VPI new stuff...

Hey Mat: I've been a Scout owner for many years now and nothing has tempted me away from it until I got a glimpse of the Prime. Can I ask two questions?:

1. What is the effective mass of the 3D arm and what would be the optimal compliance range? I've been running an ATOC9MLII on my Scout (which is a wonderful combination) but am trying to determine whether I would need/want to change cartridges if I purchased a Prime.

2. What can you tell us about the outboard motor on the Prime? It looks like the sweet, rugged monster that came with the Aries way back when (my buddy has one)--more robust than the Scout motor (or is it just the casework?)

Anything else you can share about the new Prime would be much appreciated.

I'm a long VPI owner. I've seen this all before. They get you excited about a (new) product, then they change their focus. If one decides to (focus) on one product, by the time that owner needs service, you're out of luck. I read recently that Harry retired.

I'm doing OK making my own (better) products for myself. Although there (are) certain items that need to be outsourced.

OK, think about it. When the Scout was introduced,(I'm only referring to the plinth/base/motor construction... the selling point was that the motor was reposition at the opposite plane from the tonearm, the plinth was more substantial/better isolation, all of this was to address speed stability and resonance control. (more closely resembling direct drive, which they ultimately focused on). Then came the Scout 2 then 3.... All of this kind of put all of their previous designs into the history bins.

All of the sudden, now, we're suppose to believe that we should go back to their previous designs, where there's more chance for speed abnormalities, less solid/resonance dissipating plinth design. Where in the hell does it end.

I love VPI but I wish they were more customer friendly/focused. It seems their profits drive their products.

Speaking of profits,
Now all of a sudden the $2500 price tag for the Prime is just an "introductory" price.
If you don't happen to have the cash ready in the next two and half months your out of luck. The price jumps to $2800 justs 10 weeks after its premier.

The new Prime is actually $3500 and $3800.

Just little focus is my opinion on VPI. It seems they just keep throwing things out there to see what sticks (sells). In that strategy, in the end, quality will suffer and a company loses its identity.

Clearly they are branching out substantially to suit the needs of all consumers at all price levels who are wanting analog. I applaud their attempts, but I'm not sure its sustainable over the long haul.

Business 101: Too many skus, too much overhead. Too much overhead means too high prices on your goods. When prices become way out of proportion to the quality of your product compared to others, you will contract your skus, refocus your company or die.