VPI Scout and Scoutmaster owners.

i had a long and detailed discussion with vpi about the upgrades. it was put to me that the vahlhalla wire was only a benefit if a) you like the nordost presentation, b) that the full benefits came only with a full loom and that the nordost stuff didn't always like being mixed and matched.
the anti skate, i was also told was a marketing thing, because people had asked for it, and it's good business practice to give customers what they want (different from what they need!)
the individual did however go on to say that the strucutral changes to the arm did give real benefits. the individual told me he actually prefered the original wire and no anti skate, and it that it is possible to order the arm in this configuration. one imagines that this would also be at reduced cost minus the nordost branding premium. this is certainly what i am intending to do, then again having tried nordost, i have found that i'm not keen on their house sound and so have no wish to have their full wiring loom.

Interesting discussion here. I'm leaning towards getting a Scoutmaster w/ the Sig arm right now, and the price difference buying new seems much more of a no brainer, but still, the money can go towards a better cart or SDS which may be even more beneficial. I do not mind the Nordost house sound. My cables don't really match well with Nordost cables or any cables for that matter though. I have no doubts that the Nordost wire will have more resolution than the original wire. But of course it might also bring upon a more analytical sound. It'll be interesting to hear of comparisons.

Thanks guys for your input...Yes ,mixing cable brands in a system can turn into real problems for you. Once my new sig. arm arrives and I log acouple of hundred hours on,I will see if that is enough burn in time or I may find out along the way that its only halfway...Once all is settled in I will check out Nordost new interconnects and speaker wire line. The Baldur, Heimdall ,Frey and Tyr...I will borrow the cables from a dealer to scrutinize in my system. Ether way I looking forward to it. It could very well turn into, time well wasted...But then again...

enjoy!

Hi all. My new arm arrived safe and sound to my dealer. Picked it up yesterday. I had the dealer install it for me. I thought that was best as I have ham roast size hands with thick fingers. Thursday was a busy day at the store so finally getting the arm installed took awhile. Once done we put it in one of their systems. My very first impression mirrors Slipknots first impressions...Alittle bright/forward and alittle cool, thats a trait that is consistant through out Nordost line of wires.Any comments that I have heard in the past about Nordost wires have been just that...They need further cooking. However, before the first side of the first L.P. was over,it was apparent to me there is a distinct difference between the standard V.P.I. 9 and the new Signature arm.I can easily hear the potential of this arm and wire.For damn sure,over time it will reveal what it can really do...Your going to have to be PATIENCE. This tiny signal running through this wire is going to take along,long time to burn it in. The 11th hour was just logged on my arm. Another thing I noticed is this arm seams to be much more transparent right out of the box compared to the standard 9...The dealer had a floor model ScoutMaster with the standard arm along with the same cartridge that I have mounted on it. The cartridge on the floor model only had afew hours logged on it,I did not do a direct comparison with my table .It took alittle longer to fit my new arm ,the store was busy along with phone calls coming in.Anyway it was getting late and I had along drive ahead of me to get home... I am impressed with the new arm,there is no dought in my mind it is going to be areal performer once the wire starts to burn in.I have not hooked up the anti skate or used the fluid damping,Ill logged acouple of hundred hours on first,then check them out. Anyway there you go.