I can't comment on the VPI but I recently bought an Amazon Referenz from Sorasound and can give you my comments on the unit (I can highly recommend Sorasound as a reputable merchant).
I really like the Referenz setup. I refer to it as a Referenz setup as opposed to the Referenz specifically because i am not able to decouple the contribution of the turntable, tonearm and cartridge as to which component is contributing what. The Referenz setup consists of an Amazon Refernz turntable, Triplanar tonearm and Lyra Delos cartridge. Overall, the Referenz setup provides a really good combination of soundstage breadth and depth, detail and bass reproduction. Many people say that CD players provide better bass reproduction than turntable systems. Bass reproduction from the Referenz system is comparable to that of a CD player in my opinion; and I've got a pretty good CD player (a Wadia 381, which I also bought from Sorasound). For me, the Referenz setup is a definite keeper.
One observation that i had on the Referenz turntable specifically is that the isolation scheme works very well. There are weak areas in my floor that when i would step on them, my previous turntable (a Technics SLBD20D) would skip unless i walked vary carefully. By contrast, these areas pose no problem to the Referenz. Furthermore, i noticed that the isolation scheme works very well in the presence of ambient sound energy from the speakers. I could feel vibrations on the surface of the cabinet on which the Referenz sits, i could also feel vibrations that were induced in the lower surface of the Referenz base, but the vibrations did not propagate to the upper surface on which the tonearm and platter were located. The tonearm cable is in contact with the upper surface, and the cable is a source of induced vibration, but my suspicion is that the braiding on the tone arm cable pretty much absorbs any ambient energy so i have no evidence that would cause me to think that the tone arm cable is a source of concern with respect to inducing vibrations on the upper surface of the Referenz.
