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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
testpilot
233 posts
 
Belt drive, rim drive, direct drive, Standalone motor assembly, motor on plinth, motor with platter, standard plinth, heavy plinth, wood finish, auto finish, red, blue, white, black, silver. 24 different table types and combinations and counting. Version 1, 2 and 3 and that’s just their tables.

Boy, I miss the simpler VPI days when marketing was secondary.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
I was told by Jack Rubinson, a VPI salesman, that the new DD will be in the $30k range. Almost reasonable compared to the Micro Sekei engineered Air Force One that touches $100k.
Does the $1400 traveler blow away your Technics SL 1200 MkII ????
Funny you should ask, I have both, Kab Modded (Cardas Litz tonearm rewire to new Cardas RCA's, fluid damper)1200mk2 and a Traveler. Due to the VPI's tonearm, I believe, the Traveler is clearly a better performer in most areas. I also think that if I could mount this 10" Arm on the Technics deck is would better both. The Techy 1200 deserves a better tonearm rather than all the little things we do to the underwhelming arm that comes with it.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
I was told by Jack Rubinson, a VPI salesman, that the new DD will be in the $30k range. Almost reasonable compared to the Micro Sekei engineered Air Force One that touches $100k.
Does the $1400 traveler blow away your Technics SL 1200 MkII ????
Funny you should ask, I have both, Kab Modded (Cardas Litz tonearm rewire to new Cardas RCA's, fluid damper)1200mk2 and a Traveler. Due to the VPI's tonearm, I believe, the Traveler is clearly a better performer in most areas. I also think that if I could mount this 10" Arm on the Technics deck is would better both. The Techy 1200 deserves a better tonearm rather than all the little things we do to the underwhelming arm that comes with it.
brf
1,699 posts
 
$30K, you've got to be kidding. I read somewhere that the DD motor is military spec‘d, perhaps out of the space shuttle.
maril555
618 posts
 
Zenblaster,
Just a little correction- The Air Force One that was exhibited at CES with a $35000 arm- that arm is not Graham, the other Air Force One in Lamm's room was with Graham Arm, and I believe it was his very new $9K arm, that isn't even available yet
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