What direction is VPI headed?

I think VPI has made a definite turn to a model for volume......versus
the bespoke style company they were before.....

Gone are the Classics, the HR-X, even the Classic Direct.

In their place are Avengers in various iterations, which is fine, but it's not the same overall look as an HR-X, and costs more.......
The classics were hard to top, but they're gone
Now we have the Primes, in all the flavors.......but I find it to be a relatively uninspired design compared to the likes of the above and the Aries......

The new ADS controller looks like a Hafler component from the 70s.....
I can't believe this came from the same company that offered the SDS....

I have owned 4 VPI Turntables over the years, going from an HW19, to a Classic 1, to a Classic 3, then added the 3D arm and finally one of the last HR-X's

I found the tables to be good performers overall and not finicky.  There were issues (VPI denied my dealer's claim on chipped paint, blaming it on UPS, and the dealer had to pay out of pocket to fix it).....I got a couple of 3D arms with weak wiring that had to be sent back.......

Mat W. is one of the nicest people around......though....and I've always enjoyed dealing with him....

I now have an Oracle Delphi MK VI 2nd edition with an SME V arm and Transiguration Proteus.....I had the cartridge on the Hr-X prior.....
I am in love with this table in terms of sonics, but it is finicky as all get out and that is precisely what I miss with the VPI offerings....

I think VPI needs to get rid of the low end tables around a grand and concentrate upmarket......come up with something to replace the HR-X in spirit and introduce some automotive finishes/aluminum etc and maybe consider losing the amoeba style plinths of the primes......but that's all subjective.......  I would look to Feickert tables for inspiration....
but do it better

In short they need to come up with a couple of tables that noone has seen the likes of before......works of art.....and I think VPI could do it......

I have heard from a couple of dealers that the Prime Scout is an absolutely KILLER table for the $$  almost untouchable in the 2K category

I really like my Traveler Ver.1 as it combines a unique set of features that make it a star performer in it price class. 10.5 in arm, on the fly VTA, heavy enough chasis, ultra low W & F, and a real AC motor. I like simple. 

This was a used table and when I needed assistance ordering a part that I misplaced (fell into trash unnoticed) I was treated like a red headed step child. It took 10 weeks to obtain the part. This alone will keep me from buying a NEW table from them. Maybe another used one, but I doubt it. Whenever you called them it was mass confusion, you had to start from the beginning every time with your issue. Which really was their issue. 

I think Mat’s explanation of the company’s direction makes sense. There’s a funny New Yorker cartoon with a guy standing in front of his turntable commenting to a friend that what draws him to vinyl is “the inconvenience and the expense.” So when a small family-owned company tries to rationalize production and setup, they get bashed? I owned a HW19 Mark II with an SME IV arm. Probably should have kept it! But I sold it and now have a Classic 1. Couldn’t be happier. Sounds great, reliable, well made, easy to set up. Is there a better set up than using the VPI jig? Probably but it would require fiddly and expensive software (yes, I’m aware there are other static solutions). So celebrate VPI! Yes, the original post by its title sounded like “do you still beat your wife.”

@austinbob ,well do you? Still beat your wife.

It has been a very long time since I owned a VPI table (late '80s)...but all I have is good memories of the wonderful sound, also the customer support I got from VPI on the very infrequent instances I needed some kind of assistance.

There are reasons the VPI brand has survived and prospered so long, much like Grado, another company I admire (in fact, I used one of their top MM cartridges in my VPI): solid design, good sound, and ethical business practices.