This past Friday we went to the VPI House in New Jersey to see the new Model One, and the launch of the Forever series of tables. You likely have already seen the press release before reading this, but it doesn’t do it justice. This table is clearly the culmination of generations of technology and lessons learned. It pays tribute to the HW-19 that Harry spent his life perfecting while looking to the future with its modularity and built-in upgrade path. Mat wanted to release something that is in line with what built VPI to this point while also improving where possible.

Every part of the Model One is built with the intention of being upgradable as other models and technology become available so you don’t have to get rid of the table you have, you can simply upgrade a single part at a time. The arm board is removable meaning you can mount any arm you can physically fit and the Model One is available without an arm if you already have your preferred toneam. The motor and platter are also mounted in a removable module meaning you can upgrade these as well. Lastly, the skirt itself is removable so you can replace it with custom wood or finishes.

The Table is not the only new product on display. The S arm is a very different design from what we have seen from VPI in the past. This arm is milled from a solid block of aluminum and uses a threaded rod for the balance weight, which I am thankful for as it makes setting tracking force so much easier. The arm is a gimbal setup, and currently has an integrated headshell, though according to Mat, later production will introduce removable headshells so you can switch out carts with more ease. The arm base has adjustable VTA (vertical tracking angle) though not on the fly.

The cost of this table is what surprised me the most, I expected to see a 5 figure MSRP, but not only is it, not 5 figures, it’s about half that at $5,250.00 with the tonearm, a cartridge, and dust cover (to be determined if life off to hinged, I voted “lift off”). Mat said that this table had been years in the making and what he wanted was to [get] “back to the roots of VPI, to build a table with my dad, having fun with my dad”.

We listened to a variety of music, including Getz, “The Girl from Ipanema”, one of Harry’s choices which was pressed from the master tapes. I brought a couple of albums as well, one of which was Laufy’s “Bewitched”. Harry had not heard Laufy before and was quite enarmed by her voice and the sound from the Model One. Others at the event played several of their preferred records and I cannot recall what all of them were, but everything sounded wonderful.
Pricing & Availability: The VPI Model One turntable is available now and priced at $5,250 / £4,990.
We also had some wonderful cake from Marisol, owner of Cake on Heels, which she made look like a VPI Model One. Not only did it look great but it tasted wonderful as well, and I’m not a cake person.























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