The 30th Anniversary VPI Classic Turntable Setup and Instruction Manual VPI Industries, Inc., 77 Cliffwood Ave. #3B, Cliffwood, NJ 07721 phone: 732-583-6895 fax: 732-946-8578 http://www.vpiindustries.
Important: Read Before Proceeding! Read and follow the Safety Instructions below. Save all packing materials. The Classic should only be moved or shipped in its original packaging to reduce the risk of damage in transit. The Classic must be placed on a flat, level surface. This will make setup easy, provide better sound quality, and put less strain on the main bearing. Safety Instructions Follow the instructions below to reduce risk of electrical hazard or injury. 1.
Unpacking the Box The turntable and tonearm are packed very carefully to avoid damage during shipping. It is important that you save the packing materials and box to use for shipping or moving the Classic. • Set aside the bag containing the drive belt. Complete and return the warranty card. The warranty does not take effect until the warranty card is returned. • Remove and set aside the following items: Alignment Jig. Record clamp. Power cord.
Setting up the Classic The Classic must be placed on a flat, level surface. This will make setup easy, provide better sound quality, and put less strain on the main bearing. • Place the turntable chassis on the shelf or stand where it will be used. The Classic has very good isolation so it simply requires a good solid shelf on a rack that doesn’t sway in the breeze. You can get very sound by placing the Classic on a maple butcher block cutting board about 2” thick.
Installing and Aligning the Cartridge • Remove the protective cover from the male pivot point on the arm base assembly. To avoid injury, do not touch the male pivot point. It is extremely sharp. In addition, skin oils can blemish and cause corrosion to the assembly. • Place the JMW Classic Memorial Tonearm on its side on a foam pad. • For cartridges with threaded mounting holes, use the screws supplied by the cartridge manufacturer.
• Line up the red dot on the Lemo connector with the red dot on the receptacle on the junction box. The Lemo connector can plug in only one way and should not be forced. • Swing the tonearm over the jig so the stylus is as close as possible to the dot in the center of the grid. Set the counterweight for enough downward force to keep the stylus from moving when resting on the jig. • Look down at the cartridge and align it between the lines of the grid.
VPI has conducted careful listening tests and determined that every tonearm we tried sounded better with its mechanical anti-skating disabled and the tracking force very slightly increased.. VPI has a unique solution to anti-skating: the coiled wire of the JMW Classic Tonearm acts as a spring and pushes the arm back without affecting the sound quality. You have the option of using the mechanical anti-skate for those that want to but we feel it is really not needed.
back, you can order a heavier weight from your dealer. We have six different counterweights to accommodate any cartridge made. The JMW Signature Tonearm does not have a built-in tracking force gauge. We recommend that you use the Shure Stylus Force Gauge or good digital gauge. • Place the Shure gauge on the platter with the notch against the spindle. • Follow the gauge instructions and set the tracking force according to the cartridge manufacturer’s recommendation.
• If it is not level, use the supplied Allen wrench to loosen the setscrew on the counterweight and rotate the counterweight around the shaft until the headshell is parallel to the record. Be careful not to change the tracking force setting by moving the counterweight forward or back while rotating. • If you prefer you can rotate the azimuth ring to set azimuth instead of rotating the counterweight.
should eliminate the hum. If the hum goes away, get quality, well shielded interconnects. • After at least one year of use, the platter bearing and motor will need to be lubricated. For the platter bearing use 1/4 teaspoon of white lithium grease placed on the ball. For the motor, use 1 drop of 40-weight motor oil below the brass piece.
