I have the Debut with the vacuum "clamp." A friend has the 2800 without the vacuum. With respect to the difference between the tables, the 2800 is a much lighter table with a "lightly sprung" suspension. It is quite sensitive to footfall and bounces quite readily. The much heavier Debut is less bouncy, in much the same way that heavier cars are more immune to disturbances.
The vacuum clamp acts very much in the way Raul describes. At first, one may think the sound is too damped and lacking in life, but, after adjusting to the sound, one realizes how much purer the sound is with the vacuum, and what seemed like a little more "zing" to musical transients without the vacuum is really more like noise.
Care must be taken in the location of the pump. I think it is noisier than some others have described. I have not made a direct comparison, but, my impression is that it is noisier than the SOTA pump.
Another thing to consider is that some people have raised concern over the possibility of damage to records from the vacuum -- either from the vacuum causing gas to "bubble up" from the vinyl or from dirt being ground into the record from the high downforce. The recommendation is to use as little pressure as is necessary (adjustable) to hold the record down. I found that a record can be effectively clamped with a force that barely registers on the pressure guage, but at such low pressure, some records with edge warps become hard to clamp. With these records I have to either increase the vacuum, or I have to "assist" the pump by pressing down on the edge of the record until the rubber lip seals the record and allows for effective clamping.
The vacuum clamp acts very much in the way Raul describes. At first, one may think the sound is too damped and lacking in life, but, after adjusting to the sound, one realizes how much purer the sound is with the vacuum, and what seemed like a little more "zing" to musical transients without the vacuum is really more like noise.
Care must be taken in the location of the pump. I think it is noisier than some others have described. I have not made a direct comparison, but, my impression is that it is noisier than the SOTA pump.
Another thing to consider is that some people have raised concern over the possibility of damage to records from the vacuum -- either from the vacuum causing gas to "bubble up" from the vinyl or from dirt being ground into the record from the high downforce. The recommendation is to use as little pressure as is necessary (adjustable) to hold the record down. I found that a record can be effectively clamped with a force that barely registers on the pressure guage, but at such low pressure, some records with edge warps become hard to clamp. With these records I have to either increase the vacuum, or I have to "assist" the pump by pressing down on the edge of the record until the rubber lip seals the record and allows for effective clamping.