This I gotta hear^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have both But I did my own mods similar to what Marc does. I'll reveal my thoughts on the two, but mine is sans Vacuum .
Athanasios
This I gotta hear^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Remembering back to your AR XA if you could......how does the Sota compare to it?
Athanasios
I hope it would be different, other wise we would just be moving sideways.Now in my system, the Sota does not put its best foot forward, to me it sounds a bit dark and recalcitrant. I have had this arm and cartridge combination on the Denon DP 75 in a sprung VPI plinth, and got significantly different results.
I hope it would be different, other wise we would just be moving sideways.
The fact of the matter is your trying to make the SOTA sound like something you already have as a base point...Why?
I would think one would try to get the system to sound to ones liking and have components work well together. Ask yourself this...have you ever seen a SOTA table setup the way your doing it? I never have. All the reviews that have ever been done on this table that I know of never used what you are.
Common cartridges and arms for this table with many many happy owners are as follows.
Sumiko Cartridges, From Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso, Alchemist to the Blackbirds and EVO III
Sumiko and SME arms
SOTA Phono Head Amp
Im sure all the building of this table revolved around these other components.
Ask me what I use and or have used, ask me why I use what I use...
I hope it would be different, other wise we would just be moving sideways.
The fact of the matter is your trying to make the SOTA sound like something you already have as a base point...Why?
I would think one would try to get the system to sound to ones liking and have components work well together. Ask yourself this...have you ever seen a SOTA table setup the way your doing it? I never have. All the reviews that have ever been done on this table that I know of never used what you are.
Common cartridges and arms for this table with many many happy owners are as follows.
Sumiko Cartridges, From Sumiko Talisman Virtuoso, Alchemist to the Blackbirds and EVO III
Sumiko and SME arms and many with the ET2
SOTA Phono Head Amp
Im sure all the building of this table revolved around these other components.
Ask me what I use and or have used, ask me why I use what I use...
That was the planThe other point is I am waiting for a good example of SME IV or V to come available. I initially planned to use a IV on it, but that scenario did not work out. So I am in waiting mode.
It is not a matter of wanting it to make it sound like my other tables, but rather wanting it to exceed one of them. We have not gotten to that point yet, but this stuff you just do not toss together and get perfection on the first try. So we will work at it a bit more.
That was the plan
I would hope so at least in your opinion as to what you like better as to sound. I'v watched you put a lot more effort on many other tables that had far less promise and reputation. I personally don't know of anyone who has come up with some of your descriptions of this table, most call them very musical and their end game deck. Don't know anyone who has bought one and then sold it in favor of a Techniques or even a Denon. But we all have different supporting equipment and taste as to what we like.
I have half a mind to pack up a
ET2 arm, arm board, it's weight and all supporting equipment.
A SME 309 arm
Cosmos Board
SOTA Phono Head amp
Sumiko Blackbird, EVO III, Talisman Virtuoso DTi,
Talisman Virtuoso Boron
And ship it to you.....
Then I could put some weight on your opinion and effort to work with it.
Arm used on a cast aluminum arm board and not properly coupled.Could it be an arm/table incompatibility?
We went back to the Sota/Acos/Cadenza this time the pump was turned off . Much better this way imo , soundstage was more open and still had that punchyness to it but it still wasn’t open and it just seemed like the Sota was being held back , or maybe that’s just it’s signature? I don’t know as this is the first time I have listen to a Sota and I always have wanted to , this table is on my bucket list to own . So I’m not sure if its the Arm , Cartridge or something else but there is definitely something going on .
I truly believe that, that Sota definitely has the potential and maybe the head amp is the answer in this case not sure , but I think there’s much more that can be squeezed out of that table ow whether that’s true direction Mr Pig wans to take I guess we’ll have to see , we both know that he has two very fine tables and cartridges to accommodate them so it could be that the Sota sound just isn’t his cup of tea but that remains to be seen . I personally hope that he gives the Sota another chance to fit into the stable of champions.Funny you mention the openness or lack there of.
It's been a great number of years that I Haven't used a SOTA Phono Head Amp in my system for all my tables. In fact I got the first one very shortly after my first Star, like within two weeks. They are not easy to find but I found another stand alone stage after trial and error that worked pretty good till I found enough SOTAs.
The reason I use it? and no less with HOMC and between a MC & MM stage?
As soon as I got it and notice, and what I tell everyone about it. It adds space, It pushes the celling up and the walls out. It turns my smallish listening space into a concert hall full of expanse with an airy bloom. I have thought about removing them, but they matched with the MC stage in the McIntosh C100 is just right for me and just about the same with the MM and I use the higher gain in that one.
I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't know or remember what the Star sounds like without the head amps, it's been like 5 years now. But it's also 5 years of never needing to look to better what I did. Thats saying something, sure I buy other tables, carts, arms but nothing has bumped it yet, in fact I already knew they wouldn't before buying.
this combination exhibits a very wide and deep soundstage with a very light and airy presentation that feels as if you could reach out and touch the instruments with the singers voice planted dead center , it’s imo a very nice way to listen to music , totally involving with speakers melted away and being left with just the music , often said like your sitting front row at a concert just for you . This was extremely satisfying.
This last page here is reminding me of why I always say one can't just do quick evaluation back and forth A/B ing. Yes it will tell you a little based on the media, music, system and most importantly your mood at that specific time. Everything will sound different that should be a given, better? maybe not for the long run.
My view is to use different components over days and weeks as our mood changes. Working with the different things if needed and acclimate to what I am hearing over time. I then determine it's weaknesses and what it excels at and if it's beneficial to keep in my system. After awhile my system is comprised of different components I select for specific music, mood, time of day and what I want the system to present.
I worked with many different tables, carts and staging to come to what works best in my space and with my system and if the benefits outweigh the faults.
I then let that front end stay the same and use it. My system also is comprised of multiple amps and speaker combinations. Yep they all sound different, not really better just different and work best depending on a few things. It all depends on my mood and what music I'm listening to at a given time. Why would I do this? because nothing is perfect with everything we want to listen to. mostly because of our mood, but no one system works best for everything that's played though it either.
I love when I find a good match that I know I don't want to change and it all just sounds right to me. My JBL L 250s and McIntosh MC 501s are like that, the same for the Star & SME Series 309,IV and V my staging and blackbirds. Everything else in my system is subject to change.The only thing I can state now is that the Acos belongs on the Denon/VPI combo and is going to stay there. That table an arm with the Ortofon A90 is a well balanced combination that works well together, and there is no reason to change it.
Hey Pigs are alway rooting around in holes...Not interested in going down that rabbit hole.
Yep a honest effort, build and evaluation over time. However there will not be much to do with the Star other than getting a arm mounted on it right, and that wants to work with the cartridges you want to use. I heard there is a new updated Star coming out, one of the things that might be being changed is the platter mat. You might want to call Donna and check into it. Let her know what you feel you hear with your table you don't like. You can always just send your platter in to get this mod only.It took me two years plus to get the Sp 10 in its final form, I guess I can wait a bit.
You can always just send your platter in to get this mod only.
We went back to the Sota/Acos/Cadenza this time the pump was turned off . Much better this way imo
"Euphonic", perhaps?Non-coupled always sounds more open or airy to my ears.