Has anyone heard the VPI Classic yet

I have my Classic now for a few months and it has been kind of frustrating for me a bit. I upgraded from an old Blue Note Piccolo to Classics with ring clamp and when taken each aspect of the sound, VPI seems to be better in just about every category, quieter, deeper, better clarity in the bass, smoother mid/high, more extended top, more detail, bigger soundstage but for some reasons, the Piccolo seemed to be more musical and more fun, although less refined sound. VPI seemed to be more detached and is very component/cartridge sensitive. I have been using ASR Mini Basis with Ortofon T100 SUT, Ortofon Jubilee initially. My Piccolo sat on Symposium Acoustic Ultra platform which VPI did not seem to like much at all. Switched to Ginko Cloud 11 improved things significantly.
With Koetsu Rosewood Signature, midrange was magical, piano and vocal music was all I could asked for but bass was too sluggish for me, especially for pop or large symphonic pieces. With Ortofon Jubilee, mid range is a bit too lean and detached but with excellent speed and clarity, pacing and rhythm. I burrowed an old Crown Jewel (?Shelter 501) to try and midrange was not quite as full or lush as Koetsu but also very smooth but bass was a bit slower than Jubilee. At the beginning of next month, I should get a Dynavector XV-1s which I heard at a local VPI dealer and seemed to be a good match for Classic. So far, I think the Classic has the potential to be very very good but it is very revealing and very picky about its associated equipment.

Update on my VPI Classic, today, I removed damping fluid from the arm (it was placed there initially when my TT was set up by my local dealer). It was interesting. Without any damping fluid, the bass was not nearly as deep or powerful, ,not as black background but at the same time, mid and high seemed more alive, more air and not so subdue. The missing fun and musical factor that I was complaining about in comparison from my old Blue Note Piccolo was much less obvious. I imagine that if I could find a right amount of fluid where bass is better controlled and less noisy but at the same time, keeping the mid/high not so well damped!, this would be really great. I suppose it just goes to show that the Classic is incredibly sensitive to just about everything.

I imagine that different cartridge will require different amount of damping fluid, is that correct? This is going to make changing cartridge frequently a lot less fun :(

I am using Gingko Cloud 11L-B (for Scout/Scoutmaster 15x20.5) with excellent result. It comes with 5 balls which is optimal for 50 lbs mass which is perferct for the Classic (45 lbs) plus ring clamp. Bass response is deeper, tighter and midrange/high seemed smoother and much quieter.
My TT initially sat on acrylic platform on top of 3 inverted spike on steel bar supports with legs filled with leadshots and spikes into carpet. Not exactly the best equipment rack but not so bad either. My only complain of Gingko is that when the motor first started to run, there is a bit of sideway motion as the Gingko's topshelf can have quite a bit of lateral movement. It takes a few seconds for everything to settle down.

I have Symposium Acoustic Ultra platform as well that does not seem to do anything much for the Classic. I actually prefer the sound of the Classic directly on my rack rather than with the Symposium. I think it is mainly because Symphosium platform does not work well with rubber feet as they recommend solid coupling for it to work. I did not try the Classic with Symposium aluminium coupler feet however. But Symposium worked very well with my old turntable which has solid feet and is now put to good use under my amp.

After playing with damper fluid for a few days, I also compare using only twisted phono wire vs using anti skating mechanism. In my system, using anti skating mechanism with only 2 rubber band on arm to keep the string in place and no rubber band on the other arm seemed to produce the best sonic. I am now mcuh happier with the result and now I can't wait for the Dyna XV-1s cartridge that I should get next week.

I just got the Dyna XV-1s for my Classic and I am very impressed. The Dyna is a demo unit so it is well broken in although it has not been played much for a couple of months as my local dealer was breaking in their new MY Sonic Hyper Eminent this past several weeks.

I really think that The Classic is very very neutral and it really lets you hear the strenght and weakness of your cartridge and associated equipments. In comparison to Ortofon Jubilee, the Dyna does not have the speed and punch of the Ortofon but music appears to flow with ease and naturalness that just seems right. The midrange is rich, dense but not overly lush or romantic. Violin and Cello sounds full body and not so thin or lean like Jubilee.

Basically I think this is a turntable that can benefit from a top notch cartridge, even one that is significantly more expensive that TT itself if the remaining associated equipment is revealing enough. Right now I am using ASR Mini Basis with Ortofon SPU-T100 SUT and have the new ASR Basis Exclusive 2010 on the way. I don't think I would need to upgrade my turntable anytime soon.

That's a bit unusual, I think, to have to give a little spin to start the platter's rotation. On my Classic, initially there was quite a loud sqeaky noise for a couple of seconds when the motor is first turned on. After using for a couple of months, the squeaky noise is pretty much gone. I never had to jump start the platter!
The first couple of days, I left the motor running when I first got it. I have no idea how long it would take the break in the turntable as it took me several months before I finally found a cartridge that finally let my analogue setup really sings and show me what all the fuzz about vinyl really are! :)

If there was a delay, it was less than a second, the platter pretty much started spinning almost right away and got up to speed within a few second.

Nolitan, I think your dealer's TT definitely has a problem as what's happening is not normal for the Classic. Mind you, I am using VPI peripheral ring clamp with upgrade center weight which also add significant weight to the platter as well and it always rotates pretty much right away everytime.

Quick question, my platter gets a bit dirty with whitish stain after a few months use. I have no idea where that came from, may be oxidized aluminium rust or stain from vinyl?
Anyhow, simple rubbing with microfiber cloth did nothing so I am wondering if anybody else is cleaning his/her platter and what do you use to clean it?