VPI HW-19 Series
Note: THE VPI HW-19 is no longer in production but parts and upgrades are still available.
VPI HW-19 (1980)
The HW 19 was the first table Harry had developed after being commissioned to create an isolation base for Denon. The HW 19 had the following features:
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Aluminum platter with 1/8"-thick by 2" wide lead cemented underneath.
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Suspended sub-chassis
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Aluminum pulley
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Regularly paired with the Jelco Profile or Audioquest PT5 tonearm
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Dust-cover included
Description from Stereophile's Gordon Holt's review
The platter is of solid aluminum, without the usual hollowed-out bottom, and a 1/8"-thick by 2"-wide band of lead is cemented to the platter's underside. Besides adding weight, the lead damps out ringing resonances in the aluminum, yielding an unusually inert platter. Tapping it with the finger produces only a satisfyingly brief "tick," without a vestige of ringing. No platter mat is supplied. The disc is supposed to go right onto the bare metal platter.
The sub-chassis is suspended on heavy springs at the corners, yielding a suspension resonance of around 5Hz. The springs are damped by the tried and true method of stuffing their insides with floppy foam plastic, which makes for a suspension that combines good vibration isolation with a high degree of stability. It jiggleth not! The panel is made of what appears to be ½" particle board, and screwed to the underside of this is a heavy steel sheet with folded edges for added rigidity. The whole suspended assembly weighs 24 lbs! The AC synchronous motor is attached to the base, not to the floating platform, and is coupled to the platter via a thin neoprene belt.
At the right side of the top panel is the arm-mounting board. This 5½"wide board fastens to the underlying steel plate via six heavy screws, spaced symmetrically so the board can be turned end for end. Thus, if you wish to install a different arm, requiring a different sized hole, you just rotate the board by 180° and you have a fresh corner through which to drill the new hole. As the 'table is supplied, there is only one large tonearm clearance hole in the supporting steel sheet, so only one arm can be mounted at any one time.
VPI HW-19 MK 2 (1983)
Note: The picture above is an original MK 2 with a current model VPI Player tonearm mounted. Thanks to TONEAudio for reviewing and taking the picture
The HW-19 MK 2 was the next evolution in the VPI product line where Harry moved away from aluminum and switch the platter to black or clear acrylic. Since this is something that has been switched back to aluminum platter for later/current VPI models the question is, why did he do it? The simple answer is that the industry/reviewers of the time strongly sided with having an acrylic platter over aluminum and Harry and VPI as a company was still too young/new to the game to argue. However, Stereophile's Gordan Holt knew better and had preferred the original platter. However, form a manufacturing standpoint it was more difficult and costly to continue making the HW tables with aluminum.
Features:
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Black acrylic platter filled with lead
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Stronger springs (less weight than original on the HW-19)
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Delrin pulley
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MDF covered formica and double layered steel
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600 RPM motor
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Available in walnut, maple, and black oak.
VPI HW-19 MK 3 (1985)
The HW-19 Mk. III is the logical next step in the progression towards realistic musical reproduction. All the weak points of the Jr. are addressed in the Mk. III. Better yet, the improvements incorporated in the Mk. III are available as upgrades to the Jr.
The Mk. III changes the platter to a black acrylic material incorporating a six pound lead ring. This material is closer to the makeup of vinyl itself, providing more effective absorption of the vibration generated by the moving stylus. The inertia of the platter is four times that of the Jr.'s, resulting in more powerful bass, quieter backgrounds, and greater clarity.
The subchassis changes from one inch thick MDF to a non-magnetic, 10 gauge, stainless steel sheet laminated to a 1/2" shiny black acrylic top plate and tonearm board. The tonearm board is removable for easy arm changes.
This rigid, highly damped subchassis system is then floated on four concentrically wound springs for improved vibration isolation, and a more open and airy soundstage. The entire floating system uses damping in the springs to control random motion. Upgrading to the Mk. III subchassis results in tighter bass, greater detail retrieval, and a lower feedback level.
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Lead-filled, black acrylic platter
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Four-point spring suspension
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AC synchronous motor
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Fully-damped subchassis
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Precision “O” ring drive
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Acrylic dust cover
VPI HW-19 MK 4 (1998)
For improved bass, imaging, focus, detail, and lower noise, the answer is the Mk IV. The HW-19 Mk.IV turntable includes the same wood base, precision AC-Synchronous motor/pulley/belt drive assembly, and stainless steel-acrylic subchassis as the Mk. III.
All this makes a great sounding turntable, but the Mk.IV goes further to become a Super Table. The Mk.IV borrows three critical parts from the state of the art TNT turntable: the platter, the bearing, and the suspension.
The Mk.IV features the 1.5" thick, 20 pound, four layer, lead impregnated, precision machined, acrylic TNT platter. This platter has four times the inertia of the Mk.III platter and reduces noise, increases focus in the bass, and throws a soundstage far beyond the boundaries of your loudspeakers.
This high inertia platter is mated to the noise reducing bearing of the TNT. By mounting the platter on a three-point suspension,and mechanically grounding it to the spindle, no random motion is allowed to enter the rotating system. The spindle itself is machined from stainless steel with sintered bronze bushings as the lateral wearing surface. The vertical thrust plate is virtually indestructible 92 Rockwell Tungsten Carbide.
The platter and bearing assembly work as a unified team. They lower noise, increase low level detail, and provide a degree of focus that was previously only available with turntables costing a minimum of twice as much.
All of this would be irrelevant if the turntable suspension was not up to the task. In the Mk.IV, we borrowed the suspension springs from the TNT and floated the entire assembly at 2.5 Hertz. The Mk.IV is very resistant to all forms of acoustic feedback and environmental noise.
How good is the Mk.IV? The Mk.IV was ranked "Analog Source of the Year" by Stereophile magazine.. "A big thumbs up to Harry Weisfeld and his Mk.IV"... The Mk.IV's rewards greatly exceed its cost... congratulations..."
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Lead-filled, black acrylic platter
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Four-point, TNT-grade suspension
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AC synchronous motor
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TNT-grade bearing and spindle
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Noise-canceling, 3-point platter mount
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Precision “O” ring drive
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Acrylic dust cover
VPI HW-19 JR (1993)
The beginning of the journey into High-End analog music reproduction starts with the HW-19 Jr. The Jr. is VPI's most cost effective turntable. It combines the drive system of the MK. III & MK. IV, with a cost effective platter and subchassis, to give real value for the dollar.
The HW-19 Jr. features a six pound, one inch thick clear acrylic platter with a reflex record clamping system so effective that when the clamp is released, the record stays locked to the platter.
One of the hallmarks of the VPI playback system is proper mating of the record and the platter. Terminating the resonances excited by the stylus/vinyl interface is critical for lifelike reproduction of the low level nuances normally found in live music. In the HW-19 series of turntables, the resonances are terminated without vacuum, pumps, peripheral clamps, etc. Simple yet precise solutions are always the best.
All turntables must be isolated from the outside world. The Jr. uses sorbothane as the isolation material. The sub-chassis is set upon four sorbothane pucks that keep a large percentage of motor noise and acoustic feedback from reaching the platter and cartridge.
All the wood-finished bases are made from solid hardwoods. Veneer over particle board is never used. We use real oak naturally finished, real oak lacquered in semi-gloss black with the grain showing, and real walnut in a natural finish. As a premium option, a piano black high gloss finish is offered.
The Jr. uses the same drive motor as the MK. III, and MK. IV, a low noise precision AC Synchronous type with quiet bearings, and high torque. The drive belt is a unique pyrothane material that lasts many years with excellent serviceability. It has a round cross section for excellent speed stability and low noise. The motor pulley is machined from black delrin with a concentricity of +/- .0002".
The Jr. is fully set up at the factory and can be up and running in less than 10 minutes. If your Jr. is ordered with a factory mounted tonearm, all you need to do is install the cartridge.
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1” thick clear or black acrylic platter
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Sorbothane suspension
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600 RPM AC synchronous motor
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1 piece 1” thick MDF plinth
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Precision “O” ring drive
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Hinged-acrylic dust cover