VPI Black Knight Owners manual

SETUP MANUAL FOR ALL

ARIES 2 AND BLACK KNIGHT

TURNTABLES

READ THIS MANUAL VERY CAREFULLY

NOT FOLLOWING THIS MANUAL WILL VOID YOUR

WARRANTEE

FAILURE TO MAIL IN YOUR WARRANTEE CARD WILL

VOID YOUR WARRANTEE

VPI INDUSTRIES INC., 77 CLIFFWOOD AVE #3B, CLIFFWOOD NJ 07721

PHONE: [phone], FAX: [phone]

www.vpiindustries.com

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• IF YOU ORDERED THE ARIES WITH NO TONEARM, THE
PLATTER WILL BE FOUND BELOW THE MAIN CHASSIS IN THE
LARGER BOX (BOX A)

• IF YOU ORDERED THE ARIES WITH JMW OR OTHER TONEARM
MOUNTED, THE PLATTER WILL BE IN THE SMALLER BOX WITH
THE MOTOR.

• THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR NEW
ARIES TURNTABLE IS TO PLACE IT ON A FLAT LEVEL SURFACE.
IT CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH THAT A FLAT SURFACE
WILL MAKE SETTING UP YOUR NEW ARIES A SNAP.

• THE STANDARD ARIES REQUIRES A SPACE OF 22” X 16” AND THE
EXTENDED ARIES REQUIRES 24” X 16” FOR ITS MAIN FRAME.
THE ACTUAL FOOTPRINT OF THE ARIES LEGS MEASURES 19” X
13” FOR THE STANDARD AND OR 21” X 13” FOR THE EXTENDED.

SPECIFICATIONS

YOUR NEW ARIES TURNTABLE IS A PRECISION INSTRUMENT. IT HAS
BEEN THOROUGHLY TESTED AND HAS BEEN RUN FOR AT LEAST TWO
HOURS. THE SPEED ACCURACY, WOW, FLUTTER, AND RUMBLE HAVE
BEEN CHECKED AND THIS UNIT HAS MET ALL OUR SPECIFICATIONS.

MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS: WOW AND FLUTTER – LESS THAN .02

RUMBLE – GREATER THAN 80 db DOWN
SPEED ACCURACY – WITHIN .1%
TOTAL WEIGHT – 64 POUNDS
PLATTER RUNOUT - +/- .001 INCH

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNPACKING AND SETUP

• If you are reading this manual, you must have opened up the main turntable
box. In this box you will find the main ARIES chassis. Remove all packaging,
noting how they fit together. If you ever need to send the unit back for service
you must pack it properly. Save the packaging if you can, it will be very
expensive to order it later.

• If you ordered the JMW Memorial tonearm with your ARIES, the tonearm is
packed in this box and should be removed carefully. The base of the tonearm is
mounted directly to the ARIES tonearm board, follow the directions for the
JMW Memorial tonearm and carefully set up the cartridge. If you have an
Extended version the base is mounted to the chassis directly.

• If you ordered the ARIES cut for another tonearm, follow the tonearm
manufacturer’s recommendations for proper setup. Remember that cartridge
setup is a complicated but satisfying endeavor. If you take your time and
protect the stylus you will ultimately be rewarded with a good sounding unit
that you will not be afraid of working on.

• Before lifting out the main chassis, remember that the tiptoe feet are attached to
the bottom of the unit. Do not put the unit down on any furniture that could be
damaged by these feet. Remove the protective bag and set the ARIES chassis
down and center it on the shelf it will be resting on.

• Depending on your arm purchase, the platter will be below the chassis or in
BOX B. Remove the platter and pull off the tape covering the spindle hole.
Carefully place the platter over the spindle and let it slide down. The platter
bearing has oil in it so none is needed at this time. The ARIES needs no
lubrication for many months. The weight of the platter is taken by a Chrome
hardened ball running on a large Teflon surface. This requires no lubrication to
perform its task..

• Spin the platter and see if it feels like it is running freely. If all is okay and the
platter feels free but not loose proceed to the motor.

• Remove the motor from BOX B and place it the circular cutout to the left of the
ARIES chassis. Center the motor in this cutout with roughly a ½” space
between it and the chassis all the way around. The motor needs no lubrication

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at this time and should be relatively noise free. It was just shipped and will be
much quieter after a few hours running.

• Remove the clear drive belt from the bag and place the belt on the small pulley
groove and around the turntable platter. The drive pulley is designed for 33 and
45 operation with the smaller section being 33 and the larger section being 45.
The motor pulley of your ARIES is designed to let you slightly adjust the speed
at 33 and 45. The center groove on the pulley in each diameter is the correct
speed. If you need to increase or decrease the speed slightly you can move the
belt up or down for fine adjustment. Most people will just leave it on the center
groove and never worry about it.

• Level the turntable using a 9” or 12” long bubble line level placed next to the
spindle on the platter. The aluminum cone feet rotate in their sockets and will
move up and down allowing fine leveling of the ARIES. A level turntable will
always sound better than an unleveled one and will put less strain on the main
bearing.

• If you need to remove the armboard you should use a number 2 Phillips
screwdriver with a good tip. Do nit use a driver that is damaged or worn out, as
this will ruin the screw heads.

• You are essentially finished with the setup of your new turntable. Sit and enjoy
listening to your records and break in the unit that way. Allow at least 20 hours
of break in time to really loosen everything up, break in the cartridge and the
phono interconnects.

• Do not forget to send in your warrantee card. Failure to do so will void your
warrantee and prevent you from receiving new information on upgrades etc.

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WARRANTY

VPI INDUSTRIES, INC. LIMITED WARRANTY OF THE ARIES

TURNTABLE

VPI Industries, Inc. (VPI) warrants this unit against defects in materials and/or
workmanship for three (3) years from the date of purchase by the original retail
purchaser. VPI’s sole obligation under this warranty is limited to the repair or
replacement, at VPI’s option, of any part(s) found to be defective. VPI’s
obligation to repair or replace defective parts is the purchaser’s sole and exclusive
remedy, and VPI shall not be liable for any direct or indirect injury and/or property
damage arising out of the use of the product or defect in or failure of the product.

This warranty does not extend to any unit whose serial number has been defaced or
altered. Any product that VPI determines contains a defect or malfunction due to
incorrect installation, modification, misuse, or servicing by the purchaser, or
service technician not authorized by VPI to perform such service will not be
warranted. This warrantee does not cover trivial or cosmetic defects that do not
impair the unit’s normal function.

VPI reserves the right to make changes in this product without assuming any
obligation to install such change in any product previously manufactured. This
warranty to repair or replace defective parts is in lieu of all other express or
implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. There are
no warranties that extend beyond the description herein.

Some states do not allow exclusion of implied warranties or limitation of incidental
or consequential damages, so the above exclusion or limitations may not apply to
you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other
rights that vary from state to state.

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