Just ordered a vpi avenger

I’m going to dealer and open box an assistance the technician with set up with my cartridge. This will be best for both 

Wow, if I had been the dealer I would have been jumping through hoops to set it all up in your home and make it perfect. It’s one thing to get a competitive price but entirely another to get what you paid for. I've set up a ton of VPIs, from entry level up to the Titan.

Brian Walsh

As a managing partner of a law firm, I like to say that I just have opinions, I don't claim to be right. Thousands and thousands of audio enthusiasts have not just bought but enjoyed their VPI decks at all price points. Any given VPI deck can be made to sound great. They are definitely not junk. In many ways they offer high value. As stated before, it is a matter of preference. Here in the great midwest it has become extremely fashionable as a matter of superficial popular culture to drive a jacked up and modded Jeep Wrangler. They are clunky and full of small aggravating design flaws but they are durable and get the job done. People seem to dig them. Not my cup of tea and it irritates me that the tires protrude far outside the wheel wells and kick up rocks, but what can you do?

Like ANYTHING, people are gonna like what they like.

You have a cool table. Hopefully you're using phonostage  that's capable of supporting a decent cartridge to hear what it will do. With a table like that, you can't cheap out with a $1K phonostage & $500 cartridge.

Hello why is so many vpi haters 

@scooter005,

For that much coin, and being your first high dollar analog expenditure, I would expect the dealer to deliver and setup for you.


Sure, it is way easier to setup after the first time as you obtain more experience and get to know analog better. My first big purchase was just that, the dealer came to the house and literally wore white gloves to install. 
Now, having moved across the Atlantic from Europe and having many moves under my belt due to the military or Uncle Sam, I am confident in my ability to setup this massive turntable, tonearm, and cartridges without assistance.


It’s exciting to enter the analog music world. You will love it. Before you know it, you will be posting information, and tips and tricks to others based on your gained experiences. Congratulations.

@mijostyn,    " The VPI is all bling and no sing."   After owning three different VPI turntables, I agree with you completely,  What galls me the most is the flimsy 3D Unipivot tone arm.  It constantly goes out of alignment and the feel of it gives one, no confidence.  They sure are purty though.

Lewm, you have never had the guts to buy one because you feel exactly the way fsonicsmith feels about them you are just more polite. VPI specializes in some of the poorest turntable and tonearm designs I have ever witnessed never mind that the execution is terrible. Scooter0005 along with the tables fsonicsmith mentions you can add the Kuzma Ref 2 and Sota Cosmos Vacuum. They are both fabulous tables for the money and fully isolated like the SME. The VPI is all bling and no sing.

You can learn much more and appreciate your table more if you do it yourself.  Its not that complicated, but spend a month or two to get it just right.  Check everything a few times....then go back after awhile and check it again.

Have the dealer set up your cart for the table, if you don't feel confident doing it yourself. Otherwise, it should be pretty straightforward assembling your new toy.

Good luck and happy listening.

Probably Ferrari is not the analogy you want to make in this case. You pay dearly (extra) for parts and service throughout the course of ownership, and these days they are introducing a new model every 6 months or so which devalues the one you just bought.  (Why I have never had the guts to buy one.)

Hello thanks for all the responses . I’m going to be at the dealer shop from opening of box and through the set up .this will ensure proper set up and educate me on the table so I can make changes to improve my listening pleasure .

I will not speak about the product but I will speak about spending $10,000 on an item and that not include at at home installation by a qualified tech.  When I purchased my first high end table, I was not really capable of dialing it in to where I would get the maximum sound out of it (when I was younger, no issue with putting a $200 grado on my P3) but when I spent more money, until I got really good at it, I wanted a pro to come to my house and do it - and they did.  I would not buy a ferrari and have to then bring it to a mechanic to get it street ready - a turn table in boxes does me no good.  Now that its been 20 years for me in setting up cartridges, arms and tables, I have no issues telling the dealer that I will handle the install but it should be included at that price.  

@scooter0005,

VPI has a good forum -  vpiforum.com • Index page and there are people there with a lot experience with all their tables and some of them have as much knowledge as the company.  If you have any issues with setting up your table - post your questions there and you will get some good support.  I have read where members who were close went to the person's home to assist with setup.  Otherwise you bought a good table from a company that's in it for the long haul, and while some parts such as the motor are not current state-of-the-art - its 'only' a permanent magnet (PM) AC synchronous motor they are made in the USA and have been for many years.  VPI is working on some new designs - which are the software heavy DC 3-phase PM motors and when they issue (COVID slowing many things) they will likely be backward compatible.

I minced my words about the retailer. I held true to that. 
Regarding VPI, I have said much the same in this forum previously. 
Mat is one hell of a nice guy. Harry is one hell of a businessman and an innovator of great intellect and I mean that sincerely. 
Harry's very public war with Phoenix Engineering's Bill Carlin, on the other hand, speaks volumes and alleviates any feelings of remorse/guilt I might otherwise have for being a turncoat on VPI. I spoke my true and honest opinions about VPI turntables. At the $1500 to $2500 price point they offered and continue to offer some great value for being substantially built compared to a similarly priced Pro-ject or Rega though I still feel that VPI's version of the unipivot limits the ultimate performance substantially. 
I have no doubt that the HW40 design competes with the very best in terms of motor drives but I would still not use even the gimballed "Fatboy" on it. But then there are all the products in the range between the basic Scout and the HW40 and that is where I think VPI is most unfortunate and where the consumers have been duped. 
If you go the VPI website, you will see that the "Reference Turntables" category of products is no longer active. This blurb speaks volumes about how VPI operates-things being forgotten and found and "kerplunked" into a new limited production product https://houstonaudiostore.com/shop/turntables-record-players/turntables-record-players-turntables/vp...

Hey OP, just thought about this. If you bought the table with the 12 inch arm there is a Mint Best tracker alignment gauge for sale on the other sales site for $40.00. Just sayin. Enjoy the music

@fsonicsmith, well so much for mincing your words, you even had a few days to mull it over and decided to do it any way, says a lot about ya doesn't it. Enjoy the music. And to the OP, enjoy that beautiful table.

I am glad to hear you got the gimbaled fatboy. 
During the six years that I owned various VPI turntables, I figured that the VPI detractors on this Board were just internet trolls and gutter-snipes. 
Well, wisdom has resulted in a different view. VPI tables appeal to the eye in magazines and on websites but once you see it in person, you see an assemblage of clunk. They are crudely manufactured and crudely engineered. 
There are so many TT's at $10,000 that are better designed and put together. The Palmer 2.5i is one example (granted with a great arm it is 14K), the EAT Forte S is another superior deck, and the SME 15A (yes, 4K more) is yet another deck that would blow the Avenger away in terms of engineering sophistication and long-term pride of ownership and musical pleasure. 
I apologize for taking a pee on your parade. Do you think I am just making crap up? Ask a mechanical engineer to look at the designs. The VPI inverted platter bearing is not nearly as smooth and durable as the designs incorporated into the decks mentioned above. I bet you will notice it yourself. You get a huge slab of nicely machined aluminum that you slide onto a crudely designed steel post with a ball bearing worthy of a high school shop student. The motors are off the shelf and not particularly durable. And on top of that, the new line of gimbaled arms, while superior to the unipivots, are once again the result of a new launch to market-whereas the best tonearms are the result of many years of careful development and engineering expertise that VPI lacks. 

If they are making 4K to 5k for the sale, 120 Miles not a bad distance to make that much profit. Giving the technician  extra always good.

The dealer is making between $4,000 and $5,000 on the sale. I would expect them to deliver it to me and set up the table. It’s not difficult to set up, but it is heavy. Why wrestle with it and possible damage the table? Let them earn their profit. An hour drive each way is not that far.

Hello I order the gimbal fat boy arm 

You got this. Youtube set up if you need help and follow instructions manual. You'd be surprised at what you can do. 

The dual pivot is an upgrade, all though being an afterthought. I have an upgrade for it. PM me.

I am from Columbus OH. I need to mince my words. I wish you lots of luck. The guy that knew how to set up VPI decks quit. At 10K that would mean you got the unipivot arm. My advice to you is to 1) ignore the VPI set up manual. It sucks. 2) Don't bother with AS. 3) The VPI alignment gauge is actually pretty good. Use it. 4) Start out with a cartridge that has a Shibita stylus. Microline and the like are just too hard to optimize with a unipivot. 5) Don't mess around with VPI's silly-as-hell "dual pivot". I learned the hard way. 6) The VPI break out box is such a stupid piece of crap-it degrades the sound and invites RFI. Buy the best shielded cables you can-I like AP Silver Apex. 7) Expect to spend days dialing things in. 8) Invest in an accurate digital VTF gauge-I recommend Riverstone and last, after a while if you are frustrated, reach out to a set-up expert. 

Hello that’s my plan to be there when we set it up so I can make adjustments when needed. Thanks for all the response 

Agreed on paying for service to travel to your home for set up but seriously, tipping a dealer to help load a new purchase into your car? Even Best Buy does that for free with no tip expectation.  lol

If they didn't agree to bring it to your place and set it up before the sale, they probably aren't going to.  I would ask about you going to them and observing the setup as a first step in learning how to do it yourself.

As a new owner, I'd want to be involved in set-up

Right. It can take hours, sometimes more than two, to set up a turntable for the first time. Doing this can void your ability to be helplessly dependent on sales and service. Don't fall prey to charlatans trying to sell you on the simplicity of turning a screw. Only with highly specialized training and years of experience can one operate a level. Besides, even if you do it yourself well then you will know its done right, but without the priceless joy of trusting in a professional paid money to do something you don't understand even in the slightest. Its simply not worth it.

Tough to say what distance between you and the dealer begins to qualify for an extra set-up charge.  If you feel the need for the presence of an experienced person during set-up, you should go ahead and ask for that extra.  If they suggest a reasonable extra charge, I would pay it.  If they don't, I would still tip the set-up person who arrives at your house, after the work is done to your satisfaction.

Unless you are an expert in setting up a table, I think it makes sense for them to set it up. I also think that the appropriate time to negotiate their services would be before you gave them the $10K. VPI Avenger is probably a good choice, just be sure to select a cartridge that is worthy of that investment.

Usually a table like that they should box it up and help load it in your car. It probably comes in a couple different boxes and in case more than one guy helps load I would be prepared with a couple bills to avoid the embarrassment of them having to split the tip.

Congratulations. Nice setup.

Dropping that much dough, the dealer can at least setup the cartridge for it, if you also purchased a cart. Other than that, the setup is likely straight forward-unbox, follow instructions. Just make sure it's on a level surface.

From a dealers perspective it's more time/expense that needs to be accounted for. Doesn't hurt to ask. 

When you get a major appliance, delivery typically isn't free. Do tip them well, if they do.

Thanks for the fast response I’m not closed to pay them it would be very nice to pay them if the installation was spot on.

I wouldn't want anybody but myself setting up my turntable. Especially that table. I couldn't imagine anybody else taking the time to get all the adjustments just right. Even after the setup is done per specs you still need to fine tune with your ears.

If it were I, I would expect to pay extra for the service considering  it is 120 miles round trip, not to mention the trip time.  I bought my Prime at Audio Connections which is 250 miles from my home, one way.  I had them set the entire turntable up and everything was still in check when I got it home.  Adirondack Audio did the same thing for me when I bought my Technics SL1200G in 2018.  They were roughly the same distance from my home as Audio Connections.  Again, everything was on the money when I got home and checked it.

I wouldn't expect the service you are looking  at for free.