Guest yamaha_man Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) Well i have received some replacement belts for my rim drive VPI HR-X. The standard belts were forever breaking and l could never get more than 4-6 months out of them. Mike at VPI addressed my concerns about my belts breaking regular with the idea of a silicone variant. l was keen to try as the standard belts are not cheap. l have finally got around to putting the belts on and I'm pleasantly surprised! They are much thicker and seem of superior quality. My platter seems to get up to speed much quicker also without the help of my hand. Anyone with VPI belt issues l have no hesitation in recommending the silicone belts as a solution. Maybe @krispy kable could look into the silicone belts. Edited April 24, 2014 by yamaha_man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 I haven't heard of these as yet J, I'll have to hit them up for the info as they sound great. Thanks for the heads-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Triode Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 Vinyl and Silicone belts....sounds like the inventory from an S&M store... erm...not that I would know anything about those places - ouch! [sideways glance both ways] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) I haven't heard of these as yet J, I'll have to hit them up for the info as they sound great. Thanks for the heads-up! Can you tell me what circumerence/diameter VPI belts are? I'm looking for some silicone belts which are approx the size of LP12 belts - say, within +/-10mm in diameter (as I have some 'play' where I position the motor, relative to the sub-platter, on my 'SkeletaLinn'). Thanks, Andy Edited April 25, 2014 by andyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzzagruzz Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I haven't heard of these as yet J, I'll have to hit them up for the info as they sound great. Thanks for the heads-up! Hey CP, I wouldn't mind trying one of those silicone belts on my Classic 1 - just as an experiment. Good to have a spare anyway. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRu? Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 How much thicker are these belts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yamaha_man Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 How much thicker are these belts? Not sure but they were a p in the a to get on compared to the standard rubber variety. Even the feel of them is different, l can see them lasting years as opposed to months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRu? Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hope it solves your problem... Keep us posted 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 I've enquired with VPI for more info, will post here when I hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JohnA Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 i have never had any issues with the belts on my HRX, must be a rim drive thing...and no need to help the platter get up to speed, gets there fairly quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Just clarifying a few things with VPI but be aware J is referring to the belts on his rim drive, not the platter drive belts (which are not available in silicone). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yamaha_man Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) Well I know someone on here who has a SSM which is belt drive, he was always breaking belts. I let him know about the silicone belts and as far as I know he's wrapped with them. Great upgrade if your TT allows for it. Edit : The belts that were prone to snapping in our circumstances were from the motor to the flywheel/rim drive. Edited April 27, 2014 by yamaha_man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JohnA Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) Well I know someone on here who has a SSM which is belt drive, he was always breaking belts. I let him know about the silicone belts and as far as I know he's wrapped with them. Great upgrade if your TT allows for it. Edit : The belts that were prone to snapping in our circumstances were from the motor to the flywheel/rim drive. so the 2 small belts. Strange, as i said, i have yet to have a belt go in all these years. looking at the pics rim drive normal belt drive setup if same size belts, wonder if the belts are stretched more on the rim drive setup at the end of the day, as long as these new belts seem to have fixed the problem for you, thats all that matters. Edited April 27, 2014 by JohnA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hergest Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Rubber belts can deteriorate with significant difference depending on the climate, not just the climate of the region but the climate of each house as regards heating and air conditioning so while as you might both be in similar parts of the country your houses might be polar opposites of one another where atmospheric conditions are concerned. Our house in Western Sydney has no air con so is humid during the summer months. My SME Model 20 eats up the motor retaining band which does nothing but holds the motor in its place by being stretched around 3 points. I get through 2 of these in the summer months as they perish. The one i put on at the end of the summer lasts through the winter and will suddenly drop off half way through November as the house gets warm. These are supposed to last almost indefinitely and i've spoken to a chap up in Queensland whose house has air con, he's had a Model 20 for 8 years and has yet to replace a band. I don't know if Cheekyboy down your way has any problem with his Model 20. Fortunately SME's customer service is so good that the factory sends me out a pack of half a dozen whenever i email them to say i'm on my last one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krispy Audio Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 VPI said they haven't produced new silicone belts in years, I think you have some older silicone stock they've sent you for the rim drive. So just to confirm, they're not a part/product I'm able to source being out of production, but if anyone else has an issue with belt wear I wonder if they would have any more stock available in that instance... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JohnA Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Rubber belts can deteriorate with significant difference depending on the climate, not just the climate of the region but the climate of each house as regards heating and air conditioning so while as you might both be in similar parts of the country your houses might be polar opposites of one another where atmospheric conditions are concerned. Our house in Western Sydney has no air con so is humid during the summer months. My SME Model 20 eats up the motor retaining band which does nothing but holds the motor in its place by being stretched around 3 points. I get through 2 of these in the summer months as they perish. The one i put on at the end of the summer lasts through the winter and will suddenly drop off half way through November as the house gets warm. These are supposed to last almost indefinitely and i've spoken to a chap up in Queensland whose house has air con, he's had a Model 20 for 8 years and has yet to replace a band. I don't know if Cheekyboy down your way has any problem with his Model 20. Fortunately SME's customer service is so good that the factory sends me out a pack of half a dozen whenever i email them to say i'm on my last one. well that theory can be answered quickly enough we can swap motor drives and see if the belts on mine snap at his place and if his stay stable at mine good way for me to test the rim drive also to see if it improves anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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