best used VPI table?

Aries, 10.5 arm, upgraded platter.

Aries series 1,because you won't need to upgrade the platter.

Just a warning - having myself come from an Oracle Delphi Mk 1, make sure you've listened to VPI's sufficiently to determine that their sound - particularly the Scout/Aries series - is what you're looking for. It is very different from the sound that you are used to with Oracle.

I initially planned to go the route that you're going, but after auditions, determined that the VPI's weren't ideal for me.

Can you be more specific on how the two sounds differed?

I find the Oracle's to be fairly nimble-sounding, with good balance top to bottom. They are good at getting the timing/pace of the music "right". They also have fantastic detail and tone in the bass regions.

VPI's - Scout and Aries in particular, since they're the 2 I considered when changing my table - were much weightier in their presentation, and that weight in the bottom end gave the impression of being less open on top and thus a bit veiled.

2 things that may have contributed to that were the Scout's motor being fairly noisy (I could hear it during quiet passages), and the speed stability not being so good (though I presume an SDS would fix that).

Basically...I would classify the Oracle as being quick and balanced, whereas I'd say that the VPI's sounded slow.

It depends what type of music you listen to, I suppose, but for what I listen to (mostly rock/alternative), I didn't care for the VPI's presentation.

Obviously I like the Gyro in this pricerange (seeing as that's what I bought), but I just wanted to point out that while the VPI's are nice tables, they might not be ideal for someone looking to replace an older Delphi. If I had the funds, I'd just have gotten a Delphi Mk V - the sound is great on all levels and the speed stability is rock-solid.