Reintroducing and Upgrading the Best-Selling VPI Turntable of All Time
With the new Prime Scout 21, VPI reintroduces the audio world to the best-selling VPI table of all time. This new 2021 model is not only better than the previous versions of the Scout, it's also better than it should be at anywhere near this price. The sound is fast and detailed, deep and wide, with a natural midrange worthy of the world's finest cartridges.
The VPI Scout has become one of the world's best-reviewed turntable. In addition to its spectacular sound, the Prime Scout 21 is so simple to set up, you can have the 'table up and running in just minutes.
For superior stability and damping, the Scout's beautifully sculpted chassis is made from 1.25" thick premium textured viny-covered MDF bonded to a 12 gauge steel plate. 300 RPM AC synchronous motor is contained in a separate steel housing and drives the platter with smooth, quiet operation.
'Holy Mother of Crap' Stereophile Recommendation
The original model VPI Scout earned a coveted "Recommended Components" listing in the April 2005 issue of Stereophile. "Designer Harry Weisfield has whapped the bass so far out of the park with this one, it isn't funny," raves Art Dudley. "There's a glorious sense of completeness - of wholeness and rightness - in the way the Aries Scout / JMW-9 combination of turntable and tonearm plays music, echoed and underscored in the player's appearance and ease of use."
"This is a flat-out, unconditional, 'Holy Mother of Crap, I can't believe how good this thing is' recommendation."
And the new Prime Scout 21 is even better than the model that Stereophile loved!
Machined Aluminum Platter
The Prime Scout 21 uses a precisely machined 1-3/8" thick 6061 aluminum platter. This platter rotates on an ultra-smooth oil bath bearing and fitted to shaft with a #2 Jacob’s Taper for a concentric rigidly mounted coupling. The bearing has a PEEK thrust disc and machined graphite impregnated brass bushings using a Thompson Engineering 60 Rockwell case hardened shaft. Included is a screw-down record clamp that eliminates warps
Newly Redesigned VPI JMW-9 Scout Tonearm
The newly redesigned VPI JMW-9 Scout tonearm is the perfect complement to the Prime Scout 21, offering all of the advantages of a premium uni-pivot tonearm at a bargain price. It uses a damped, polished stainless steel armtube with black anodized head shell and bearing body. The arm has a zero friction unipivot bearing mounted on a hardened solid steel shaft with adjustable VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle).
As with the more expensive JMW-10 and JMW-12 arms, the tonearm assembly of the JMW-9 can be removed and replaced in less than 30 seconds, allowing instant cartridge changes with multiple armwands. The precision adjustable counter weight lets you get the most out of every cartridge you mount using its azimuth and tracking force adjustments. An RCA junction box allows any RCA-terminated interconnects to be used.
Included with the Prime Scout 21 is a screw down record clamp that eliminates warps and Scout Delrin feet.