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VPI Direct Drive Turntable

I received a copy of the new Music Direct catalog today and saw the new VPI Classic Direct Drive turntable listed at $30,000. It looks virtually indistinguishable from the Classic 3 with the new 3-D tonearm save for three speed buttons in place of the pulley and the rubber belt. The description on the MD website is rather scant, and certainly does not give enough information to explain what makes this turntable $25K more expensive than the belt drive Classic line. The VPI website makes no mention of the new flagship product at all.

Does anyone have any information on this new megabuck VPI table?
actusreus
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
will be for sale 50% off pretty soon too...
dhcod
710 posts
 
Excellent word Steve! But only one 's' :)
czarivey
5,946 posts
 
will be for sale 50% off pretty soon too...
lewm
13,109 posts
 
Dreadhead, There are two parts to your "complaint": price and your certainty that direct-drive is inferior to belt-drive. As to price, it is your decision, not to spend $30,000. I wouldn't either. As to the mechanism of direct-drive operation, you may qualify for your prize of "Knucklehead of the Year". In direct-drive, the platter per se is the rotor, an inherent part of the "motor" that scares you. Thus, the only moving part of the motor is the platter itself. The only source of noise is the platter bearing, which is equally likely to be a source of noise in a belt-drive, in fact possibly more of a risk in the latter, because the belt is exerting a side force on the platter bearing that increases friction in that plane. The fact that you compared a DP72 to some belt-drive and preferred the latter, several decades ago, is hardly convincing evidence that all belt-drive tt's sound better than all DD tt's.

On the other hand, the advertising claim that VPI use a "submarine" motor is indeed preposterous or pointless.
suteetat
435 posts
 
There are plenty of turntables at $30,000 or above so no need to single out VPI about ridiculous price. Most people in this web are also adult who earn their own living so no need to lecture how to spend his or her own money either, I would think. Hifi is luxury item and is not essential, price can be outrageous but there is not need to get upset over pricing. Nobody is going to die from not being able to afford highend turntable.

I agree that at least cosmetically, the DD will look bad as it looks too similar to the much lower cost product despite all the differences inside. If HW feels that there is no need to make radical change to the looks that may add another $5-10k or more without sonic merits then more power to him.
Submarine motor angle left me a bit uneasy. Not sure if I should take that as a super well engineered motor that is going to be better than motors found in other turntable
out there or if it is going like one of those $80,000 toilet installed in the Pentagon that does exactly like a toitet you can get anywhere.
However, having never been disappointed by VPI and rather like their sonic attribute, I am eagerly waiting to hear the DD.
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