VPI Avenger Direct is a direct-drive turntable on the Avenger chassis, with the Fatboy Gimbal 12-3D tonearm
Avenger Direct brings VPI's direct drive into the Avenger series. The chassis is the family's three-point design, conceived as an open platform: the user can fit as many as three tonearms, whatever their length and maker. The motor derives from that of the HW-40 Anniversary and runs at 33 and 45 rpm, started from a button.
Unlike the other Avenger models, there is neither a belt nor an external motor unit here: the aluminium platter, 5 cm thick, acts as the rotor and the stator is built into the internal circuit board. The motor is servo-controlled by an active feedback circuit, which measures platter speed and corrects it directly. The drive unit sits inside a vented, machined housing. The chassis is made of aluminium and machined acrylic, in three layers with internal damping, and rests on three isolation feet. Internal wiring is Nordost Reference and the finish is black lacquer.
Key features
- Direct-drive motor, speeds of 33 and 45 rpm
- Stated torque of the motor: 2.68 Nm/sec
- Starts and stops in 1 second
- Speed monitoring at 2,500 pulses for each revolution
- 12-inch aluminium platter (about 30.5 cm), weighing about 11.3 kg
- Footprint about 552 x 425 mm; overall dimensions about 559 x 432 x 254 mm
- Total weight about 31.8 kg
Supplied tonearm
The Fatboy Gimbal 12-3D is a 12-inch tonearm with a full gimbal bearing and Nordost Reference internal cable. Its geometry is 300 mm of pivot-to-spindle distance, 313 mm of effective length, 13 mm of overhang and an offset angle of 17.37 degrees; effective mass is 12.5 g and the stated average RMS distortion is 0.267%. It is produced with 3D technology from epoxy resin, Delrin, copper, aluminium and steel, among other materials. It offers an adjustable dropped counterweight, side weights for azimuth, VTA adjustment and the Limo connection.
Available accessories
For Avenger Direct VPI lists further tonearms, extra arm boards for tonearms from other makers and pneumatic suspension feet.
