Check the ground between your tt and preamp. The signal seems to be from the platter from what you are saying. If you want to test it to confirm take a piece of wire connect it to the same preamp ground and touch your platter while the cartridge is lowered but not while its spinning. If that takes care of it, call vpi and see what they suggest for the best grounding solution. If that's not the issue, make sure your cartridge is hooked up correctly, I know that seems silly but I've made that mistake before when swapping out a cart. Hope you get it worked out.
Regards,
Bill
Regards,
Bill