Last Call for Rosewood
VPI's signature finish is no more
We are sad to see the last of the richly grained, now collectible Rosewood finish on the VPI Signature 21. Call us to reserve your work of art that plays music!
With its richly grained wood, this is music source as sculpture.
"Unfortunately, the day has finally come," says Mat Weisfeld, president of VPI Industries. The NJ-based company is down to just a handful of the immensely popular VPI Signature 21 in the Rosewood finish. "It looks like this species of wood will not be available in the near future. If there is interest, we will explore another wood finish, but for Rosewood, this is the last call."
We at Upscale are down to single digits too, and just like that, the "Rosewood Sig" has taken on collector status. It has long been a customer favorite, with its deep contrasty grain and exciting Signature shape lending this music source an air of sculpture with a grain pattern that's unique to you.
Says Kat Ourlian, our analog manager, "To me, the Rosewood Signature with the Fatboy gimbal arm is the best of VPI. It gives you the best parts of a VPI mixed with the best finish."
We love VPI for its mix of high-tech and traditional use of materials, with the Signature 21 featuring aluminum, stainless steel, and 3D printed technology. "I can see this table fitting in just about everywhere," says Kat. "It's a balance of modern while remaining retro; it’s substantial in looks and sound but offers a design that will fit in with your decor and furnishings. You get a lot of material for the money. This table will probably outlive you in both look and functionality!"
As beautiful as rosewood is, supply is scarce, and it has become much more challenging and expensive to import. Our friends at VPI say they will miss the high polish it can take, though it needs to be handled with great skill due to the black resinous layers. "A favorite of our customers for years, it has a nearly unmatched beauty when finished properly."
Worry not, though; VPI assures us it has "ongoing consultation with rare lumber suppliers and brokers and is always looking for interesting new finishes and materials."
"Keep your eyes open for new VPI finishes in the future," they say. We're sad to see the rosewood go but are excited about what's coming.
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VPI Signature 21 Turntable |
"To Die Upon a Kiss": Otello Rides with VPI
The Soundsmith Otello joins a stellar selection of cartridges that can be bundled with our very special VPI Super Prime Scout 21 turntable.
The three current offerings are the Soundsmith MIMC Star, the Ortofon 2M Bronze, and Ortofon 2M Black; all carefully picked to work beautifully on the end of that JMW-10 10.5" tonearm complete with VTA on the fly. Everything about this special edition VPI turntable is exciting.
The Soundsmith Otello ES is an excellent entry into the world of Soundsmith's moving iron technology, which combines the warmth of MM with the light-footedness and detail of MC. Built by hand, like all Soundsmith cartridges, the Soundsmith Otello balances tone, and resolution at a great price. Compared to Ortofon and Audio Technicas at this price point, the Otello offers a smooth, warm sound. It will be easy on the harsh recordings and allow acoustic instruments to shine.
Here are the details on the other cartridge options in the bundle:
The Soundsmith MIMC Star has a gorgeous midrange bump (around 2 kHz) that lets wooden instruments and vocals shine through. That's not to say there is no top-end detail because there is plenty, but the texture of the midrange offers a nice sultry tone.
The timeless Ortofon 2M Bronze offers a balanced and dynamic overall sound and even provides an upgrade path with an interchangeable stylus. The fine-line stylus tracks accurately and reproduces really high-frequency information, but is also sensitive to dirt, so ensure that you maintain your records properly.
The flagship MM, the Ortofon 2M Black, has a Shibata diamond for the best contact with the groove walls, increasing detail and accuracy across the board. This is a very resolving cartridge, which reproduces even the most subtle high-frequency groove information.
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VPI Super Prime Scout 21 Package |
Bold as Love: A Fender x MoFi Package
Devised, handcrafted, and manufactured in the U.S.A. Buy a Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck and a MoFi StudioPhono, and get some free goodies picked out by our analog team.
The Fender x MoFi turntable is no gimmick. You aren't paying more for a regular table just because it has another logo painted on it. With this limited edition, Fender has designed and manufactured the plinth, which is hand-painted in the exact process it uses for its iconic tri-color sunburst guitars before being sent to the Mobile Fidelity Electronics' Michigan factory.
This makes it an instant collector's item, especially since it's limited to only 1,000 individually numbered and metal-badged units.
The plinth was designed by one of Fender's most prominent luthiers, Yuriy Shishkov, a principal master builder at the Fender Custom Shop. Excited about the project, Yuriy worked late into the evenings crafting slabs of swamp ash wood—the very same blocks used for Fender Precision Bass guitars—until he perfected the gorgeous shape that makes up the foundation of PrecisionDeck.
Guitar bodies are meant to resonate, and turntable plinths aren't. Still, instead of leaving that to Fender, MoFi brought in another acoustic genius, Mike Latvis of the renowned audio isolation company Harmonic Resolution Systems. His solution of attachment points and resonance cuts on the bottom of the plinth ensured it offered broadband "deadness' as a turntable plinth is meant to do. It also comes with HRS isolation feet and several other exciting upgrades.
The result is a 25.5 lb piece of music iconography that salutes the guitar greats by both celebrating this legendary instrument and playing back their recordings to the highest fidelity.
The Upscale Package includes a FREE Mobile Fidelity LP#9 Stylus Cleaner and a FREE 50-pack of Mobile Fidelity Record Sleeves.
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Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck Turntable & MoFi StudioPhono Package |
We're Open on Saturdays
The Upscale Audio store at 2058 Wright Avenue in La Verne is open on Saturdays from 9 to 5. We will be running with a smaller crew, and there are a couple of important things to note:
1) As with all other days, you'll need to call ahead and set up an appointment for a specific demo. If you decide to drop by, you won't be turned away, but your auditions will be limited to our headphone station and—only if the rooms are free—whatever systems we already have set up.
2) The warehouse will be closed, so if you need to pick up something, please call ahead, and we'll ensure we bring it over by Friday. If you buy something while you're here, it might be cheaper to ship it! After all, shipping is free above $49, and you'll save a little on La Verne city tax. Unless you live in La Verne...
Please call 909.931.9686 to make a demo appointment.