The VPI Turntable Thread

The Classic Signature is essentially the same turntable as the Classic 3, with a 3D gimbal tonearm instead of the uni-pivots which are on the C3's.

I just missed out on an auction for a C3 last year that sold for less than $2K with a 3D arm wand.
 
The Classic Signature is essentially the same turntable as the Classic 3, with a 3D gimbal tonearm instead of the uni-pivots which are on the C3's.

I just missed out on an auction for a C3 last year that sold for less than $2K with a 3D arm wand.
Damn. That hurts. What an unbelievable deal. I missed out on a Prime Scout for $1650 a couple years ago with a 3D arm.

@Slimwhit33 wasn’t me, unfortunately! Haha. Not convinced I want a unipivot, and not quite ready to make quite that big a TT investment at the moment.

I just lost out on a (still) insanely good deal for an UltraDeck+M on eBay just a few minutes ago. Normally I wouldn’t go for it, but the price was so ridiculously good that I had to at least try. Honestly hoping somebody here got it, cause they still got an absolute steal!
 
Damn. That hurts. What an unbelievable deal. I missed out on a Prime Scout for $1650 a couple years ago with a 3D arm.

@Slimwhit33 wasn’t me, unfortunately! Haha. Not convinced I want a unipivot, and not quite ready to make quite that big a TT investment at the moment.

I just lost out on a (still) insanely good deal for an UltraDeck+M on eBay just a few minutes ago. Normally I wouldn’t go for it, but the price was so ridiculously good that I had to at least try. Honestly hoping somebody here got it, cause they still got an absolute steal!
I was watching that one too, just to watch it. It was cheap!
 
Damn. That hurts. What an unbelievable deal. I missed out on a Prime Scout for $1650 a couple years ago with a 3D arm.
It hurt, but not nearly as much as losing out on the local Luxman PD-171 in January. 😖

But, it helped sharpen my focus on what I really wanted and how much I realistically could pay to help me land my PD-151 Mk2 in March. It ended up being less than the 10-year old PD-171 and a better fit for my setup. Not cheaper than that VPI Classic 3, though!
 
Pricing emails have gone out, speakers and old TT soon to be listed. The Classic Signature is happening... at some point... soonish. Also my isolation platter is both 4 inches too small and also about 50 lbs shy of the necessary weight rating so I guess it's going to soon find itself under, uh... my microwave or something. I really have no use for it as I've already got isolation feet under every single other thing I own because I went a little cray cray.
 
Pricing emails have gone out, speakers and old TT soon to be listed. The Classic Signature is happening... at some point... soonish. Also my isolation platter is both 4 inches too small and also about 50 lbs shy of the necessary weight rating so I guess it's going to soon find itself under, uh... my microwave or something. I really have no use for it as I've already got isolation feet under every single other thing I own because I went a little cray cray.
Under your laptop maybe?
 
Pricing emails have gone out, speakers and old TT soon to be listed. The Classic Signature is happening... at some point... soonish. Also my isolation platter is both 4 inches too small and also about 50 lbs shy of the necessary weight rating so I guess it's going to soon find itself under, uh... my microwave or something. I really have no use for it as I've already got isolation feet under every single other thing I own because I went a little cray cray.
You going for a gimbal or unipivot? Or just a deal!? Haha
 
You going for a gimbal or unipivot? Or just a deal!? Haha
I very rarely see any for sale up here on the used market and there's no way I can import one without getting annihilated on duty so it'll likely be a new model so yeah, Gimbal 10 inch because I think they pretty much all come with that unless you specifically ask to change it out. I saw a few open box ones last night out of Music Direct and a few other places but shipping a 68 lbs box, and the duty, wouldn't make it worth it.
 
First price quote I've gotten isn't actually as bad as I had expected. In US funds it would be $5400 before tax and shipping. Of course in CAD that's $7400 which looks a bit worse when you just sit and stare at it and then nervously re-check your bank balance every ten minutes for about 12 hours straight.
 
First price quote I've gotten isn't actually as bad as I had expected. In US funds it would be $5400 before tax and shipping. Of course in CAD that's $7400 which looks a bit worse when you just sit and stare at it and then nervously re-check your bank balance every ten minutes for about 12 hours straight.
I would keep an eyeball on VPI's website and consider driving to NJ.
They have a B-stock Classic Sig on sale right now: Classic Signature (B-Stock)
 
I would keep an eyeball on VPI's website and consider driving to NJ.
They have a B-stock Classic Sig on sale right now: Classic Signature (B-Stock)
Yeah, like I mentioned I have been checking but several issues there. One is duty, I could drive it back and lie but if I declare it it'll be a fortune. Other being after exchange it's only a couple hundred dollar difference. Also they don't have any in walnut, BUT YES, there are deals to be had for sure. I'm still working on one up here. It's possible I can get it for dealer pricing, maybe... possibly...
 
Yeah, like I mentioned I have been checking but several issues there. One is duty, I could drive it back and lie but if I declare it it'll be a fortune. Other being after exchange it's only a couple hundred dollar difference. Also they don't have any in walnut, BUT YES, there are deals to be had for sure. I'm still working on one up here. It's possible I can get it for dealer pricing, maybe... possibly...
Interesting.
What happened to free trade and all that?
Is duty the same if you order from a VPI dealer in Canada?
I've heard customs is pretty strict, by the book strict.
Hope you find something!
 
Interesting.
What happened to free trade and all that?
Is duty the same if you order from a VPI dealer in Canada?
I've heard customs is pretty strict, by the book strict.
Hope you find something!
Free trade is a farce for individual consumers. Basically anything I bring into the country purchased outside it's walls will get hit with additional taxes over what we've already paid in the States. So add about 13% to the cost immediately. If I order within Canada there is no duty as I'm buying in my own country however prices are adjusted to take into account companies having to import etc. But it's not a direct translation, our prices are lower in a lot of cases even when you take into account the shipping, but our dollar is only worth 75% of the US dollar currently. So that's why $7400 Canadian isn't actually a terrible price when you consider that the current MSRP in the States is something like $6300 USD which even before shipping costs and taxes equals $8500 CAD. So the price I'm getting up here is actually $1100 cheaper than the current US pricing. It's strange, it varies with all these things...
 
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Interesting.
What happened to free trade and all that?
Is duty the same if you order from a VPI dealer in Canada?
I've heard customs is pretty strict, by the book strict.
Hope you find something!

Free trade very rarely works on an individual basis for a person importing a thing. It’d give a competitive advantage for overseas retailers in countries that either don’t have VAT/sales tax or charge much lower amounts on it. Particularly when there’s a land border that’s very easily crossed. You’d put indigenous retailers out of business based on circumstances outside their control.
 
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