How does the VPI Aries II stand up to current mid priced tables?

I concur with the others who recommended the Phoenix Engineering stuff. I went for the complete SOTA Eclipse package on my Classic 3 Sig SE. Recently put on a custom length OL belt as well. 

(Note to self, Need to sell my ADS...)

ozzy62-

If your table doesn't come with a Soundsmith Counterintuitive, it makes adjusting the counterweight easier for tracking/azimuth adjustment.  Not a must have, but eliminates a lot of setup grief.

A fresh belt is another inexpensive thing to consider.

No more neurosis enabling from me. Happy Listening!

The Aries !! is a quite good table.  The arm can be a bit tweaky, but once set up (not THAT hard), it can be very satisfying.  

The weakness in the table is the unipivot arm.  Gimballed arms seem to perform better, but the JMW arm will work well when it's set up properly.  It does like AT OC9/II carts.  Probably other OC9-series carts as well.

Use the Walker Speed Control. It works great on my VPI Scout II. Love VPI. The upgrade path on these is an audiophile tweeters dream.

The Aries 2 is a good table, but the cost to upgrade it with a current model platter and/or tonearm is cost prohibitive and would have been better served by investing in a more up to date model. A speed controller would be a worth while update.