The Aires has always been an elegant TT. Just for reference I run an original TNT with an acrylic-lead platter and a TNT V bearing with an upgrade that includes a ceramic bearing and sapphire thrust plate. Also a Roadrunner and Eagle, and a flywheel.
I don’t think there was ever an aluminum/lead/Delrin platter. The originals for the TNT and Aires were as I still have, acrylic-lead. IMO acrylic was dropped, not because of SQ reasons, but for reasons of price in the raw goods and in the fabrication. Aluminum is much easier, and less expensive. Of course, that’s not what they say.
If I were in your place I would do three things. I would get the motor, speed control and Roadrunner from SOTA. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it combo with real performance. It beats anything VPI has ever made available. They have promised more, but that turned out to be vaporware. I would get the VPI second pivot for your arm. It will then behave more like a bearing arm. That’s not particularly important to me, but it will then be very easy to control azimuth, perhaps the most important setting on a cartridge, and probably improve bass. Finally, the problem with the all acrylic platter IIRC was said to be that it lacks the weight of other VPI platters. Which is why VPI went to the Superplatter. The weight contributes to the all important speed stability, the flywheel, of the platter. Before giving up on it and looking at other possibilities, I would glue lead sheeting to its underside to the extent that clearance with the TT base allows.
