Anyone NOT like the sound of VPI?

"Don't go with any ported speaker if you want to avoid fat midbase."

I know this can be a general tendency for ported speakers, but not always. There are many good ported designs (front, back, or bottom) each of which provides good advantage when applied properly.

If you like full, extended, bass t go along with detail and clarity in the upper ranges as well, in lieu of a ported design, your options may be only bigger more expensive speakers (that are also harder to place practically) location closer to walls and/or corners, which often negatively impacts imaging accuracy and soundstage, or use of tone controls or equalization (ouch).

Oh , and with a ported design, you can also always plug the port to various degrees to lessen the bass if that is an issue.

Also for good clear bass with a ported speak or any speak for that matter, make sure you have good amplification that is ably capable of driving the speakers load.

Stop thinking of spending on ANYTHING until you figure out what's wrong.

Tfkaudio & Sonofjim are likely correct. Lower the VTA so the tonearmis lower than parallel at its base. This should increase bass. Make sure your VTF is set a the highest weight end of the manufs' recommended range or even .1-.2g higher, as often recommended by VPI. Don't be afraid to mess up the setup, you will learn to hear what each change sounds like. Your dealer could easily have botched the setup.

Try measuring in room response w/test record and a mic. Tell us what the results are.

VPI "house sound" has been characterized by many as "beefy American mid bass heavy", etc. not light in bass at all. Something is wrong with your setup. BORROW another turntable and see what it does before you buy anything at all. Cheers,

Spencer

Spencer is absolutely correct, as well as some others along the same lines.

Ain't it fun figuring out exactly why a turntable ain't performing as it should when it don't?

One of the reason's surely that vinyl pilfered out of the mainstream way back when and most sane people (save us) just go for the ease of digital. Less moving parts to tend to and relatively cheap to replace when it breaks.

Of course, watch out when a digital format is not compatible....

If only they stuck the well made CDs in full sized record sleeves with cover art and text like LPs that I could read without a magnifying glass, I think I might be happy. I would probably have bought more CDs because maybe the cover art would have caught my eye in the store as happened in so many cases for me with LPs, so the record companies would be happier than they are these days too!

Progress, right?