Seriously looking at getting a VPI Scout. I was thinking Music Hall or Rega, but the more I look into the Scout the more appealing it is. I would appreciate any experiences good or bad. I am leaning towards using a Sumiko Blue Point MC cartridge with it...unless anyone has a better idea in that price range.
Thanks!

I use this exact combo. VPI Scout and a Sumiko BPS EVO III. I have had it for over a year now and could not be happier. I upgraded from a Technics SL-Q2 and an Audio Technica 440MLA. It was a huge upgrade in my mind and I love the combo. I have looked at the Blackbird lately. Not for any reason other than upgrade fever.

It is a fine budget turntable, and will easily take a much better cartridge than that, when your budget allows it.

There are also a lot of upgrade paths, and VPIs are pretty easy to upgrade yourself.

Cant really beat the VPI Scout for price/performace ratio and as noted the upgrade path is only limited by your wallet. I own a SOTA, but my dads system I listen to alot has a VPI and you may want to make or purchase a Ginko Cloud platform.........it really helps isolate this non suspended table. not that it wont work well on its own stable surface but its improovement will easily and quickly be found out. Great choice, great table and a great time will be had with your Vinyl. Cheers

I have a Scout that I purchased not too long ago. Then I bought the SDS controller and I could not be happier. The Scout sounded great on its own, but once I put the SDS on board, it was magical to my ears.

Their are some great things that the Scout brings to the table(excuse that), one is that it is a great table by its own merit. The next thing is the ease of setup and the VTA adjustment that you can make quite easily. Next is the great tonearm (JMW 9), I like it very much and I am becoming a fan of the unipivot design too! Then as your pocketbook or desire suits you, you can add things, add and change the tonearms quickly, add the controller, add the anti skate mechanism if you want it, change from the 600 rpm motor to the 300 rpm motor (more torque), change to a different platter, all of these things can be accomplished quite easily. DID I MENTION THAT IT SOUNDS GREAT.

These, of course, are my opinions and I stand by them. This is one of the best purchases for my system that I have made. To sum it up, sound, price, upgradeabilty, ease of setup and use are all that sold me. I hope this helps.

I'd take the VPI over a MH or Rega 'table any day. Superb craftsmanship, better tonearm, outstanding sound out of the box, and can be upgraded all the way to Super-Scoutmaster when funds and time allow.

Sounds like the way to go! I appreciate the responses. I should be able to make this happen in a month or so.
Thanks!

Ummm. I really like the Scout, but I am biased. Upgradability is tops!

See, and I am a Rega kinda guy and find the VPI a little dull by comparison....

What i strongly recommend is don't trust what we say. Rather, find some decent local dealers and go have a listen. See if you can do a demo at home with your top 2 or three candidates and see how they compare. Nothing beats a leisurely in home demo to figure out if that piece of equipment really is for you.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

What i strongly recommend is don't trust what we say. Rather, find some decent local dealers and go have a listen. See if you can do a demo at home with your top 2 or three candidates and see how they compare.

Strongly agree! VPI offers 'tables that are well built and well supported and so does Rega, but they sound somewhat different. In general, Regas excel at preserving music's pace, rhythm, and tunefulness while VPI offers a richer tonality and bigger soundstage.* Either could be the best choice for you, but you want to consider your preferences and system goals in making a decision. Also, take some time to handle the different turntables. I happen to like the simple operation of a hinged dustcover, and unipivots simply annoy me in their handling, but your likes may be different.

*The Scout, in my opinion (conditioned by 24 years of Linn LP12 ownership, to let you know my biases), while not as good at this as Rega, retains more of music's pace and rhythm than VPI's more expensive turntables (though I haven't yet heard the new Classic); also, most of the "upgrades" are a backward step in this particular performance area, the exception being the SDS mentioned in a post above. I might take a P5 over a Scout, but a Scout would still bring me much musical pleasure--there are no bad choices here.

See, and I am a Rega kinda guy and find the VPI a little dull by comparison...
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Of course, you could always ameliorate a problem like that by selecting a cartridge and a cable that perks it up a little.

I had a rega p3 for a short time and traded it for a Scout with a Dynavector 20 high out out.
Love it... seems better built.
:banana:

A little bit about my goal with getting a new TT...
I'll be replacing a Kenwood KD-550 (Mayware tonearm/Blue Point cart.) I may stick with the Blue Point when I get the new table. I haven't decided yet. The Rega is appealing because of the lack of an upgrade path. I fear if I get the Scout I'll get sucked in to constantly wanting to upgrade. I've been obsessing all week over the Scout vs. Scoutmaster. I'm not looking to spend $2500...really $1800 for the Scout is a bit steep for me, but I'm willing to do it. The end result I would like is a clear upgrade from my current TT. I mainly listen to Rock and old Jazz. I'm a big fan of the Sundazed label and their 180g pressings. I've had the Kenwood for 14 years and want to get a solid belt drive table that I will have for a long while. Not looking to buy and sell over and over.
The Scout is appealing to me because it's made in the US and seems like a great design. Everything looks to be very well thought out. The Rega also seems like a solid contender...the P5 is also $400 cheaper than the Scout!
There's a local dealer with the P5 in house, but no VPI dealer here in Cleveland.
That's my story...

The end result I would like is a clear upgrade from my current TT. I mainly listen to Rock and old Jazz.

The first thing to do is to see if your Rega dealer will let you take home a P5 to try at home. If not, an in-store comparison with your Kenwood will also give you a good idea if the P5 represents a clear upgrade for you. It would be very nice if you could hear the turntables with the same cartridge, though I don't know how many dealers take the trouble to do that these days.

Your preferred musical genres play right into the strengths of the P5. Though it's not made in the U.S., importation, distribution, sales, and service also count as work, so the purchase would still help your local and national economy.

That doesn't mean you might not want to also check out the Scout. Before buying my first Linn, I took a driving vacation down the west coast specifically to hear as many different turntables as I could. Not hearing anything better than the LP12, I ended up buying it back at my local store (well, fairly local at about 45 miles away), who gave me an excellent demonstration, taking the time to mount identical cartridges on both my Thorens TD146 and their LP12/Basik.

Screw it buy a SOTA and enjoy the Vacuum platter, solid build and beautiful sound:banana: