VPI's new "Vanquish" Ultra High-End turntable is a STUNNER!

I don’t know what you mean. 

What an odd thing to say. Do super expensive cars give car collectors a bad name? Do super expensive breeds give show pet owners a bad name? My superscout master sounds spectacular with a great cartridge. I happen to find the bling attractive, the candy apple red, black and silver giving it an art deco look. I bet it sounds great and as a conversation piece for incredibly wealthy individuals why not?

Many people would find 5k for a turntable absurd and why aren’t you giving several thousand of that to a food bank?

I gave specific examples of why I rated my own VPI tables as very good but not great.  The latest one discussed here may have solved the vibration problem or not.  The VPI arm may or may not be lacking in high end qualities, especially in the bass performance.  Overall, I've had no trouble with the two tables and VPI 16 RCM once they were set up to maximize their capabilities.  

roxy, from a practical standpoint turntables are all about listening to records. There are much less expensive turntables that are going to do the job better than this thing. If you want to buy a statement turntable I think the Clearaudio Statement is way cooler with its pendulum system. I also think it is just as silly (really do not like the arm.) If it is artwork you are after then buy art. It will probably be worth a lot more in the end. 
I have a tendency to think these things are all about ego. You see the same sort of behavior with cars.