I just bought a VPI Scout a few weeks ago and am very, very pleased with it. I highly recommend it if it is within your budget and you have complementary equipment to let the VPI's good qualities show themselves. I especially like how the motor is completely separated from the plinth. Regarding cartridges, I considered the Dynavector 20X ($600?), Shelter 501 ($900) and Benz Micro Glider ($650). I decided on the Benz Micro Glider M2 (medium output, 0.8 mV). The Benz will give me the detail, neutrality and soundstage image that I want.
The VPI is a little weird in that the arm rests upon the point of a pin. I fully understand the mechanical benefits of this decision, but the arm has a tendancy to rock side to side when disturbed by any vibration. The amplitude of the arm's oscillation will dissipate to almost nothing in in several seconds, but it is still an unwanted product of the design choice. It generally doesn't affect play so it is of little consequence overall. Also, a sufficient dust cover must be puchased from a 3rd party vendor. These are trifling notes to mention, but they do exist. Any mechanical system will have its faults.
Overall, I think the Scout does its job incredibly well. Every record that I play is a new revelation. In my set up with the Benz catridge, I know that I'm hearing exactly what is on the record (for better or worse).
One note: It appears that you don't have a record cleaning machine. If you do not have one, I highly recommend buying one. Having clean LPs is of primary importance. Clean records sound worlds different than dirty ones. It will also preserve your expensive cartridge/stylus and prevent damage to your LPs. I bought the most inexpensive Nitty Gritty (1.5) for like $250 a few years ago and it works great. It was the single most important investment besides my speakers that I've made in my hi-fi system, and definitely the most cost effective investment.
Good luck in your search and I hope this helps.
The VPI is a little weird in that the arm rests upon the point of a pin. I fully understand the mechanical benefits of this decision, but the arm has a tendancy to rock side to side when disturbed by any vibration. The amplitude of the arm's oscillation will dissipate to almost nothing in in several seconds, but it is still an unwanted product of the design choice. It generally doesn't affect play so it is of little consequence overall. Also, a sufficient dust cover must be puchased from a 3rd party vendor. These are trifling notes to mention, but they do exist. Any mechanical system will have its faults.
Overall, I think the Scout does its job incredibly well. Every record that I play is a new revelation. In my set up with the Benz catridge, I know that I'm hearing exactly what is on the record (for better or worse).
One note: It appears that you don't have a record cleaning machine. If you do not have one, I highly recommend buying one. Having clean LPs is of primary importance. Clean records sound worlds different than dirty ones. It will also preserve your expensive cartridge/stylus and prevent damage to your LPs. I bought the most inexpensive Nitty Gritty (1.5) for like $250 a few years ago and it works great. It was the single most important investment besides my speakers that I've made in my hi-fi system, and definitely the most cost effective investment.
Good luck in your search and I hope this helps.