Welcome to our VPI page.

For over 30 years , VPI has been the leading U.S. manufacturer of turntables & record cleaning machines. Their newest turntable, the Classic, recently was named HI-FI+ "Turntable of the Year" & received the ABSOLUTE SOUND "GOLDEN EAR AWARD."  ABSOLUTE SOUND's editor, Harry Pierson, recently called it "the turntable best buy"; "holds its own against $150,000 Clearaudio Statement." 

In January 2010 Stereophile, page 32, Michael Fremer has two paragraphs on Gold Sound's 2009 Rocky Mountain Audio Fest display with a good photo of our VPI Classic turntable.  
 
VPI TURNTABLES 
U.S. MADE; Models below include tonearm & base; cartridge & dust cover are optional 

SCOUT, $1800, "I turned to the Scout to see if a table could truly outperform digital counterparts costing many times more - a statement I'd often heard. There was never a question of being able to differentiate the CD/SACD from the record, the record being fuller, more organic & 3 dimensional. Individual instruments embodied more reality & distinguished themselves from one another more clearly. Trumpets & other brass had all the "blare," but none of the "glare" I was used to hearing. A more defined & solid sound stage emerged time after time, due to the LP's higher information density. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of "clicks" or "pops" & the very quiet background. The VPI's less complicated design (basic black plinth, hidden motor, translucent acrylic platter & unobtrusive silver tonearm) was my wife's aesthetic favorite." HOME ENTERTAINMENT

SCOUT /JMW9 Tonearm 
GOLDEN EAR AWARD, 2008 "If you want to experience a huge taste of analog heaven without the formidable  pricetag, this deserves your attention. This simple, affordable table has an exceptionally quiet background & high signal-to-noise ratio, so music leaps out of silence into the room." ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

    "My first turntable, a Linn LP12, had a somewhat congested sound that bogged down when passages became extremely complex. The Scout did nothing of the kind. It zipped through crescendos with depth & authority. Nuances & inflections were captured with eerie precision. I was impressed by its clarity. The Dynavector is one of the best cartridges available. The Scout is a frighteningly good performer." ABSOLUTE SOUND 6-7/07

    "The VPI Scout proved to be embarassingly good. It performed very well in bass detail, power & extension down to the lowest frequencies. The
Scout is noticeably better in these areas than many turntables in its price range. The Scout proves that affordable analog is a very good deaI without any expensive bells & whistles." Tony Cordesman, THE AUDIOPHILE VOICE 6-7/07

CLASSIC with JMW10.5i Tonearm, $2500
GOLDEN EAR AWARD, 2010 "VPI's best work is now relatively simple & easy-to-set-up, combining an excellent chassis, built-in motor & tonearm. Out-performing many units at stratospheric prices, it puts a premium on reliability. Remarkably neutral with a wide range of cartridges & even better with the SDS speed control & Outer Ring Clamp. The latter makes a major difference in getting the best out of used, badly stored & lighter-weight LPs." 
ABSOLUTE SOUND 6-7/10

GOLDEN EAR AWARD, 2009 "A steal at $2500, it does not suffer by direct comparison to the $150,000 Clearaudio Statement." The VPI Classic & Clearaudio Statement [costing 60 times more] are the only 'tables he awarded "Editor's Choice". 

"The Classic, correctly named, has been made even better with a few quite small changes, which give it an even smoother sound. The motor is grounded with an aluminum heat sink, the platter was changed to one piece of aluminum rather than two pieces with a damping ring attached to its bottom [to make it quieter] & the arm increased by 6mm for lower tracking error & better tracking. The price stays the same. I recommend the $200 stainless-steel arm for cleaner sound & the $700 stainless-steel record clamp that fits over the LP's outside edge." Harry Pierson, editor of ABSOLUTE SOUND, EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

GOLDEN EAR AWARD, 2009 "If ever there were a best buy in turntables, this is it." ABSOLUTE SOUND RECOMMENDED 6-7/09

2009 TURNTABLE of the YEAR,  "Vinyl's retro master-piece; the turntable to take on even the top of the high end; a true audio bargain, a rare & wonderful thing; stability of pitch that is almost impossible to find elsewhere; excellent conveyor of musical flow; warm, rich & dynamic performer."  HI-FI+, #68

    "A very real part of the Classic's appeal lies in its inherent upgradability. Even a fully loaded Classic is remarkably affordable, as it plays in a league
with five figure decks."
     "The $1200 SDS power supply is a double whammy that attacks speed variation & motor noise. [It works with every VPI.] As well as electronically switching between 33 & 45rpm, it offers incredibly fine control of speed, a poise & focus, from a lower noise floor & a far more positive sense of exactly where each note is placed (& spaced.) It brings a level of refinement & precision that makes a mockery of its cost. Vocals are held more separate, with enunciation & inflexion much, much clearer, their meaning more direct. Musical phrases are more coherent & the "sentences" fit together better into a more comprehensible & effective overall shape."
     "The $700 peripheral clamp, a precision machined ring of stainless steel that has a narrow lip running around its inner edge that adds a real sense of stable solidity & clarity, anchoring images & helping define the space between & around them. Delicate instrumental detail really shines, with the texture & shape of notes much more apparent."
     "As good as the basic Classic is, the add-ons are much more than just icing on the cake. Record lovers & collectors alike owe it to themselves to hear just how much performance their money can buy." HI-FI+, #69

TOP TURNTABLE & one of the top 10 Products of 2010. "With the Classic I explored the deepest recesses of my vinyl collection & found a new appreciation for my oldies but goodies. There's something about the way the Classic does bass that gives the music a vitality that CDs never have. The rhythmic pulse is better, groovier & has more get-up-and-go. It's eerily quiet so records have signficantly lower surface noise, even compared to exotic tables for double or even triple the Classic's price. If you never heard a high-end table before, you'll be amazed by the difference. I'm listening to records I bought as a teenager & they're damned quiet. No, not CD quiet, but background clicks & pops don't intrude the way they do on lesser turntables."

    "Switching back & forth between LP & CD, there's no comparison! The CD sounds like a good hi-fi, but the LP breathes life into the sound, a far-from-subtle difference. Vinyl communicates the music's emotional pull better than any digital format. You enjoy the music more on LP. One of the great Audiophile Truths: The best way to enjoy digital is never listen to analog. You need a great turntable, tonearm & cartridge to fully decode the magic in the grooves. If you want to know why vinyl is still going strong nearly three decades after the introduction of the CD, listen to a great turntable. The Classic is the best place to start."  HOME ENTERTAINMENT

"I put the Linn aside & hooked up the VPI. Wow, what a difference a turntable can make! One record led to the next & night after night I stayed up late, listening to LPs. That hadn't happened in years. I was smitten & thrilled to get into vinyl again; a great turntable. The real clincher for the VPI was this: It's a lot more fun to listen to."
STEREOPHILE 3/10

ARIES SCOUTMASTER, $2500, EXCEPTIONAL VALUE; RATED IN SAME CLASS AS $8,250 TURNTABLES "Impressive transient clarity & speed, low level resolution & rhythmic authority; a genuine bargain." STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

SUPER SCOUT MASTER REFERENCE RIM DRIVE, $8,000,
 RATED IN SAME CLASS AS $58,000 TURNTABLES; "The sound was fantastic with impressive bottom-octave heft; one of the best values of the true high end turntables."  
STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

ANALOG COMPONENT of the YEAR "It's surprising to note that this costs nearly $24,000 less than the runner-up SME 20/12. The VPI won a decisive victory with more votes overall. It sounded fantastic with a punchy, aggressive bottom end & a precise top-to-bottom coherence." STEREOPHILE 12/09

HRX, $12,000, RATED IN SAME CLASS AS $58,000 TURNTABLES; STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

VPI Record cleaning machines U.S. MADE. All are machines the size of a turntable.

HW-16.5, $550, STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09; PRODUCT of the Year
      "Built to last; withstands great amounts of strenuous work over much time; made to satisfy its owner. After you've revitalized your prized record with a good scrubbing, your finished album is reborn & ready to be played, enjoyed & admired." 
      "All vinyl lovers need a record cleaning machine & there's no greater bang for the buck than this.   Simple to use & highly effective, the 16.5 produces quieter surfaces from even heavily soiled LPs."
ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

     "Essential for serious vinyl playback. Pays for itself: extends LP life; protects cartridge from damage from dirty records & marked improvement in sound quality. Extremely user friendly & takes all the awkwardness out of wet cleaning. Surface noise reduced to negligible level. Biggest gains are tangible sonic improvements: tonal qualities, sound stage, prescence & subtle background details.
Images far more precise & transparent, playing
more cohesive, creating a far more credible illusion of realism." HI-FI+
     "Outstanding performer. The record surfaces are so microscopically clean & so pristine they look new." AUDIO
   
HW-17, $1300, "Industrial-quality, reassuring quality; fast, convenient, beautifully constructed, best record-cleaning machine; true workhorse."
 STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

HW-27 Typhoon, $2200, "Smaller, quieter & more attractive than earlier VPI cleaners. Clean, efficient. STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09
"A good record cleaner is a vital tool for any good  collection. The best combination of price, convenience & effective cleaning. Reduced noise, excellent fluid control, quick & reliable operation &  pleasure to use." ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

   "The capable & efficient 16.5 remains the benchmark for affordable performance. The 16.5 trumps the competition. The Typhoon's vacuum pump is twice as powerful. Is the 27 quicker & easier to use? Absolutely. Am I cleaning more
records more often? Definitely. Is it going to last longer? No question. The 27 is one serious machine." HI-FI+ #69 

VPI TONEARMS U.S. MADE 
JMW-9, $900, in same class as $1600 arms, STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

JMW-9 SIGNATURE, $1400 "Musical authenticity" ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

JMW-10.5i, $2300, "Beautifully made, highly revealing with some of the deepest, most powerful bass. Exceptional fine-tuning" ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

JMW-12.5i, $2600, "Beautifully made, highly revealing with some of the deepest, most powerful bass. Exceptional fine-tuning" ABSOLUTE SOUND EDITOR'S CHOICE 3/10

VPI ACCESORIES
VTA adjuster for Rega tonearm, $150, "Maintains desired rigidity while allowing a full inch of vertical adjustability. Nicely machined from aluminum & has a sturdy mounting collar." 
STEREOPHILE RECOMMENDED 10/09

This Page Last Updated:5/6/2010

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