VPI TNT+ Flywheel Turntable on Ultra Platform

The TNT's motor and flywheel benefit greatly from being placed on Large Couplers. Compared to using their rubber feet, there are considerable improvements in performance. Here's a description of the installation shown above that describes the change between the standard configuration of motor and flywheel with their rubber feet, and coupling the motor and flywheel into the Ultra with Large Couplers:

"... we installed a 35x22 Ultra in a system with a VPI TNT+ flywheel. There were a number of interesting revelations during this installation, but none more than this: at the suggestion of the owner, we tried bypassing the rubber feet on both the motor and the flywheel.

"First, we tried removing the feet in order to put the units flat down on the Ultra, but if you remove the 4 screws, these units come apart. You can remove the rubber feet and replace the screws, but then the screw heads are protruding, and being philips head screws, these will scratch the Ultra top, something the owner wanted to avoid. So we did the next best thing: we used two Large Couplers on each unit - the motor and the flywheel - to couple the motor and flywheel to the Ultra. (One coupler between two feet, on opposite sides of the cylinders)

This yielded almost as big an improvement as putting the Ultra into the system! There was a marked increase in transparency and immediacy, with less "murk" and haze. Transients were cleaner, and bass impact and fullness improved markedly. Also, there was superior top to bottom coherency. It was as if a better cartridge had been installed on the tonearm. Everyone present enthusiastically agreed on the positive results.