VPI Classic vs. Well Tempered Amadeus

Disclosure: I retail Well Tempered turntables, Departure Audio.

I have never A/B'd them directly, but I owned a VPI Scout with JM memorial arm and now own a Well Tempered Amadeus. Both good tables, but sonically, no comparison. To my ears the Well Tempered performs at a much higher level. Quieter, deeper bass, bigger sound stage, more musical. Maybe the higher level VPI models even things out, don't know. I do feel the Well Tempered competes well with tables at many times its cost. I think you need to get to the mega buck tables to significantly better its performance. I have owned Linn's, Technics, VPI's and SOTA's, all good tables, but bettered significantly by the Well Tempered from a high value/high performance perspective.

I'm also interested in this comparison. Joc3021, one thing about the WTA that worries me is the fixed headshell geometry. Surely there are a number of good cartridges whose overhang must be way off if mounted on the WTA. What has your experience been? More generally, which carts are a good match with the WTA and which would you steer clear of?

..regarding VPI tables. If you are using the minifeet, performance can be greatly enhanced if you remove them in favor of something called Bearpaws. Check out Vermontaudio.com I was amazed at how much more I get with these. More space, more and cleaner bass, silky highs, etc.

Stringreen,

How do you use Bearpaws? Do you screw them in? I looked at the website and it looks like you simply put them under equipment. Also, what do you keep your Classic on? I keep mine on a 3-inch maple block and I wonder if brass makes sense on wood. Thanks.

Drubin: William Firebaugh, the (some say genius) designer of the table says he has addressed the geometry issue and it's not a concern. There's a link to a white paper explaining his reasoning on the Well Tempered web site. If you can fully understand it, you're ahead of me. I do know all the Dynavector cartridges work perfectly in the arm. I believe the arm was designed partially with these cartridges in mind.
I also know lots of Amadeus users use a variety of cartridges and have had no issues.