Well kingharold, I have to admit up front that I am neither a VPI or a straight line tracker fan. But thankfully you did not get VPI's arm of that vintage. It was awful.
Next time you play a record that is a little off center watch your cantilever closely in good light. You will see it drift to either side just before the tonearm moves. If you have a very stiff cartridge like a Koetsu you might not be able to see it. In some cases you will even see the cantilever wobble back and forth. The problem is the horizontal mass far exceeds the vertical mass. This is a problem all Line trackers have except one, the Reed 5T which unfortunately is $20 large. Brilliant design though. It is on my lottery list. This problem more than negates any benefit tangential tracking might have and severely limits your choice of cartridges.
So, in my mind something like a SOTA Cosmos with an Origin Live Enterprise arm on it would sound and function better. You would be able to jump up and down right in front of it with abandon and it won't skip, you would have a large choice of cartridges, and it will sound better. It also has a much more sophisticated motor and drive system than the VPI and a superior bearing (magnetic thrust system.) It would cost you about $17,000 which is an incredible value for a turntable of that caliber. If you wanted to go for broke get an SME 30/12 and slap the formerly mentioned Reed 5T tonearm on it for a tidy $65 large. Next up would be the Air Force 1 Premium again with the Reed 5T arm blowing a $165 large hole in your wallet. Frankly, if you are married the SOTA is the way to go. The Air Force is a sure divorce. If you are really lucky you might get away with the SME.
