VPI Industries president Mat Weisfeld woke me up today with news from the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey that the turntable manufacturer was releasing a new beast: The Avenger Plus at CES this week. Weisfeld said the new $15,000 USD Plus shares the company’s Rim-Drive technology found in it’s $48,000 USD flagship Titan turntable.”The Plus is everything you love about an Avenger, plus a little more.”
We’re excited to be able to show the VPI Avenger with three tonearms mounted to demonstrate the full extent of what can be brought to the listening experience,” said Weisfeld.
According to Weisfeld the Avenger Plus came about through a need to fill the gap between where the standard Avenger – which retails for $10,000 USD – sits, and the Reference-equipped version at $22,000 USD. The idea behind the modular design of the Plus enables upgrade-ability to higher-spec’d components for customers who want to step up the VPI ladder as funds, or ancillary equipment (like a second, or third tonearm, and cartridges) allows.
From VPI Industries:
“VPI is proud to announce its participation in the Consumer Electronics Show to debut the VPI Avenger Plus. This will be the first live display of the VPI Avenger Plus with Audio-Technica USA in Suite 29-236. The Avenger Plus takes the technology of the VPI Titan (and previous VPI Rim-drive models) and applies it to the Avenger model. During the event, the Avenger Plus will be demonstrated with multiple uni-pivot JMW 3D Reference arms with VTA on the fly using different Audio-Technica cartridge models. The Avenger Plus and all Avenger models can mount up to 3 tonearms of any manufacturer make or model.”
“The tri-pod shaped chassis is a machined acrylic/aluminium/acrylic design which offers precision both in sound, and quality. The Rim-Drive motor assembly is a machined aluminium housing with two 300 RPM motors driving an idler-wheel which makes direct contact with the side of the platter.”
“We top this off with our new high current Analog Drive System (ADS) power supply designed by VPI’s Director of Electrical Engineering, Michael Bettinger. The biggest design feature is the use of analog-based oscillators to generate low-distortion analog sine waves for its 33/45 rpm speed control – relative to the digitally -ynthesized circuits of the Synchronous Drive System (SDS). Regenerating the AC sine wave eliminates the powerline noise and harmonics, providing pure, smooth AC power to the turntable motor.”
For more information check out VPI Industries.
–Rafe Arnott
Are any VPI products UL listed..My old AR-XB decades ago was, it was $72 !
RIM DRIVE!!!! hahahahahaha