My personal response is VPI. Reasons: 1)American Built and parts and service readily available. 2) VPI offers tremendous service. 3) machine is built like a tank, I have a friend that has one that is probably one of the oldest in existance and it works flawlessly, much better than he does:). 4) probably the most popular RCM out there amongst AudioGoner's, do some research here and see if you find many complaining about the 16.5. I have had mine now about 10 years and cannot complain about the machine or the job it does. The only other machine I ever owned was a Nitty Gritty and sold it after about 3 months as it made no sense to have to scrub the record on a seperate surface then turn the record by hand. The Okki Nokki I have looked at in a dealers showroom and yes it looks quite nice but I didn't feel that the vacuum offered any more suction than the VPI when I turned it on. I think for a dollar to dollar comparison the VPI does every thing the Okki does and offers a track record in addition to my reasons above.
But this is MY opinion and there may be Okki owners that disagree as well as Nitty Gritty owners. I can only speak from my experience and mean no offence to any other owners preference, hopefully they will provide some insight from their experience of owning both machines.
But this is MY opinion and there may be Okki owners that disagree as well as Nitty Gritty owners. I can only speak from my experience and mean no offence to any other owners preference, hopefully they will provide some insight from their experience of owning both machines.