I do not own the VPI Classic, but I do own a VPI HW-19 MK3, which has served me well for a long time, and which a few people may consider a bit of a minor classic itself. I had previously tried it with the SDS, which I felt added a slight electronic edge or impression of artificiality to what I was hearing. In other words, things sounded more natural without the SDS, and I had no problems with the turntable's speed either. I also saved some $$. One final comment: I've never been able to understand why after buying a VPI table, one should have to shell out an additional, sizeable sum of money for the ostensible purpose of doing something for the platter's speed that shouldn't have posed a "problem" in the first place.
