Cosmetically, the table is a beauty with the wood outside and the really nice acrylic dust cover. The upgradeability really helps. It is fantastic that you can aspire to use the PLC/SAMA on this table. In this way the purchase price of this unit has been spread across many years and now I have something to be proud of.

The stock HW19 Jr was unsatisfying, largely due to the low-mass platter... With a MK3 platter, the table is 'audiophile-acceptable', but throwing out the stock motor with a free-standing SAMA will make nearly an equal improvement. But now, with the mk3/4 upgrade path much more difficult (it's officially discontinued, but you can call VPI to see what they have left, or look for used components), added to the availability of the VPI Scout, it would be a tough choice whether or not to go for a bargain used HW 19 Jr., or to pay more for a Scout, but contact VPI before you buy to inquire about the availbility of mk3/mk4 upgrades. I'd seriously consider the Scout. Of course you can always get the SAMA, SDS, or a used PLC. Once in a while the belt gets too loose; instead of buying a new one, I drop it in boiling water for 10 seconds to shrink it back. Also you might have to play with the SAMA's height depending on how high your table is set (either with stock feet or 3rd party cones); my SAMA is sitting on a three sorbothane pucks to come to the right height, and it's fitted with an external power switch (bypassing the stock power button).

I originally got the HW19 Jr used, with mk3 springs (but not plinth nor platter), with a Grace arm and nuded Grado cart. Honestly, was disappointed, and in retrospect the sound overall was not always more enjoyable than digital (cambridge audio tran/dac). Wow/flutter & motor noise was a big issue, although I didn't really pin it down to that at the time; I just wasn't satisfied. Later bought a used mk3 platter ($50), and the heavier mass really helped stabilize the w&f, the difference was night & day. Before it was almost unacceptable (for analog), but now it finally sounded legitimately 'audiophile', noticeably more enjoyable than digital. Later changed the arm to a Rega RB250 (mod: counterweight, cardas wiring) and it started to sing, since the Grace was the wrong compliance type of arm for the cart. A few years later I bought a new SAMA ($500) motor assembly-- I had my doubts especially b/c the price was almost as much as what I paid for the used table, but they were wholly erased after hearing the incredible differences. I would almost say to MK3 owners to upgrade to a SAMA first before going to a mk4, it was really unbelievable-- taking out the motor noise brought in scads of presence, not slightly artificial like digital, but just really there. VPI has discontinued the series, and I managed to get a MK3 plinth from their last production run (nicer sound, but not even an order of magnitude of a difference to that made by the mk3 platter, and later the SAMA). MK4 is not practical for me at this point, but I'll be considering the older or newer PLCs... at this point the analog is fantastic for my budget, and anything significantly better is simply a fantasy purchase due to cost. The upgradeability of this product really paid off. Also: using the clamp from a TNT, van den hul The First carbon interconnects, and the table is sitting on a home-made innertube air cushion. Experimenting with support (feet, platforms) is essential. All in all, for the price of a used unit, it's probably a good deal, but you may be unsatisfied with a stock jr., so if that's your purchase, it would be worth auditioning other entry level (e.g. Music Hall) tables, unless you're getting a MK3 platter or better.

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It almost goes without saying that a direct-drive turntables (Technics, older Duals) are not appropriate for home audio. For pro DJ use, go direct drive; for home audiophiles, go for a belt drive.

Outstanding for the price. The sound is very open and lets you step into the performance.

Those cheap rubber feet let the motor shake the table around a bit, causing rumble and loss of low level detail.

Excellent for the money. When you throw away the cheap rubber feet and install some tone cones and set the unit on a very stable platform, it really opens up and lets you hear the recording acoustics. Th enoise floor drops drastically and lets through a lot more low level detail.

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Sota

Everything,I dont like to type long drawn out descpitions and use fancy smancy words to describe a peice of gear,its awesome take it for a spin!

None so far!

You cant find a better TT for the money, Period!! Its totally upgradable to levels that rival even the most expensive tables in the world! I got the MKIII platter and Rega RB300 tonearm and Clearaudio Virtiouso Wood cartridge, and it is just AWESOME sounding! Get one dont wait for any other table you can upgrade these tables to the hilt. The table by itself is awesome right off the bat, so if you upgrade they say it will get 10% better than its stock form. This is really a wonderful surprise for what you have to spend, to get super Hi-end sound! Get one and see for yourself!!

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I have a $25,000 system to much to list!

VPI, AudioQuest, and Shure, all had very straight forward easy installation instructions.

The round belt drive would be better off concealed so fingers can't make it slip off.

The system I bought is a VPI HW-19 Jr. with a AudioQuest PT9 tone arm and a Shure Vmx15 cartridge. My old system was a Thorens 165 with a Stanton 681 EEE cartridge. I am still using the same receiver, speaker, and equalizer. It was a big gamble for me. I am a baby boomer with over 400 records in my collection. I'm a rock n' roller. I could care less about concertos. This review is for all of you baby boomer rock n' rollers out there that are wondering if it's worth it to spend SO MUCH MONEY on nothing more than a turntable. Let me tell you I was nervous. Setting up the tone arm and cartridge took me three hours. Not because it was hard to do, but because I was splitting millimeters in my vertical and arc alignments. Reading glasses isn't enough to do this job, you have to be able to focus within an inch or two of the needle in order to set the vertical alignment. I took out my contacts because I'm near sighted and that helped me focus up close. The directions that the tone arm and cartridge manufacuturers gave were straight forward. VPI predrilled the holes for the tonearm and everything went together easy. VPI had their own instruction manual and it was OK. So here is the moment of truth. I have a record collection nearly 20 to 30 years old. Will my favorite records sound better? The acid test for me was starting out with the following albums: "In Search of the Lost Chord" by the Moody Blues, followed by Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon", Jethro Tull's "Aqualung", Jefferson Starship's "Freedom At Point Zero", Styx's "Equinox", Loverboy's "Keep it Up" and finally mellowing out with Renaissance's "Scheherazade". Now those albums encompass a capella vocals with harmony, solo guitar rifts, piano jams, harpsicord, symphony accompaniment, hard base and drum beats, violin, flute. It's all there. So ... drum roll please ... can you say the word "PRESENSE"?. Can you also say the word "ENUNCIATION"? I couldn't believe my ears. It was like they were right there in front of me. I could hear words I never heard before, and I'm 30 years older and losing my hearing. I could hear the flutter in the voice, the breaths between the flute notes. I heard instruments that I had never heard before. Am I happy. Oh yeah, quite happy. Was it worth the enormous expense? Oh yeah, now I can listen to my music instead of the crap thats on the radio now. One reviewer mentioned that th

A great entry level high-end turntable that is upgradeable to Mk IV status by the user.

Throw away those shaky rubber feet and figure a set of metal cones into the purchase price. You will get some hum with an unshielded Grado cartridge.

I bought a complete setup: turntable, dust cover, Audioquest PT6 tonearm, and a used Grado MR8 cartridge. The sound was a revelation, as I had never owned a turntable nearly as good as this one. However, there are two problems with my setup as it came. The motor had to be replaced as the pulley was machined a bit oversized and it slipped on the motor shaft. VPI sent out a complete new motor/pulley assembly immediately. Their customer service is top notch if you ever have a problem. The stock rubber feet lets the powerful motor shake the table and lets noticeable 60 Hz rumble into the sound. A set of Tip Toes aluminum cones solved that problem very well. Low level information became much more apparent and the 60 Hz rumble was greatly reduced. This is the most cost effective upgrade you can make to the table. Upgrading to PT8 wiring is much more expensive, so I haven''t done it yet. The PT6 tonearm sounds fine with lower priced cartridges, however. My Grado cartridge is unshielded and there is 60 Hz hum that is noticeable as the cartridge approaches the spindle when playing the inner grooves. I offer no solution for that other than another brand of cartridge that is shielded. The tradeoff is that it might not sound as open and dynamic as the Grado. The hum is not too noticeable, and the Grado is so good otherwise, that I have not bothered with replacing it. Four stars is as high as I will rate any turntable, as I think this category of equipment is overpriced in general due to the very limited production of equipment compared to amplifiers, speakers, and digital gear. I give it my highest 4 star rating for performance and value.

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Garrard and Technics cheap stuff that is not worth mentioning.

Great value, cost efficient upgrades and wonderful package deals. No glaring sonic shortcommings. Value is off the scale and performance is reasonable for the price.

None for the price.

Disclaimer: This is my first "real" turntable. It replaced a cheap Technics. I don''t have much analog experience, so please keep that in mind as you read my review and ratings. I will also mention my musical preferences lean towards rock. When I say it has no major sonic shortcommings, that means it yes indeed it has enough bass for almost everyone. That said, I think it is a mistake to blame the table for weaknesses in the arm/cartridge/electronics areas. I think the table itself is a great value. I haven''t heard the Music Halls or new Regas, but I''m very pleased with the Jr. right out of the box. It is equal to or better than my Marantz CD-67se cd player in every regard, with my tonearm and cartridge. I have heard the table in a couple of systems, with various combinations of arms and cartridges, and it has always sounded very good. I''m sure there are other tables at the price point that are also very good, but I wouldn''t wouldn''t go too far out of my way to hear them. I didn''t. I think some of the other reviews also neglect the value aspects of the table. It is completely modular, and VPI offers upgrade kits for the difference in retail price. That means you can start with the JR. and as your budget and interest allows, upgrade to the top of the line in the HW-19 series with no penelty. Or upgrade only what you feel is necessary. VPI also offers some killer package deals on table and tonearm combinations. I got a VPI modified Rega RB-250 tonearm for $485 with the purchase of my table. The arm''s plastic end stub was replaced with a nicely machined metal stub (similar to the Origin Live mod), and the counterweight was replaced with one similar in design to the Heavyweight. The tonearm cable was replaced with the Incognito wiring kit, and I also got VPI''s machined aluminum arm base with adjustable vta. For the sake of curiousity, I priced out what it would cost me to assemble such an arm myself. It came to around $900, not including tax, shipping or labor. I still can''t figure out how VPI can offer the arm so cheaply. As far as the sound goes, I can''t really comment. It will depend on everything else used with it. I can say in my system, it is very easy on the ears without being dull.

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Nothing worth mentioning.

I wrote an earlier review of this turntable that you can see below. After a time, however, my enthusiasm for it waned...to the point that when I moved, I went for months without even hooking it up. Finally I decided to give it a thorough going-over and set it up carefully. When I had the platter off, I noticed that as I turned the spindle, I could very faintly hear a scraping noise in the bearing housing. No matter what I did, the roughness remained. I contacted VPI, who were very nice and promtly sent me a replacement bearing at no charge. So now the turntable is back to sounding quite good again, and I''m listening to records maybe 30-40% of the time. I think I should amend my rating, however. On the one hand, VPI''s service was very good. On the other hand, I bought this turntable new...and how am I supposed to know that there is an invisible problem deep in its innards somewhere? All I knew is that it sounded somewhat disappointing for most of the time I''d owned it. I could have owned it forever without knowing there was that hidden problem degrading the sound. It leaves me feeling ambivalent: happy VPI fixed the problem, unhappy that the problem existed in the first place. I still enjoy this turntable. Mine is an HW-19 Jr. with the special-order walnut base (very handsome), an upgraded Mk. III platter, a PT-8 arm, and Goldring 1042. I set it up as carefully as I can, though I am no expert. Also, I have a PS Audio P300, which acts as a speed stabilizer like the VPI Line Conditioner. When I "refurbished" it (it was at that time 2+ years old), I also had to add spacers to the motor cover, as that was scraping as well. Although it sounds very good, I can''t say it sounds fantastic. Sometimes records sound better, sometimes CDs do. And since I bought it, I have heard several turntables I like better. The VPI is very smooth and lovely, but sometimes I wish it had a bit more livliness. I wish I had heard of Origin Live before I bought this. This time I have to give it 4 stars. Still a good purchase, but perhaps not deserving of the gushing praise I wrote about it when it was new.

This is an update to my earlier review. I got the PT-8 upgrade for my turntable and I am blown away by what I am hearing! The soundstage has openned up even more than before. I am also hearing instrutments as well as vocals alot clearer. If a have a PT-6 you have got to upgrade to the PT-8. It is well worth the money! Retail cost is 275.00 Got mine from elusive disc for 220.00. I also have a question. Where the heck is the vta ajustment on the damn tonearm? Thanks in advance!

Really quiet.Great build quality.

None

I got my VPI-HW-19JR. from audio advisor 1 week ago and cannot believe how much music I was missing! I am using it with the pt6 arm as well as the shure v15vxmr cartridge and still can't believe what I am hearing! The soundstage has really opened up. the sound is so much clearer.If you have alot of the good old things called LP's then you have got to get one of these turntables! Iplan on doing the pt8 upgrade as soon as I can get the money saved up. 5 stars all around. ANALOG LIVES!!!

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Dual CS5000

An excellent value for someone that wants to continue to listen to their vinyl LP collection but is reluctant to spend big bucks on a 'table. My set-up includes a Moth Mk. III tone arm and a Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge. I connect to my pre-amp through a Rotel RQ970 phono pre-amp. All important mid-range is well defined and solid; highs and lows can be a little bright or fat, respectively, on poorer recordings but, for the money, this is a nice way to be able to enjoy your vinyl collection. A "qualified" 4 star rating (based on value).