Scout 2/JMW-9T
Turntable Manual
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.com
Important: Read Before Proceeding!
Read and follow the Safety Instructions below.
Save al l packing m aterials. The Scout should only be moved or
shipped in its original packaging to reduce the risk of damage in
transit.
The Scout 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.
• To avoid ele c trical shock, do not open the m otor housing.
• If the power c ord provide d with th e Scout does not reach an outlet,
use a heavy-duty, grounded extension cord.
• To avoid electrical shock, always plug the Scout into a ground e d
outlet.
• Do not expos e th e S cout to rain or ex cessi v e moisture .
• Do not touch the male pivot point of the tonearm assembly. It is
extremely sharp.
Follow the instructions below to avoid damage to the
Scout
• Do not leave the Scout runnin g unattended.
• Use the Sco ut in a well-ventilated area.
• Place the Scout on a firm surf a ce to allow proper ventilati on to
occur.
Introduction
The Scout turntable is a precision instrument featuring the new
Tapered arm tube version of the JMW-9 tonearm. It has been
thoroughly tested and run for at least 4 hours. The speed accuracy,
wow, flutter, and rumble have been checked, and this unit meets all of
our specifications.
Minimum Specifications
Wow and fl ut t er Less than .02%.
Rumble Greater than 78db dow n.
Speed accuracy Within .1%.
Total weight 32 pounds.
Platte r run out +/- .001 inch.
Product Specifications
600 RPM A C sy nchronous drive motor.
Drive belt custom-made for VPI.
Aluminum cone feet with stainless steel ball bearings on the
bottoms.
Solid acrylic platter with bronze bushings and Peek thrust surface.
Platte r sits on 60 Rockwell-hardened shaft and chrome-hardened
ball bearing.
Complete and return the warranty card. The
warranty does not take effect until the
warranty card is returned.
Unpacking the B ox
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 Scout.
1. Remove the 2 foam side pieces and foam block in the center.
2. Make space for the Scout and remove the chassis from the box. Put the
chassis down on a solid surface.
Complete and return the warranty card . The warra nt y
does not take effect until t he w a rranty card is return ed.
3. Remove and set aside the items in the next layer:
Alignment Jig.
Record clamp.
Power cord.
Bag containing screwdrivers and screws for mounting the cartridge.
4. Remove th e pi eces of foam cov e ring the tonearm , then carefull y re m ove the
tonearm and set it down in a safe place. Use caution with the tonearm’s
delicate wires and Lemo connector.
5. Remove the turntable plat t er and motor. Be ve ry ca re ful not to hit or d amage
the motor pul ley. It mea s ured +/- .0005” when it was tested at the factory.
Try not to disturb it at all.
Setting up the Scout
The Scout 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.
1. Place the turntable chassis, with the square cutout on the left, on the shelf or
stand where it will be used. The better isolation you provide the Scout, the
better it will sound. We highly recommend a 1 to 3 inch thick maple shelf
sitting on rubber isol ator feet for this purpose.
2. Remove the tape from the spindle hole on the turntable platter and place the
platter on the spindle. The platter bearing is lubricated; no additional
lubrication is needed for at least one year.
3. Connect the power cord to the motor, then place the motor, with the power
cord at the rear, next to the square cutout of the turntable chassis.
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4. Lift the chassis and place it over the power cord. The motor should extend
approximately .25 inch from the side of the turntable chassis.
5. Place the drive belt around the platter and around the pulley on the motor.
The belt does not have to be level on the platter. It will self-level when the
platte r s t a rts rotating.
6. For 33 RPM operation, place the belt on the upper part of the pulley. For 45
RPM operation, place the belt on the lower, wider part of the pulley. The
center groove in each diameter is the correct speed. To determine the precise
speed, use a strobe disc. The VPI Syn chronous Dri ve System spe ed controll er
provides the ultimate speed accuracy and best sound. Check with your dealer
about availability.
7. Veri fy th e turntable is level by using a 9 or 12-inch bubble level front-to-back
and side-to-side on the platter. If it is not level, rotate the aluminum cone feet
up or down. If you must turn the Scout feet more than three full turns, level
the shel f or platform th e t able sits on first .
Installing and Aligning the Cartridge
• Remove the protective cover from the male pivot point on the arm base
assembly.
To avoid injury, do not t ouch the m ale pivot p oint. It
is extremely sharp. In addit i on, sk i n oi ls can blemi sh
and cause corro sion to the ass em bly.
• For cartridges with threaded mounting holes, use the screws supplied by
the cartridge manufacturer. Other screws may not fit properly and may
cause damage to the threads and cartridge.
• To avoid damage to the tonearm, use one of the washers supplied by VPI
under the screw heads.
• For cartridges with pass-through mounting holes, use the hardware
supplied with the tonearm. Be sure to use washers under the screw heads.
• The tonea rm wires are col or-coded as follows:
Red righ t h ot
Green right ground
If your phono secti on inverts phase, the ho t col or b ecomes the ground color.
White or Black left hot
Blue left groun d .
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• Using tweezers or fine-tipped pliers, grip the center of the red wire’s
connector not the wire itself and push it onto the cartridge’s right hot
terminal pin. Connect the remaining connectors in the same way. To av oid
damage t o th e c a rt ridge, do not pu sh t he c on nectors all th e w ay on.
• Place the Alignment Jig on the spindle with the V-groove against th e male
bearing shaft. Tighten the screws of the jig so it fits snugly against the
male bearing shaft and over the record spindle.
• Place the arm tube assembly on the male pivot point, using caution with
the 4-color wire and Lemo connector. Set the arm in its rest. If the
cartri dg e has a guard, rem ove it .
• 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 force d.
• Swing the tonearm over the ji g so the stylus is as cl ose as possible to the
dot in the cente r of the grid. Set the counterw eight f or 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. Be
careful to align the cartridge and not the tonearm headshell. You should
have the diamond stylus on the white dot and the cantilever lined up with
the lines on the grid.
• Adjust the cartridge mounting screws and the counterweight as needed
until the cartridge is centered between the grid lines and the stylus is
restin g on the dot of the grid. The picture bel ow shows the setup, the jig is
in whit e for clarity, y ours is black.
• When the cartridge is properly positioned, tighten the cartridge mounting
screws and remove the alignment jig.
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Setting the A nti-Skating – T wo Solutions
Anti-skatin g is one of the least understood forces acting on a tonearm. Skating
force is created by friction between the stylus and the record, causing a force
vector i n a direction towards the c enter of the re cord when th e headshell of the
tonearm has an offset angle. Putting a stylus down on a flat, groove less record
will ca use the arm to mov e toward the cent er of the record. Arm manufacturers
have tried to compensate for this force, but that is i mpossible because the force
is constantly changing as the music and velocity change.
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 ve ry slightly in c reased..
VPI has a unique solution to anti-skating: the coiled wire of the JMW Memorial
Tonearm acts as a spring and pu shes the arm back without affecting the sound
quality. You now have the option of installing a mechanical anti-skate for those
that want it.
• Adjust the counterweight so there i s no down force on the ca rtridge.
• Swing the tonearm toward the spindle and release it. The arm should swing
out toward the outer edge of the turntabl e .
If you try adjusting the anti-sk a te w i t h a g roove less
record, you wi ll ruin the twis t i n t he tonearm wire
and void your warranty. Do this with the mechanical
anti-skate if you wa nt t ha t much anti-skate.
• If additional anti-skate is wanted you can go to the mechanical anti-skate
we supply.
Setting the Tracking Force and Tonearm Height
Tracking force is adjusted by moving the tonearm counterweight forward and
back on its shaft. If your cartridge is heavy and the counterweight is all the way
back, you c a n orde r a heavier weig h t f rom your deale r.
The JMW-9T Tonearm does not have a built-in tracking force gauge. We
recommend that you use a Shure Stylus Force Gauge or good digital gauge.
• Place the ga uge on the platt e r (n o record)
• Loosen the set screws in t he base of the tonearm and raise the arm so it
looks parallel to the platter when it is on the stylus force gauge. To adjust
the arm height, loosen the setscrews on the base of the arm assembly and
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turn the adjustment wheel above the base. When the arm is at the desired
hei g ht, ti g hten the screw s .
• If you do not raise the arm when doing this you will be between .2 to .4
grams li ght when you are on t he record. THIS IS VERY IMPORT ANT! !
• Follow the gauge instructions and set the tracking force according to the
cartri dge manu facturer’s recomme ndation . We recom mend a lways going t o
the high side of tracking force. High frequency vibrations on a light-tracking
cartridge can cause more damage to the grooves of a re c ord than running a
cartridge at a heavy setting.
• Put a record on th e p l att er an d l ower t he arm so i t i s pa rall el to the record.
Now you will be tracking at the force you set and not a ligh te r f orc e.
Setting the Azimuth
• Set a fi replace match or c offee sti rrer (somethi ng light and abou t 6” long)
into the groove behind the mounting screws on the tonearm headshell.
• 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 set ti ng.
• If you prefer you can rotate the azimuth ring to set azimuth instead of
rotating the counterweight.
AZIMUTH RING
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Playing Records
Before playing a record, m a ke sure that all of the tonearm s crews are tight.
Place the black washe r on the platter, then th e record, then th e re c ord clamp.
Always turn off the turntable before installing the record clamp.
Press the pow er button on the motor. Sit down a nd enjoy listening to your
records!
General Use
• Allow at least 20 hours of break-in time.
• The motor will make some low-level noise. This will not get into the
system. The motor and bearings will become quieter as you use your
Scout. Pl ac e th e m otor on a mouse pa d for better isola tion
• If you notice hum in the system, remove the turntable to phono section
interconnects and replace them with very cheap, standard VCR
interconnects. These are well shielded and should eliminate the hum. If the
hum goes away, get quality, well shielded interconnects.
• After at le ast one year of u se, th e platter bea ri ng an d motor will need to be
lubricated. For the platter, u se a ¼” blob of white li thium grease placed on
the ball . For th e mot or, use 1 d rop of 40-weight m otor oil below t he bl ack
drive pulley and right on the brass piece.
• We find the table sounds best with no mat on the platter, you can
experiment with mats but you need to adjust the VTA setting when doing
this.
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Additional Items Available from Your Dealer
• The VPI Syn c h ronous Drive Sy s tem power supply provide s a ma j or inc rease
in musicality by feeding the synchronous motor in your table a perfectly
stable wave form at the frequency you choose. The SDS lets you change
speed electronically.
• 300 RPM Sc outmaster mot or - $150.00
• Classic aluminum platter - $800.00
• TNT-Mini isolator feet - $300.00
VPI Ind ustries, Inc. Limited Warranty
VPI Industries, Inc. (VPI) warrants this unit against defects in materials and/or
workmanship f or three (3 ) years f rom the dat e of purch ase by th e origi nal 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
failu re of th e p roduct.
This wa rranty does not extend to any unit whose serial number has been defaced
or altered. Any product that VPI determines causes a defect or malfuncti on 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 warranty 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 not warranties that extend beyond the description herein.
Some states do not allow exclusion of implied warran ti e s or li mitation 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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