ajxd Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/vpi-makes-the-worlds-first-3d-printed-tonearm-for-turntables/ jase 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jase Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isavedlatin54 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 I knew they would figure out a way to incorporate this technology in to the Vinyl world..... pretty neat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swemoll Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 What an absolutely funky A/B comparison that was. You could basically come to....zero complete conclusions given the scenario. But cool that they're using the technology for such. It seems a gimmick to me to call the tone arm material (one that they of course had to use because of printing material restraints) "extremely lightweight and rigid". Of course they're gonna call it that. But it's still plastic.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swemoll Posted April 11, 2013 Share Posted April 11, 2013 Besides, I can't say I could get excited about anyone's new direct drive turntable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 11, 2013 Author Share Posted April 11, 2013 Besides, I can't say I could get excited about anyone's new direct drive turntable. This. My best friend called me today going "IS VPI'S BIG SECRET A STUPID DIRECT DRIVE?!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I guess I don't see why anyone cares. I mean I had to pay VPI $100 for a cover for my Scout that's just molded piece of acrylic. They don't exactly "do it for the kids". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 If you look at it that way, why pay for anything? Especially acrylic. I've made several acrylic covers. Cheaply too. Like $40 max? I also fixed my own fence on my house. People who can't do stuff on their own, pay for the knowledge and perfection these companies try to achieve. No one does anything "For the kids". They are all trying to make a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Some prices are crazy high. An original dustcover for my table runs $500. Still, I did't make one myself, but I had it made for a quarter of that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 In the science world, they have tattooing equipment for animals. When the one in the university I work at broke, they came to me since I'm heavily tattooed. Took it to my friends who tattoo, they told me it was junk, and worth about $100. I told the animal facility people, they informed it was a $1400 piece... Similarly. A person was using a tissue disruptor piece. I saw it and commented it was a Dremel. They said "No no, this is very high end. It was $900." I peeled back the scientific brand sticker to show them a Dremel sticker. Then showed them the price of a Dremel. They were not pleased. It's everywhere people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 If you look at it that way, why pay for anything? Especially acrylic. I've made several acrylic covers. Cheaply too. Like $40 max? I also fixed my own fence on my house. People who can't do stuff on their own, pay for the knowledge and perfection these companies try to achieve. No one does anything "For the kids". They are all trying to make a living. My point was, they printed out a tonearm on a 3D printer. If not for a cost savings, why would we care? I'm not sure what yours was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Some prices are crazy high. An original dustcover for my table runs $500. Still, I did't make one myself, but I had it made for a quarter of that price. What kind of table is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinch Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 What kind of table is that? Clearaudio Solution. The "baby" model in their range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 They don't exactly "do it for the kids". My point was to this comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Clearaudio Solution. The "baby" model in their range Nice. What kind of cart are you using with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 My point was to this comment Your comment implies I have a problem with what VPI charges. I wouldn't have bought a VPI turntable if that were the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Then why did you pull up the "do it for the kids"? Throwing us mixed signals here. Which VPI table to do you have? Also, if you haven't already, post the rest of your setup! Pics preferred! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Then why did you pull up the "do it for the kids"? Throwing us mixed signals here. Which VPI table to do you have? Also, if you haven't already, post the rest of your setup! Pics preferred! If you thought I was including myself in among "the kids", I'm nearly 38 years old. I bought my VPI turntable around 10 years ago, but I really wasn't a kid then, either. I was using the expression to state that a VPI 3D printed tonearm would still be "expensive" ("expensive" being relative) because it's not really in VPI's (or any higher end turntable manufactures) interest to sell a tonearm "on the cheap" (ie - "doing it for the kids"). Regarding my gear... http://boards.vinylcollective.com/topic/1908-show-your-hardware/?hl=%2Bshow+%2Byour+%2Bhardware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 My point was, they printed out a tonearm on a 3D printer. If not for a cost savings, why would we care? I'm not sure what yours was. Seriously? We care because it's an incredible new technology and the first time anyone has done it. We care because by all accounts, it's an amazing-sounding tonearm. We care because there's the potential VPI to eventually mass-produce an ultra-rigid, lightweight, self-damped precision tonearm. Sure, the current technology doesn't allow the company to make a profit (the 3-D printer itself costs hundreds of thousands of dollars) but hey - CD and DVD players cost a shit-ton when they were first introduced to the public too. A 5GB iPod cost $400 when it first came out in 2001. Today you can get a 160GB for $250 ... and the technology has been vastly improved over the last decade, to boot. Think outside the box, man. Five years down the road VPI (and others) could be producing amazing tonearms for the average consumer at a relatively low cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Seriously? We care because it's an incredible new technology and the first time anyone has done it. We care because by all accounts, it's an amazing-sounding tonearm. We care because there's the potential VPI to eventually mass-produce an ultra-rigid, lightweight, self-damped precision tonearm. Sure, the current technology doesn't allow the company to make a profit (the 3-D printer itself costs hundreds of thousands of dollars) but hey - CD and DVD players cost a shit-ton when they were first introduced to the public too. A 5GB iPod cost $400 when it first came out in 2001. Today you can get a 160GB for $250 ... and the technology has been vastly improved over the last decade, to boot. Think outside the box, man. Five years down the road VPI (and others) could be producing amazing tonearms for the average consumer at a relatively low cost. 3D printing isn't that new. It's also not that expensive. You get a 3D printer for under $20k. What do you think VPI would charge for a 3D printed tonearm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 No one said 3D printing is new, 3D printing of a tonearm is new. VPI was the first. This is why we're excited. And as stated in the article and in this thread, 3D printing of the tonearm is too expensive as this was their first go. In the future, it will be cheaper (IE everything Chuck said). I still hope in the near future, 3D printing will be able to print food. Like in the movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Someone 3D printed a robot, you thought that a tonearm was out of the question? The end game of 3D printing isn't so that a company like VPI can use it in mass production. It will probably always be cheaper to make a plastic tonearm via the traditional methods (injection molding, etc). The end game is that 3D printers are in every home and you can print your OWN tonearm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bearchuck Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 3D printing isn't that new. It's also not that expensive. You get a 3D printer for under $20k. What do you think VPI would charge for a 3D printed tonearm? Really? Do you own one? Do you know anyone who owns one? Have you ever seen a 3-D printer or used it personally? I think it's safe to say that 99% of the people on VC would answer "no" to those questions, which in my eyes qualifies 3-D printing as relatively new technology. As for the cost of the printer, I'm simply repeating what has been reported in several articles about the VPI tonearm. If you'd like to reveal your sources in regards to how much VPI has dumped into R & D, materials, equipment, production, maintenance etc etc, I'm all ears. No clue what VPI would charge for such a tonearm, but there are currently several sub $2000 options for consumers wanting to purchase an amazing turntable from the company. Maybe you don't consider that "for the kids" but for anyone considering taking a serious step forward in the audiophile world, it's relatively affordable. VPI's reputation is not one of milking its customers for ever last penny. From Stereophile ... "VPI's Harry Weisfeld suggests that the arm may be expensive at first, although he hopes that prices may moderate as the production process itself becomes less expensive." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxmartinxx Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 Really? Do you own one? Do you know anyone who owns one? Have you ever seen a 3-D printer or used it personally? I think it's safe to say that 99% of the people on VC would answer "no" to those questions, which in my eyes qualifies 3-D printing as relatively new technology. As for the cost of the printer, I'm simply repeating what has been reported in several articles about the VPI tonearm. If you'd like to reveal your sources in regards to how much VPI has dumped into R & D, materials, equipment, production, maintenance etc etc, I'm all ears. No clue what VPI would charge for such a tonearm, but there are currently several sub $2000 options for consumers wanting to purchase an amazing turntable from the company. Maybe you don't consider that "for the kids" but for anyone considering taking a serious step forward in the audiophile world, it's relatively affordable. VPI's reputation is not one of milking its customers for ever last penny. From Stereophile ... "VPI's Harry Weisfeld suggests that the arm may be expensive at first, although he hopes that prices may moderate as the production process itself becomes less expensive." Do I own one? No. Do I know someone who owns one? Yes. Have I see it work? No, but I've seen the end result. That has nothing to do with how new the technology is. You can ask the same question of "tube receivers" and get a similar result. I have no idea how much VPI spent on this, but do a Google search on ZCorp 3D printers and what they run. VPI's current least expensive tone arm is $1,000. Most people's turntable budget is 10% of that. They'd still have to buy the table and a cartridge. If VPI wants to make a cheaper plastic tonearm, why not make one by conventional means? It makes no sense. 3D printers only make sense for on the fly one offs or prototyping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajxd Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Someone 3D printed a robot, you thought that a tonearm was out of the question? The end game of 3D printing isn't so that a company like VPI can use it in mass production. It will probably always be cheaper to make a plastic tonearm via the traditional methods (injection molding, etc). The end game is that 3D printers are in every home and you can print your OWN tonearm. I didn't think anything was out of the question. NO ONE SAID THIS. Your reading comprehension is horrible. For 38 you seem to have a lot of hostility on message boards. I hope in 10 years I'm not like you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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