What direction is VPI headed?

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.

Dear friends @turntablemats: I think almost everything on the subject is covered. My friend Guillermo was VPI dealer here in México and he borrow me at least two different TTs. and herad other models in his show rooms.

In those times and today I still think as @whart  that any VPI audiophile needs the alternative to choose other tonearms. VPI owners are " married " with the VPI tonearm for ever.

This is a mistake and the post by @austinbob confirm about when he experice to the Oracle/SME with a truly good Proteus that positevely shout for a different tonearm.

I think that VPI has to think seriously of what is the real role of the TT, tonearm and cartridge in the analog experience and its intrinsical relationship in between.

Maybe VPI thinks that the TT is the star on that equation but it's not in any regards as it's not the tonearm but the CARTRIDGE where its quality level performance depends mainly on that tonearm and with out choices the cartridge owners never be know for sure how good is the cartridge ( S ) they own.

The TT and tonearm designs must be designed around the kind of job they are going to play that's to fulfill the CARTRIDGE needs and not the other way around.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

@turntablemat
 well said sir, thank you.  but the correct answer is...

round and round.......

Well I took one of my Scout turntables today and removed that Uni-Pivot tone arm and replaced it with a good REGA 700 tonearm.....Its almost like the good old days HW-19 JR and a REGA 300 tonearm......VPI its time for a tonearm re issue......autospec

@jollytinker ,"I don't expect too much hand holding".

What? What did I just read? A VPI owner that is willing to spend thousands of $, (let me repeat) thousands of $ on a TT and somehow when they learn their StP distance is off, or when they just found out their newly bought TT has just been discontinued, they are still willing to give this American  company a break! Give me a Break!

@jollytinker , Would you give any other TT manufacturer a break if you just bought their TT and learned that your $250.00 cartridge alignment tool showed a 2 mm discrepancy? Or at the least, the manufacturer and the press never once released this MAJOR issue? Look at what Bill Stevenson just described as a VPI customer. He had the same issue. He was offered a remedy. I wasn't. Were you? I've been a VPI customer for over 30 years. I'm now ashamed to admit this. Sadly I now feel, I should have known better.

I don't want "super simplicity" I do want a product that after I get it home, I don't have MAJOR questions about. Or, Any questions about, do you?