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VPI Ceramic Platter

I just got VPI's new ceramic platter after living with the Superplatter, and then the Classic. I've read reports on these forums that there isn't much of a difference...WRONG. When replacing the Superplatter with the Classic, the sound difference is extremely dramatic with the Classic doing away with the stodginess of the Superplatter. The highs are much more extended without a kind of a wholly character. The sound difference just slaps you in the face. The difference with the ceramic platter is much more subtle....then you realize what it is and revel in it. The increased depth, focus and air is its major accomplishments, but there is a sweetness (not saccharine) of live music that you just don't hear with the classic. Crappy LP's are still crappy, but you can still make out the music rather than feeling like you just want to run away from it. The very worst and most disappointing record I have is Norah John's "Little Broken Hearts". I used to enjoy her efforts, but this one is produced sooooo badly by Danger Mouse, I will not get another Norah Johns album until I see this guy's name gone from the cover. I wonder why Norah sings words... The sound is an absolute blur, and yet with the ceramic platter, there are blurs of different depths, and if you listen closely you can actually hear what's going on. Next, I played a Ltd. Kiji by Leinsdorf on Serephin records from years ago. The speakers disappeared, as did the walls. The violins that are so difficult to reproduce, were clearly and sweetly singing. Percussion was never spread, but instantly and clearly struck. I suppose the best of these upgraded abilities will be lost unless excellent equipment is used. On another thought, you just can't change the spindle, install the platter and go. To find the best this platter can offer, you must tweak the tonearm. The platter is slightly different than with the Classic. Remember every single thing you adjust on the VPI arm affects every other adjustment. Take your time and do it all and enjoy.
stringreen
mosin
410 posts
 
Lew,

You are right. There is ceramic, and then there is ceramic. The ceramic that first comes to mind for most of us is the vitreous type, like in dishes. That's made from clay, but the tech ceramic is completely different. Silicon nitride balls are examples most commonly discussed in audio, and they have no clay base. Another example is the gold drill bits you see at stores these days.

The VPI platter may be chromium nitride coated. That is a PVD coating commonly used on industrial punches. It is deposited on the surface of the base metal inside a vacuum chamber at around 750F. The end result is a surface hardness that is off the Rockwell scale. It is very, very hard, and measures at 2,000+ on the Vickers scale. You won't scratch it, and you won't wear it out. It will always stay shiny and polished, so I like the idea for that reason.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen OP
5,112 posts
 
Lewn....you're correct. My rim drive table MUST have a perfectly round platter, otherwise the out of roundness makes the turntable ride out and in to accommodate the different diameter of the platter and each point as it turns. The result is that the Superplatter forces the turntable back and forth. The VPI arm as you know rides on a sharp point, so the result was a rocking of the arm, which REALLY was awful to look at.... and much less awful to listen to (though I could hear it). The Superplatter is not made any more because it was so difficult to make it absolutely round. On another point, the Superplatter had a kind of tubby sound. When I went to the Classic platter, it was simply a revelation...the soundstage, the stability, the new information, etc. was wonderful. The difference between the Superplatter and the Classic is enormous...the difference between the Classic and the Ceramic is less so, however, still a very worthwhile upgrade.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
I guess the Superplatter really was not "Super".
stringreen's avatar
stringreen OP
5,112 posts
 
The Superplatter was really much better than the platter that came before it. The rim drive (difficulty in precision manufacture) was a non issue since only the belt drive was available then.
lewm
6,770 posts
 
I would think that having a perfectly round platter (and a perfectly centered spindle) is just as important for belt-drive as it is for rim-drive. In both cases, the driving force is delivered to the circumference of the platter; if the platter is out of round, the speed would vary during every revolution. Perhaps the problem was more visibly evident with the rim-drive, because of the motor moving in and out.
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