VPI's new "Vanquish" Ultra High-End turntable is a STUNNER!

What an odd thing to say. Do super expensive cars give car collectors a bad name? Do super expensive breeds give show pet owners a bad name? My superscout master sounds spectacular with a great cartridge. I happen to find the bling attractive, the candy apple red, black and silver giving it an art deco look. I bet it sounds great and as a conversation piece for incredibly wealthy individuals why not?

Many people would find 5k for a turntable absurd and why aren’t you giving several thousand of that to a food bank?

I gave specific examples of why I rated my own VPI tables as very good but not great.  The latest one discussed here may have solved the vibration problem or not.  The VPI arm may or may not be lacking in high end qualities, especially in the bass performance.  Overall, I've had no trouble with the two tables and VPI 16 RCM once they were set up to maximize their capabilities.  

roxy, from a practical standpoint turntables are all about listening to records. There are much less expensive turntables that are going to do the job better than this thing. If you want to buy a statement turntable I think the Clearaudio Statement is way cooler with its pendulum system. I also think it is just as silly (really do not like the arm.) If it is artwork you are after then buy art. It will probably be worth a lot more in the end. 
I have a tendency to think these things are all about ego. You see the same sort of behavior with cars. 

My friend and I heard the Clearaudio Statement V2 or another by them which was $120,000 back in 2016 about at a show.  We were not impressed.  However, I've read reviews that just the center weight makes a huge difference.  Maybe, but what we heard wasn't worth it and certainly took up too much real estate.

I was at CAF, and talked to Harry about this new table.  First, its is not an Aluminum-Lucite-Aluminum layer, it is Stainless-Aluminum-Stainless, with the concept being to concentrate the plinth mass close to the Platter.  So, the arm-boards, being the same construction while being cantilevered are massively stiff.  Machining stainless steel is a whole other league from aluminum.  The platter is magnetically coupled and levitated.  The motor is not the HW-40, it is is a very different (new) design, with a very low current in-rush.  So, this is not some multi-  motor belt design, and if you have ever read the of Basis design, you should know of their near heroic efforts just to machine a very high tolerance rubber belt.  The coloring is of course quite bold, and has obviously drawn the ire of some.  But, from a technical and engineering standpoint, there appears to be a lot going on, but it is not all visually apparent, and to disclose all the details, risks disclosing a lot of intellectual property; a bit of a Catch-22.