VPI improves upon its already excellent Prime turntable
The Prime 21+ builds on the solid foundation laid by 2015’s Prime turntable with well-considered changes aimed at improving performance, ease of use and cosmetics.
VPI’s changes have resulted in a smarter but more conventional deck. The tonearm is a 27cm, 3D-printed gimbal-bearing design that feels less fussy in use than its uni-pivot predecessor. It is easy to set up and the bearings feel smooth, though we could detect a small amount of play in its fore/aft movement. The 43mm-thick curvy plinth is made up of a 3mm aluminium top plate on an MDF base – the metal is intended to add rigidity and damping to the structure.
The detached AC motor unit has also been tweaked. It still has the same substantial high-mass aluminium casework to control resonances, but the internal control circuit has been updated to help speed stability. The speed change from 33⅓ to 45rpm is done manually, by moving the belt from one step on the motor pulley to the next. Another obvious generational change is to the Prime’s feet, which are now the same isolating designs as used on the £20,000 VPI HW40 deck. These should make this deck less susceptible to external vibrations.
This deck isn’t a particularly large unit by high-end standards. Measuring 52cm wide and 40cm deep, it should fit on the top shelf of most supports. Despite VPI’s attempts to design in isolation, it still pays to use a rigid, low-resonance platform for the best results.
The Prime 21+ is designed to be easy to set up, and not only does the company provide a manual on a USB stick, it also includes a handy video. We are pleased to find that VPI supplies an electronic stylus scale in the box to help set the tracking force accurately, as well as a nifty alignment gauge for getting the cartridge in exactly the right position. The Shyla moving-coil works without issue into our usual Cyrus Phono Signature/ PSX-R2 phono stage. Adjusting input loading to the recommended 100 ohms and setting the cartridge’s tracking weight to 1.9g, it all works well.
THRILLING POWER
This is an immensely confident record player. While sounding big and bold, its presentation is pleasingly underpinned with heaps of subtlety when the music demands. We start with Orff’s Carmina Burana and are impressed with the VPI’s sonic scale and authority. It’s rare to find a deck at this level that sounds so composed and controll
