VPI Industries Inc. – a well-known manufacturer of High-End equipment from the USA – began its history in 1978 as a small family business by Sheila and Harry Weisfeld.
This family-owned company, run by Harry Weisfeld and his son Mat Weisfeld, remains such a company to this day, although over its 40-year history production volumes have grown significantly, and the company’s products – turntables, record cleaning machines and accessories – have become world fame and has taken its rightful place among equipment of this type.
The very first product released by the company was a turntable disc in two different sizes, then, a little later, the company introduced a vibration isolation platform for turntables to the public. The first significant product that is still produced by the company, albeit in an improved form, was the HW-16 vinyl record cleaning machine, released in 1981. Harry Weisfeld, being a keen audiophile, preferred to keep his record collection in pristine condition. However, the only record cleaning machine available at that time was the rather expensive Keith Monks Record Cleaner. And Harry decided to design his own cleaning machine for personal use.
This is how the HW-16 model appeared, which later began to be sold for only 1/5 of the price of the Keith Monks Record Cleaner. Yes, it may have been a little noisy in operation, but the noise made by the machine was no louder than the noise of a popcorn machine. Soon after the release of the HW-16 machine, DB-5 (Magic bricks) were put into production – iron bars in a wooden frame, designed to absorb stray electromagnetic radiation from electronic components. The next step for the company was the production of cases for Denon and JVC players. And now, the time has finally come for turntables! The company created its famous turntable VPI HW-19, which subsequently began to be released in versions MK2, MK3, MK4, JR. It set a new industry standard for high-end equipment by becoming a relatively inexpensive high-end player.
Subsequently, with the launch of the VPI TNT turntable model (later also released in several versions), Harry’s dream of creating a turntable with an uncompromising price/quality ratio – where the turntable costs less than one might expect, given its quality – came true. The next step in the development of the company was the release of the VPI PLC network air conditioner in 1985. The subsequent introduction of the Aries, Scout and then the Scoutmaster and Super Scoutmaster models took VPI to a new level of business and production and increased sales. The culmination of the company’s 30-year work and the first “swallow” of the new generation of VPI turntables was the anniversary model of the VPI Classic “30th Anniversary” player. Outwardly reminiscent of classic turntables of the 70-80s of the last century, the model was structurally much closer to modern models of vinyl players and was distinguished by simple and impeccable mechanics, low price and the ability to extract from these vinyl grooves not only information, but even emotions…
Currently, VPI Industries Inc. produces several models of turntables in various price categories – from budget to expensive, with various combinations of available options, as well as tonearms and several models of cleaning machines. Most VPI turntables, regardless of the year they were made, can be upgraded thanks to a large number of options and accessories. All products of VPI Industries Inc. manufactured in the USA (Cliffwood, New Jersey) from American-made parts and materials, which the company is very proud of: “We are an old school American manufacturer, using domestic components as much as possible, even if these components cost us more than similar imported ones.” The only part imported by the company is microlifts for JMW tonearms.
VPI products are successfully sold both in the USA through an extensive dealer network (about 100 dealers) and in 65 countries around the world. The equipment produced by the company has been favored by the world Hi-Fi press and has been awarded multiple titles and awards, such as “Golden Ear Award”, “Product of the Year”, “Editor’s Choice”, “Analogue Product of the Year”, etc.
