VPI Industries JMW-9T Instruction Manual

VPI Scoutmaster /JMW-9T

Turntable

Setup and Instruction Manual

VPI Industries, Inc., 77 Cliffwood Ave. #3B, Cliffwood, NJ 07721

Phone: [phone] Email: [e-mail]

http://www.vpiindustries.com

Important: Read Before Proceeding!

Follow the instructions below to reduce risk of electrical
hazard or injury.

 Read and follow the Safety Instructions below.
 Save all packing materials. The Scoutmaster should only be moved or shipped

in its original packaging to reduce the risk of damage in transit.

 The Scoutmaster 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

1. To avoid electrical shock, do not open the motor housing.

2. If the power cord provided with the Scoutmaster does not reach an outlet, use
a heavy-duty, grounded extension cord.

3. To avoid electrical shock, always plug the Scoutmaster into a grounded outlet.

4. Do not expose the Scoutmaster to rain or excessive moisture.

5. Do not touch the male pivot point of the tonearm assembly. It is extremely
sharp.

Introduction

The Scoutmaster turntable is a precision instrument. 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 flutter  Less than .02%.
 Rumble  Greater than 80db down.
 Speed accuracy  Within .1%.
 Total weight  57 pounds.
 Platter runout  +/- .001 inch.

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Unpacking the Box

Complete and return the warranty card. The
warranty does not take effect until the
warranty card is returned.

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 Scoutmaster.

 Remove the 2 pieces of cardboard.
 Set aside the bag containing the drive belt.

 Remove and set aside the these items:

Alignment Jig.

Record clamp.

Power cord.

Bag containing screwdrivers and screws for mounting the cartridge.

 Remove the foam pieces that surround the chassis. Lift one side of the

turntable chassis, slide off the plastic bag, then do the same with the other
side of the chassis.

 Remove the turntable chassis from the box.
 Remove the turntable platter and motor. Be very careful not to hit or damage

the motor pulley. It measured +/- .0005” when it was tested at the factory.
Try not to disturb it at all.

 Remove the pieces of foam covering the tonearm, then carefully remove the

tonearm and set it down in a safe place. Use caution with the tonearm’s

delicate wires and Lemo connector.

Setting up the Scoutmaster

The Scoutmaster 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, with the square cutout on the left, on the shelf or

stand where it will be used. The better isolation you provide the Scoutmaster
2, the better it will sound. You can get very good isolation by placing the
Scoutmaster 2 on a maple butcher block cutting board about 2” thick sitting
on 4 squash balls in ash trays. Very inexpensive and easy to find.

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 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.

 Connect the power cord to the motor, and then place the motor, with the

power cord at the rear, next to the square cutout of the turntable chassis.

 Lift the chassis and place it over the power cord. The motor should extend

approximately .25 inch from the side of the turntable chassis.

 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
platter starts rotating.

 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 usually the correct speed. To determine the
precise speed, use a strobe disc and adjust speed by moving the belt up or
down. The VPI Synchronous Drive System speed controller provides the
ultimate speed accuracy and best sound. Check with your dealer about
availability.

 Verify the 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 Scoutmaster feet more than three full turns,
level the shelf or platform the table sits on first.

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Installing and Aligning the Cartridge

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.

 Remove the protective cover from the male pivot point on the arm base

assembly.

 Place the JMW-9T arm wand on its side on a foam pad.
 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 tonearm wires are color-coded as follows:

Red  right hot.

Green  right ground.

White  left hot.

Blue  left ground.

If your phono section inverts phase, the hot color becomes the ground color.

 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 avoid damage to the cartridge, do not push the connectors all the way on.
 Adjust the tonearm counterweight halfway back on its mounting to reduce the

amount of down force on the cartridge.

 Place the JMW Memorial Tonearm Alignment Jig on the spindle with the narrow

end next to the pivot point. Tighten the screws of the jig so it fits snugly
against the male bearing shaft

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 Place the arm tube assembly on the lower pivot point, using caution with the

4-color wire and Lemo connector. Set the arm in its rest. If the cartridge has a
guard, remove 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 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. Be

careful to align the cartridge and not the tonearm headshell.

 Adjust the cartridge mounting screws and the counterweight as needed until

the cartridge is centered between the grid lines and the stylus is resting on the
dot of the grid. The picture below shows the setup, the jig is in white for
clarity, yours is black.

 When the cartridge is properly positioned, tighten the cartridge mounting

screws and remove the alignment jig.

Setting the Anti-Skating – Two Solutions

Anti-skating 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 in a direction towards the center of the record when the headshell of the
tonearm has an offset angle. Putting a stylus down on a flat, groove less record
will cause the arm to move toward the center of the record. Arm manufacturers
have tried to compensate for this force, but that is impossible because the force
is constantly changing as the music and velocity change.

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VPI has conducted careful listening tests and determined that every tonearm we
tried sounded better with its mechanical anti-skating set at the lowest possible
setting.

 Adjust the counterweight so there is no down force on the cartridge.
 Swing the tonearm toward the spindle and release it. The arm should swing

out toward the outer edge of the turntable if the anti-skating is working
properly. Set it as shown in the photo.

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 can order a heavier weight from your dealer.

The JMW Signature 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 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. We recommend always going to
the high side of tracking force (actually the high side plus .1 gram is the best).
High frequency vibrations on a light-tracking cartridge can cause more
damage to the grooves of a record than running a cartridge at a heavy
setting. The arm should be parallel to the platter when setting the tracking
force. If it is not parallel the reading will be off by enough to make a sonic
difference.

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 To adjust the arm height, loosen the two setscrews on the base of the arm

assembly, put a record on the platter, turn the adjustment wheel above the
base. When the arm is parallel to the record, tighten the screws. That is the
zero adjustment point and you should begin with the arm at that point. You
can lower the arm for more bass energy or raise the arm for more treble energy.

Setting the Azimuth

 Place the 6” aluminum rod in 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
setting by moving the counterweight forward or back while rotating.

Playing Records

 Before playing a record, make sure that all of the tonearm screws are tight.
 Place the rubber washer on the platter spindle, then the record on the platter,

then screw the clamp onto the spindle. The clamp will lock the rim of the
record down first forcing the air out and acting like a vacuum.

 Press the power button on the motor. Sit down and enjoy listening to your

records!

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General Use

 Allow at least 20 hours of break-in time.
 The motors will make some low-level noise. This will not get into the system.

The motor and bearings will become quieter as you use your SM.

 If you notice hum in the system, remove the 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 least one year of use, the platter bearing and motor will need to be

lubricated. For the platter bearing use a blob of white lithium grease placed on
the ball. For the motor, use 1 drop of 40-weight motor oil below the brass
piece.

Additional Items Available from Your Dealer

 The VPI Synchronous Drive System power supply provides a major increase in

musicality by feeding the 300 RPM synchronous motor a perfectly stable wave
form at the frequency you choose. The SDS lets you change speed
electronically.

 The HR-X periphery record clamp will fit the platter of the Scoutmaster and

provide a vacuum-like grip on the record. The clamp removes all warps and
damps the record to prevent ringing.

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VPI Industries, Inc. Limited Warranty

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 causes 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 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 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.

Register your Product Online:

http://vpiindustries.com/warranty/

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