Technics 1200G VS VPI Prime Signature

I got a damper from KAB ...

Fluid damper required ONLY for very high compliance cartridges on this tonearm. 

The VPI definitely can be made to outperform the Technics, but that is not true right out of the box and not everyone has the patience or the money to go that route.

Technics will kill it with the right cartridge for this tonearm right out of the box. Technics also can be modified, if you will change tonearm for something ultra high-end (like Reed 3p '9 inch) this Technics will put in the dust many turntables with 10 times higher price tag. 

Tonearm and cartridge is a key to a perfect sound with Technics coreless direct drive. Tonearm and cartridge is what you hear, not the drive!

This type of turntable will last forever.  

There are a wide range of cartridges that can be in “best match” category. No matter what was Technics choice. Tonearm mass with shell and cartridge compliance at 10hz is what you need to know. If you can avoid low compliance MC (made for super heavy tonearms) and very high compliance MM (made for extremely light mass tonearms) everything else is a perfect match for Technics tonearm. You can fine tune it with headshells of different mass and a subweight provided by Technics for tonearm. 

In my opinion Audio-Technica AT-ML170 OFC with Gold-Plated Boron pipe cantilever and MicroLine stylus tip is a perfect match for Technics tonearm, and it’s spectacular MM cartridge (mid compliance). 

But I could add at least 5 more excellent carts. With fluid damper and stock headshell you could use high compliance cartridges too. Grace Level II or F14 are superb! Stanton 981, CS-100 or Pickering XSV/4000 and XSV/5000 are great and still reasonably priced for NOS (they are excellent performers, exceptionally good). 

Other people will point you to the mainstream basic stuff that I am not interested at all. 

If you want something special look above, those are real killers!