New update for VPI tables

So the lubricant is probably cheap but how many platter upgrades is he going to come out with? How many new feet? If you own a VPI you can pretty much count on spending money for new upgrades every year because they "really improve" the sound of his tables. I know you don't have to do the upgrades but who among us can resist the temptation to buy an upgrade that "Harry says makes an audible difference"?

The key is you don't have to buy every upgrade. Things are going to sound great even if you never buy another upgrade. Why is that so difficult for people to understand? And upgrade doesn't mean that the current product is bad, just that it may sound better with it.

I want Harry to come out with as many upgrades as he wants. I like to think I'm smart enough (well, at least most of the time) to decide if it's worth the dough or not.

Most of the time, I seem to be right.

I like VPI simply because it is user freindly. I purchased the latest hr-x platter and made it work with an old tnt plinth. It took a lot of machining on my part but IT WAS WORTH IT. I plan on modifiying it some more to bring out every nuance from the record. And by the way VPI is one of the best companies out there. It would not surprise me if they sold more tt than any other truely high-end tt company.

i too get annoyed with all of the vpi upgrades. even some people that sell them have expressed "ambivalence" about the merits of some of these "improvements". i have an original aries and i LIKE the platter; the arm (a mere "10") is elegant and functional. i purchased a plc box which worked great, but then yielded to the desire to get the newer sds, which only caused start-up problems with the original motor. the original motor, a massive block of stainless steel, has also been replaced with a "better" motor- which btw i did NOT get. in the end, nothing VPI has come out with makes a thin, tinny recording sound full and rich. now i would very much like a new TNT-6 which looks elegant and extremely refined. if i ever get an oversized platform to place it on, i just might upgrade. but i consider the original aries the inspiration for ALL of the scoutmasters, which i would guess have driven VPI's popularity for the last several years. so i feel i have one of the seminal products they've created.
the bearing and the platter can be improved upon, no doubt.
along with the motor, a flywheel, all mounted on top of 150lbs of granite, etc. it just sounds like alot of work to me, when what i have was shipped to me complete and ready to play. and just maybe, vinyl freaks are particularly handy people to begin with. i thought i was a clever fellow when i set up a thorens or two back in the 80's, but that's kid stuff nowadays.