VPI's Forever Model One Modular Turntable Hits All the Right Notes

a modern take on a VPI Classic

With "retro" industrial design having been a "thing" in audio for the past few years, especially in loudspeakers and receivers, I've been wondering why VPI hasn't stepped up to the audio plate and knocked one out of the nostalgia Ozone Park with a re-imagined vintage VPI turntable (yes I do spend my spare time thinking of such things). Well here it is— a new and improved take on the venerable HW-19, proving there's VPI life beyond acrylic/aluminum sandwich plinths! What's more, the Forever Model One features a brand new VPI developed tone arm that's hard wired from cartridge clips to RCA jacks—no LEMO jacks need apply (buyers can order an optional LEMO interface, which makes it easy to swap out arm boards). Of equal importance: the fully modular design is upgradable. Model One includes a dust cover not shown in the factory photo. The price is $5250 and includes a ten year warranty.

The retro-ness stops, however, at the Forever Model One's black wood frame and corner plexiglass pulley cover. The elastomer-based hanging modular isolation system is all new but most everything else is borrowed from the company's bag of tried, true and reliable mechanical tricks, especially the inverted, ceramic ball-topped platter bearing that puts the heavy, twenty pound, twelve inch aluminum platter's center of gravity as low as is mechanically possible thus assuring rotational stability. The downside of that, of course, is that it puts the ball/thrust pad contact point noise as close as possible to the platter surface, where, at least in theory, the stylus can pick up the noise. Fortunately, VPI has been at this for decades and has the expertise to machine or source these parts to minimize noise.

Elastomer-Based Isolation System

Key to the design is the new three point isolation system holding both the platter bearing and tonearm mounting platform that relies not upon springs but uses instead carefully calculated elastomer pods. VPI corrected calculated the needed mass using a high mass aluminum sub-chassis because the isolation is extremely effective.

You could probably bang on the chassis like they did in the old Acoustic Research turntable print ads from before some of you were born and you'd hear no feedback whatsoever nor would it bother the stylus in the groove.

I didn't use a hammer, but my fist sufficed to demonstrate the system's effectiveness. Banging on the platform upon which the turntable sat, on VPI feet developed for more costly turntables, also demonstrated the isolation system's effectiveness. Of equal importance: it works without jiggly, tricky to adjust springs that can shift laterally and affect platter spinning accuracy. The elastomer suspension is also susceptible to lateral shifting, but less so than coil springs. Leveling the system is easy via top-mounted Philips head bolts. Yes, they are visible and metallic colored against the black top plate but that's how VPI wants it to look: retro and mechanical kind of like an American muscle car. If you don't like, you can always paint them black, you devil.

The New VPI S-Shaped Ten Inch Aluminum Tonearm

This is the biggest surprise. The 255mm effective length, statically balanced, gimbal bearing solid aluminum arm internally wired with "six nines" (99.9999% oxygen free) VPI copper wire is height adjustable within a generous 25mm range, features an anti-skating mechanism and azimuth adjustability at the head shell. It has an effective mass of 10.4 grams and can accommodate cartridges weighting from five to fifteen grams. The arm height adjusts via a rigidity preserving locking threaded pillar. The non-removable lockable head shell rotates around a smooth-acting stainless steel ring and locks in place via a side-mounted grub screw. Anti-skating is via a lever-type mechanism that uses "O" rings to adjust force similar to what VPI uses on its other arms. This arm has a pleasing low friction secure "feel" and uses ABEC-5 ball-race type bearings.

Motor Drive

The 300 RPM A.C. Synchronous motor topped by a multi-groove Delrin pulley, isolated from the three-point isolation system, drives the grooved platter via an O-ring type belt. Because the isolation doesn't rely upon springs that can shift laterally, the system is free of "porch glider" type speed change anomalies produced by platter to pulley distance differentials. Each of the 33 1/3 pulley grooves produced a slightly different speed measurement (purposeful or not) but all were within acceptable spec. I used the top groove for this speed-perfect admirably stable, shaknspin measurement:

Modularity

VPI intends the Model One as both a "first step" model in the Forever series and as a turntable with numerous upgrade possibilities. The platter cut is compatible with VPI's Periphery ring clamp and the motor is compatible with VPI's ADS Analog Drive System speed controller, which offers improved speed consistency and electronic speed change, though as is, the speed accuracy and consistency is outstanding. Speed change without moving the belt on the pulley is a considerable convenience though. If you look at the cut out adjacent to the "on/off" button, there's plenty of room for push button speed control and clearly VPI is thinking about the Forever Model Two. The modularity means should VPI offer an upgraded motor, it can easily be swapped out, as can the platter and bearing and of course it's easy enough to swap arms by replacing the armboard. On the though you'll have to unsolder the leads to the RCA jacks. VPI's point is that the Model One offers a number of current enhancement/upgrades and should others be developed, your Model One will be ready for them.

Set Up

Leveling the suspension once your favorite cartridge is installed is easy. The arm set up is straight forward, and non-fiddly, though as soon as I saw it at Capital Audio Fest I suggested a dimpled center point on the bearing housing for users with Feickert/Dennesen type protractors that rely on accurate pivot to spindle distance. The review sample didn't have the dimple but final production arms will have either a physical dimple of a silkscreened mark. Either works for me. Setting VTA/SRA is easily accomplished though you can't do it "on the fly", which in my world is not a problem. Loosen a pair of grub screws and you can rotate a ring to raise or lower the arm.

Azimuth is equally easy to set and being at the head shell with the "J" bend behind it means adjusting it doesn't change VTA/SRA. You'll need a good stylus gauge to set tracking force, and it would be a good idea to get a Wally Skater to set anti-skating otherwise you're "flying blind" in terms of the number of O rings to use and where to place them on the shaft relative to the device's pivot—and this is an extremely important parameter to set correctly.

I started with VPI's Shyla cartridge, made for the company by Audio-Technica and built to Harry and Mat Weisfeld's sonic and technical preferences, based on an ART series cartridge. It outputs a generous .6mVs and features a boron cantilever and a nude line contact stylus. It offers a great deal of sonic and technical prowess for $1750. I did much of the listening using the Manley Labs Oasis hybrid phono stage ($3999)—review coming up. It's a reliable choice due to its low noise and honest timbral balance, though I suspect many or most buyers of a $5250 turntable aren't going to spend another $4000 on a phono preamp. Later I used The Black Swan by Austin AudioWorks, which sells for a super-reasonable $1649 and is among the most user-friendly fully adjustable MM/MC at or hear that price point. I also used an Audio Technica AT ART20 ($2900) another partnering product probably above what most Model One buyers will be using, but it demonstrated to me that you can move up the cartridge ladder and derive the full sonic benefits.

The Model One comes with a fibrous, not felt type platter mat. It's a dust collector and I didn't use it for long, especially since the review sample came minus the dust cover. Your choice. The Stein, Sublima Research and Achromat all produced superior sonics, but I ended up using the easily wiped clean Achromat. The threaded spindle is there for VPI's screw on record clamp, though one wasn't supplied for the review and I think the standard weight that comes with the turntable is a non-screw on type. I've got a wide range of substitutes and used them for the review.

Unsurprising Sonics

Looking at the speed accuracy and consistency and the excellent isolation system, the superb sound delivered by the Model One with any of the partnering cartridges and/or electronics was not surprising. Describing the differences would be more about characterizing the partnering gear than about providing you with useful information about the Model One, which is another way of saying that the Model One proved to be a notably neutral mechanical agent. The Oasis isn't a particularly "tubey" hybrid phono stage and The Black Swan isn't a lean, "solid-statey" analytical design. The Model One didn't neutralize or obscure the differences between the two phono preamps and the new arm gave both Audio-Technica manufactured cartridges outstanding rides through the grooves.

The most recent Craft "Small Batch" One-Step Bill Evans Trio Explorations (Craft CR00825) recorded at Bell Sound at Evans' insistence because he preferred the piano to the one at Riverside's studio, is probably the best sounding Evans studio recording in the Riverside catalog and of course it's the second and final trio studio recording featuring Scott LaFaro, so it's a treasure in every regard and worthy of a One-Step (not sure why one commenter under the announcement of this release wrote it's not among the best sounding Evans recordings).

Vibrant and full-bodied on bottom, texturally supple with clean attack in the mid, well-delivered high frequency transients and effective decay into the black void helped make the Model One's presentation of Explorations thoroughly convincing, rhythmically compelling and most importantly totally enjoyable. Image stability was outstanding and there was zero audible mistracking even on the most difficult, heavily modulated passages. If the Model One leaned in any direction from fast, lean and nimble on one side and full, thick and rich on the other, I'd put it a bit on the "full, thick and rich" side of the sonic divide, but not to where the goings get slow and bogged down. A faster leaner cartridge might be good choice if that's what you hear, but either of the A-Ts partnered well.

Just got a test pressing of the soon to be released One-Step Dookie cut for the first time using the original analog master tape and for Green Day fans this will be the shite! The Clash influence doesn't extend to the production, which can't match Guy Stevens' on London Calling, which to me was audiophile quality spectacular, but this Dookie is plenty good and sounds way better than the original. If you don't think the punk rock crowd won't spend for a One-Step, consider that the One-Step American Idiot was close to being sold out a few days ago and probably out of print as I write this. The Model One did great job with Dookie. Its full-bodied but well-controlled bottom end was a great match for the recording and the music.

A test pressing just arrived of another great Pablo: Take Love Easy (APJ 159) a "duet" with Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass. The Model One adequately rendered this quiet, nuanced recording and brought me into the space where the two sat and performed, but it also pointed out why people who have it, spend a lot more money on turntables, tonearms and cartridges: there are blacker backgrounds and finer rendering of images against those blacker backgrounds to be had and far more subtle shifts in micro dynamics and greater transparency too, none of which comes as a surprise to Harry, Mat or you! But you'd need to spend a great deal more moolah to get those things. You could also spend more than the $5250 the Model One costs and not get what it offers, so there's that.

Conclusion

The new VPI Forever Model One couldn't come at a more opportune or critical time in VPI's forty five years, at least as far as I'm concerned. The last big VPI move was developing its direct drive Thin Gap based motor system. Following that, VPI produced a series of Direct Drive variants at the top of the company's product range while the middle remained relatively stagnant with variations on the Scout and Scoutmaster theme, but nothing really new or noteworthy that demonstrated the company's commitment to "newness" or new thinking, especially after passing the leadership torch to son Mat.

While it's somewhat ironic that what's new here is a major update, mostly in terms of visuals, of what's really old—the original HW-19—what's inside the familiar wooden frame is a complete rethinking of how and what a suspended design could be and do. It represents much needed fresh thinking and delivers a substantial, well-conceived and executed medium/high-mass design plus a new well-designed, fresh looking and executed tonearm that offers the full range of set-up options and most importantly sounds and performs well.

The modularity of the design is also a key feature. For buyers the Model One offers upgrades and updates. For the company it offers a path to more sophisticated and costly models. Most importantly, the Model One fully delivers the sonic goods—on the full/rich side of the sonic spectrum, and, as the subhead suggests, "hits all the right notes". The Model One gives buyers considering a turntable in the attractive $5000 price range something new, unique, intriguing and substantial to consider.

VPI's Forever Model One is a "must stop" on any vinyl enthusiast's journey up from "beer budget" turntable-land to something that brings power, weight and majesty to their vinyl collection without breaking the bank. Plus, playing records on it is fun and that counts too!