Dateline: Poughkeepsie, New York, 1967. I had just taken the municipal bus from downtown PoTown to home, replete with a 45 of the Strawberry Alarm Clock's blockbuster "Incense and Peppermints." Sure, Cousin Brucie of WABC radio rotated that snappy disc every 15 minutes, but I had the means to outperform our Zenith AM radio. I could drop the metal tonearm of my father's Voice of Music stereophonic console with the precision of hypoxic bombardier. A snag of cloth on the needle, not a problem, just swipe the needle with an index finger.
Of course, when your younger cheerleader sister practiced her leaps in the adjacent bedroom the tonearm shuddered with the consequent snap, crackle, and pop that would be forever imprinted in vinyl. I imagine that blunt "diamond-tipped" cartridge honed the high frequencies to a bland muddle. After a while "Incense and Crack-lemints" offered a muted version of its former self.
But then there was the local Lafayette Radio, with their display of turntables with balanced arms and radical moving coil cartridges. "California Dreamin'" never sounded as harmonic on our V of M console. There was a whole vocabulary to become familiar with; anti-skating, direct drive, phono preamplification, speed correction. It was an anthropomorphic shift from "needle" to cartridge and from "record player" to platter and 45 to 33.
Those were heady days, Cousin. Instead of a paper wrapper, there was album art and a protective sleeve. The single relinquished its stranglehold on albums as FM boasted long tracks and album nights. The scene was, of course, at Record World, Book and Record, Tower Records inquisitively perusing bin after bin of new releases, or avant-garde instant-classic album art.
My first encounter with a record player was like fumbling with Peggy Sue. Rough around the edges but unforgettable. Curious about what others like me thought, I asked Mat Weisfeld of turntable, cartridge and accessories manufacturer VPI Industries about some of his thoughts and experiences with vinyl. (He's pictured in the header image.) Here's what he had to share.
Joe Caplan: What is the single greatest turntable flop other than vertical tables?
Mat Weisfeld: Vertical and floating turntables! The coolest marketing flops I’ve ever seen. They looked amazing but were total engineering chaos when it came to high-precision, quality listening. You’ll never see a vertical or floating VPI – unless it’s in one of the creative drawings my kids make.
JC: Does today’s turntable buyer pick a product based upon the brand, features, or price?
MW: A combination of all three. First, there’s the aesthetic factor – we’ve had potential customers fall in love with the look of a design before even hearing it. For most people who join the VPI family, it’s because they already know about us or have learned enough about the brand to connect with our family story and company values. Especially in the US, the fact that our turntables are made in America by a family business really matters to many of our customers. Of course, there are always those who focus primarily on price and features.
Classic VPI design meets modern refinement: the VPI Forever Series Model One.
JC: Do you foresee a wider integration of artificial intelligence or even quantum computing in future turntable design?
MW: Absolutely. AI has already made 3D modeling, printing, and other engineering and mathematical processes much easier to accomplish. While we’ll always have engineers on hand, AI has helped make complex concepts more accessible and improved efficiency across the board. It’s also contributed to tighter manufacturing tolerances and cost savings in tooling.
JC: What feature is most sought after by consumers: craftsmanship, reliability, or other?
MW: Reliability over craftsmanship – but really, those are the two main things our customers look for. The gimmicks and fly-by-night companies are fun to watch, but customers want to know they can call a company 10 or 20 years down the road and still get service or replacement parts. We’re proud to keep developing new products while continuing to support our original legacy customers who helped build VPI.
JC: Do you foresee a future where turntable development rivals digital audio, or are we already there?
MW: I grew up with analog first, and to me, it has always been the better, more dynamic, and more realistic sound. I was a musician growing up – I played piano and trombone – and if a piano key doesn’t sound right, the whole experience loses me. I can still enjoy digital, and I listen to plenty of it for convenience (especially with three kids who need their musical dose of K-Pop and Demon Hunter soundtracks!) But when I really want to experience my music, a turntable – or a reel-to-reel – still gives me the best listening experience. Will digital ever catch up? Possibly. But we’ll keep making and servicing turntables regardless.
The mighty Avenger Statement in a striking blue finish.
JC: Have turntable manufacturers become more profitable, or even survived, by embracing the resurgence of vinyl?
MW: I’ve come to believe that the "vinyl resurgence" is more marketing nonsense than reality – something companies use to sound relevant again. I have an article in my office from 1995 titled "Past is Present, " all about the vinyl resurgence. For us, vinyl never left. The fly-by-night companies were the ones that left, shifting their marketing to CD and digital players when they stopped making turntables. When the bean counters saw money in turntables again, they came back.
As for us – we’ve always believed in and lived our own passion. When you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.
JC: Do you think the higher dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio of digital is preferable to the "warm, authentic" sound of vinyl?
MW: Digital is always quieter, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard a digital system – aside from ultra-high-end setups – that sounded more dynamic than analog. Digital is great, and I probably listen to it more than vinyl from a convenience standpoint. But when I want to get the best out of my music, with the right recording and the right system, there’s nothing like vinyl. With continued technological improvements – and AI – anything is possible, but that warmth and realism are still unmatched.
VPI also makes tonearms, record cleaning machines, accessories, and cartridges, like this Shyla moving-coil model.
JC: How far will turntable research and development progress, in your opinion?
MW: To an extent, it feels like we’ve reached a peak and are now in a phase of diminishing returns. Most of the great engineering concepts are already out there – what we’re doing now is refining them. For example, VPI used suspended isolation systems over 40 years ago. In recent years, we brought back a similar concept, but designed and engineered it with modern precision using 3D modeling and CAD (computer aided design) before machining a single part. The devil is always in the details, and those details make the biggest difference.
JC: On balance, has turntable development reached its zenith now, with more emphasis on product appearance?
MW: For me, I’ve spent the past 10 years designing and creating industrial-looking engineering marvels. In my "old age" of 40, I’m starting to appreciate more traditional turntables that can fit into any lifestyle or home. People get bored with what they have, no matter how exotic. Manufacturers will always move back and forth between classic, lifestyle-friendly designs and bold industrial showpieces, and that balance keeps things interesting.
JC: If you would, what price point do you think equates to the point of diminishing returns on a turntable purchase?
MW: I’ve found the sweet spot is between $4,500 and $8,000 for mid-to-high-end turntables. One of my favorite moments was when a retail partner called, jokingly mad at me, because they’d sold a Prime Signature (then around $7,000). I laughed and asked why it was a problem. He said the customer had originally come in to buy a $30,000 table from another brand, but they felt our $7,000 table sounded just as good. Did it really sound as good? Who knows. But at that massive price difference, I’m sure it was close enough to satisfy the customer.
A VPI Prime Signature turntable in black.
JC: Lastly, any final thoughts?
MW: This industry will face challenges if it doesn’t actively welcome new people – not just with stale statements like, "We need more girls," or, "How do we get young people?" Those phrases are already part of the problem.
For me, I grew up listening to Peter, Paul, and Mary with my mom and dad, and I fell asleep most nights to my dad, Harry, playing Harry Belafonte or Willie Nelson. Music is an experience meant to be shared and enjoyed with others – or alone, as a way to get through the day. Everyone is fighting battles we know nothing about, and everyone should be able to look at their system, listen to music, and let it help them through. I truly appreciate everyone who turns to music in this way, and I hope more people will share their experiences to grow both the joy of listening and the industry itself.
Header image courtesy of Mat Weisfeld.
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