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VPI is Introducing a high-end Direct Drive Table

A large group of audiophiles from the NYC area were invited to the VPI offices on Saturday for a fun day of music, learning, food and conversation. Very nice of them.

Harry Weisfeld was excited to introduce two new products still in prototype form: the first is high-end direct drive turntable that is going to be their top product - he was particularly proud of the motor, designed for this purpose and apparently sourced from a military equipment manufacturer. In its current prototype form the turntable resembles a Classic 3. Harry was very enthusiastic about the absolute speed control that was better than any belt drive table. His words.


The second is a new composite arm-wand manufactured on-site using a $350,000 object printer. It is made of hundreds/thousands of layers of laser cured material and resembles their current arm-wands except for the black material and the complex shape changes made to further reduce vibration transmission. I listened to the combination of the new table and arm-wand for about an hour and was thrilled by the relaxing musicality produced.

I understand that these new products will be at shows soon - still in prototype form.

Surprisingly, there was a large display of classic amplifiers, reel-to-reel tape machines, turntables, tonearms and more. One that caught my eye was a mint direct drive JVC TT-101 turntable (very much like mine). It was the target/inspiration for the new table - I would love to compare the two, but that wasn't possible. Maybe at my house some day.

It was great to see that VPI is so committed to moving the state of the art forward using both the latest technologies and thinking and the best of the past.
aigenga
les_creative_edge
174 posts
 
Don,

Considering that they recently introduced the $1400 Traveler maybe speaks that they are a business trying to capture mote than just the middle but also from both ends of the vinyl (especially resurgence) market.

Harry and family at VPI are not running an art museum nor charity shop, they are operating a business and to make a profit. Nothing wrong with that as long as you provide products and services that enough customers may want to buy and at justifiable prices. If VPI gets their products and prices wrong they will suffer at the cash box. Look at the sorry state of the t.v. market today and at how once mighty Japanese Cos. are bleeding out in red ink. Business is business. VPI has a good reputation of not only making a wide range of quality products but stand behind what they sell.
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
@ Le creative edge

Does the $1400 traveler blow away your Technics SL 1200 MkII ????
les_creative_edge
174 posts
 
Hi Don.

First, sorry I no longer have the Technics (I need to update my equipment list :-) ). I run a Rega P3-24 with TT-PSU and I just mounted a Jelco SA-370H tonearm. I have not heard the Traveler. It gets very positive reviews though. It was not available when I bought my Rega last Spring. If it was, I'd ave been tempted to buy it.

That said The Kab modified SL-1200MKII I had (my brother-in- law has it now) was a very good turntable. I never got rid of it because it was not one that punched well above its weight. A couple of years ago I took the plunge and moved it on to my Bro-in-Law as I bought a vintage JVC QL-Y5F (I drooled over it as a young kid back in the day) and I had to own one at one point. Once time had past I then just wanted to move on (this turntable hobby can be insidious :-) ). I was looking at the Rega RP-6 or a Clearaudio Concept MM. But I found a dealer demo at a killer price on a P3-24 with TT-PSU and bought it. It's a great turntable for the money. Oh it won't be my last as again this hobby can be insidious. But I enjoy it very much. The Jelco arm was added as I want to hot swap cartridges with ease, namely swapping between my Denon DL-110 and my mono Grado ME+.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
VPI certainly doesn't rest on thier laurels. Is there any way you could get pics and specs to us?

I saw another DD battlewagon at CES this year that was built by Micro Sekei engineers. This thing was massive and was mated to a $35k Graham tonearm w/headlights, of course! Thier is a pic of the Air Force One on page 64 of April Absolute Sound.
buconero117
2,311 posts
 
Thank you Harry for bringing new life and value to my large collection of 80's direct drive turntables from Sony and Denon. I knew they would come back. I'll be marking them at at least 100% as I seel them on e-bay.

Harry is a genius marketer, having exhausted the belt world, he will now make his second billion on direct drive. My using DAC type clocks, speed control will now be 'perfect', no need for SDS?

More power to you Harry for keeping the hobby alive. See you at the New York show.
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