VPI Prime 21: belt-drive turntable with the 10-inch JMW-10-3D gimbal tonearm
The Prime 21 is a belt-drive turntable for 33 and 45 rpm records, delivered with a 10-inch, 3D-printed tonearm that pivots on gimbal bearings. It keeps the basic elements of the Prime and refines them in the details, drawing on feedback gathered from customers and reviewers. What sets it apart from the Prime X, which uses a 12-inch unipivot arm, is precisely the shorter gimbal arm.
The vinyl-covered MDF chassis is 2.5 cm thick and has a steel core. The aluminium platter, 5 cm tall, weighs about 9.1 kg. The 300 rpm motor is a separate unit, enclosed in a steel and aluminium housing. The arm tower allows VTA and SRA to be adjusted. A screw-down clamp in Delrin and steel and four HW-40 feet acting as the suspension complete the turntable.
Key features
- Belt drive, 33 and 45 rpm speeds
- 300 rpm motor in a separate unit, with a pulley machined to a tolerance of about 0.013 mm
- Aluminium platter: diameter about 305 mm, thickness 5 cm, weight about 9.1 kg
- Wow and flutter 0.05%, speed accuracy 0.05%, rumble at -80 dB
- Overall size 54 x 40 x 25 cm (width, depth, height), footprint of about 495 x 349 mm
- Total weight about 20 kg
Supplied tonearm
The JMW-10-3D tonearm has a full gimbal bearing and internal wiring in VPI woven copper. It is built with 3D printing technology using, among other materials, epoxy resin and Delrin, together with copper, aluminium and steel. The geometry gives 258 mm from pivot to spindle, an effective length of 273.4 mm, an overhang of 15.4 mm and an offset angle of 19.98 degrees; the effective mass comes to 10.2 g and the mean RMS distortion to 0.31%. Counterweight, side weights for azimuth and VTA are adjustable; the output uses a Limo connection.
Finishes
The Prime 21 is offered in Black and in Walnut. VPI lists a few accessories for this turntable: the Periphery Ring Clamp, the Analog Drive System (ADS) unit for speed, the Reference feet and the Fatboy tonearms in gimbal or unipivot form.
