MIT external cable is GONE! 99% gone! I am overjoyed! Trying to remove hum to virtually nil has been one of the most difficult endeavors I had encountered. And just like that, the Rega 300 and its factory supplied cable (which looked just like those DVD patch cords) obliterated the pesky hum problem I had since the Minimax arrived. Maybe that helped in showing whatever improvements I heard, and it's a welcome development. Playing Dan Siegel's Northern Nights just to warm up the system, I totally enjoyed every cut of the album. I couldn't fault the music that was coming out, tracking was flawless, and top to bottom coherence was excellent as well. There was good rhythm and I just got to foot tap with it. Going to Carol Kidd's When I Dream when the system was warmed up, it was as enjoyable as I ever heard it. Smooth vocals, full of bloom, rich and full bodied, nothing more I can ask. Lovely and perhaps lovelier. Then came Kenny G's going home. I wanted to know if it's going to blow me away or make me just stay seated. There is an element in the sax tone that drives me to the back of my seat, a musicality and a sensual feeling in my brain that makes me enjoy this album so much that it has become my test record of sorts lately. If the sound was fantastic already before, it's even better now and more enjoyable. Airy smooth, and no shrillness. Bass was absolutely tight and best I have ever heard in my system and it's happening right now. Playing the Nimbus Supercut pressing of Earl Klugh's Living Inside Your Love fooled me into thinking that there is now a 12" woofer in my Maggie.
Again, this is just an old entry level model that has been discontinued and the question that keeps begging to be asked is how much more superior are the higher models? Impressive really. I played on the entire first LP of the KG Live and was tempted to play louder as the tracks went on. After all, there is no more hum in the background at the loudest levels now. The background is as quiet as I ever heard and what I get is pure music and pure rhythm. I am now an AVID fan, because I am an avid fan of music.