VPI Classic or Notthingham Hyperspace?

I have had the 294 for a year and am a very happy owner. I would strongly recommend adding the optional heavy kit (comes standard on Hyperspace) if the store owner has not already included it in the asking price. There are also a lot of different 12" arms that you can try out with the Nott. My bias is that while the Notts are world class tables the arms (while good) are not up to the same level. I have a two arm set-up where the space-arm is used with a mono-cartridge and a SME 312S is used with a Stereo cartridge. As I've said many times, the Nott's don't have the marketing buzz of a lot of other products. They are just very well engineered tables that have stood the test of time and provide good value for the $. In particular, the Notts have some of the quietest, blackest backgrounds that I have experienced.

My Notts Hyperspace benefited so much from addition of the Walker Precision Motor Controller that I came to think of it as an essential part of the turntable system. Possibly the Notts motor controller would be just as good, but don't leave home without some sort of motor controller, i.e. an AC synthesizer that can control motor speed by changing frequency. The Notts motor appears to be a single phase type, which if true explains why it goes so well with a single phase controller like the Walker.

You may not need a motor controler if you use a PS audio power plant or power director. I used a Walker Ultimate Motor Controller for a few months but did not feel it added anything and sold it. Using a KAB strobe the Nott's speed was rock solid with or without the Walker. Then I realized that the PS Audio device was ensuring a clean sine wave so the Walker was probably redundant in my system. One of those purchases that was well intentioned but in the end not really necessary. Others may have different experiences in their system but this was mine.