EduardVT25
Member
Hello, I will keep members here informed about the outcome of their solution. Right now i am still waiting for their answer because i dont want to send an expensive product without clear communication. Kind greetings, Eduard
The Official SOTA Turntable Thread
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- sota star sapphire sumiko
EduardVT25
Member
Hello. Good to know. Of course if you have been '' active '' in serious audio you know there are some crooks around because there is serious money to be made. I have a plan to describe my adventures with building a diy turntable on a French website because after all that is the country of the Verdier turntable. I hope to get an answer from sota pretty soon. Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
I just found and wrote a message to a Sota Condor RR user in France so i am hoping to get some feedback from France too. Kind greetings, eduard
I just found and wrote a message to a Sota Condor RR user in France so i am hoping to get some feedback from France too. Kind greetings, eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello, I just send the Condor to Sota. When i bought the unit they forgot to include a power supply so i used a DC supply that i had available. If i remember correctly Mister Phoenix told me you will not need 24 volt dc if you only use the Condor for 33.3 and 45 RPM. I think my supply will deliver around 15 volt dc. I did check the current being taken by the Condor and sometimes it will take 0,5A and i saw it take 1A too. I did use another multimeter changed the battery..
With my old Sota during start up there will be a bigger current being drawn but once it is at the correct speed the current is very moderate.
Of course Sota will check the Condor with the new firmware.
I hope after brain surgery things will be more clear for me.
Kind greetings, Eduard
With my old Sota during start up there will be a bigger current being drawn but once it is at the correct speed the current is very moderate.
Of course Sota will check the Condor with the new firmware.
I hope after brain surgery things will be more clear for me.
Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Re: Sota eclipse
Envoyé: Aujourd’hui à 11:29De: XDR
À: Lfceline
bonjour,
j'ai aussi du changer le moteur qui chauffait trop et faisait du bruit. mais il ne m'ont pas proposé de changer de firmware . J'ai aussi changé l'alimentation pour qq chse de plus costaud. depuis je n'ai malheurusement plus le temps d'ecouter.
Hello,
I just received an answer from a French audio club who is using the same Sota Eclipse as me. For those who cannot read French. I will translate:
He changed the motor because that was running to hot and was noisy. But he wasn't suggested to change the firmware.
SO i found only one user in France and he is having the same problem. He has not tried it yet.
My Condor will get new firmware because it is about to arrive at Sota.
Of course i will share my information in France and Germany.
kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
Are there more Sota customers outside the USA? When i bought my Sota sapphire there were some other people users in my country, Germany and France. But now all the owners are close to passing out and there are no young people buying them. Is there not enough support here in Europe?
In German there is a rather big group buying expensive turntables. There is a nice number of Verdier turntables. One of the Verdier owners recently bought a German made motor costing close to 5000 $. Of course i will have to wait a few weeks before starting recommending Sota in France and Germany.
Kind greetings, Eduard
Are there more Sota customers outside the USA? When i bought my Sota sapphire there were some other people users in my country, Germany and France. But now all the owners are close to passing out and there are no young people buying them. Is there not enough support here in Europe?
In German there is a rather big group buying expensive turntables. There is a nice number of Verdier turntables. One of the Verdier owners recently bought a German made motor costing close to 5000 $. Of course i will have to wait a few weeks before starting recommending Sota in France and Germany.
Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Reputable and doing well in Design and as a company.
Hello,
Is Sota only concentrating on American customers I try to gather information in Europe. I can understand English, French , German and my own language but it seems Sota is fading out here. Kind greetings, Eduard
Hello,
Is Sota only concentrating on American customers I try to gather information in Europe. I can understand English, French , German and my own language but it seems Sota is fading out here. Kind greetings, Eduard
Bert Dwyer
New Member
Hello everyone! I just joined Audiokarma because I just bought a new belt for my Jewel, and it's wider than the old one. Has anyone else replaced their belt lately and received the wide one? (It's about 3/16 of an inch.) I read most of this thread and I've only seen the thin one mentioned as the "new" one. It's riding a little low on the pulley, so I wondered if I somehow received an old, dried out, less elastic one. Thanks!
EduardVT25
Member
Reputable and doing well in Design and as a company.
wimbo1
Member
And?
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
They will probably receive my Condor this week which needs a firmware update to start working as intended. So i will confirm here if it is a reputable company. Kind greetings, Eduard
They will probably receive my Condor this week which needs a firmware update to start working as intended. So i will confirm here if it is a reputable company. Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
I guess once your are not on the American continent you are considered a foreigner and it will not matter if your gear has to travel 5000, 10000 or even 15000. A few weeks ago i send a parcel to Germany and Dutch postal services did manage to lose my parcel before it even crossed the border.
I dont know other English websites about turntable where Sota plays a main role. Before the motor was discussed at a VPI site.
Teres has passed away and they looked like the American kind of ugly.
Kind greetings, Eduard
I guess once your are not on the American continent you are considered a foreigner and it will not matter if your gear has to travel 5000, 10000 or even 15000. A few weeks ago i send a parcel to Germany and Dutch postal services did manage to lose my parcel before it even crossed the border.
I dont know other English websites about turntable where Sota plays a main role. Before the motor was discussed at a VPI site.
Teres has passed away and they looked like the American kind of ugly.
Kind greetings, Eduard
If anyone is wondering about the 2024 Sota Comet Series VI turntable, I took delivery of a NEW one about a month ago now. Some changes for the 2024 series VI that aren't mentioned on Sota's website.
1. The 2 piece platter that was made from 2 moonbeam platters bonded together is now replaced by a single piece platter (same thickness). It has almost zero run-out error and virtually no wobble. per Sota, this was done because the bonded platters were prone to delamination and warping/wobbling.
2. The main bearing well is no longer made from Turcite, it now looks to be just a brass bearing well. No comment from Sota about this...I did ask.
Problems I had right out the box...
1. upon startup, the belt kept climbing up off the wide part of the motor pulley and getting stuck in the smaller area at the top of the pully causing the table to run too slow. Had to remove the motor and slightly bend the mounting brackets so that the motor would stand up true and keep the belt in place under startup torque. My motor was slightly leaning inward towards the sub-platter. QC Issue.
2. I noticed that the spin-down of the sub-platter was maybe half to one full turn. Sota uses a really thick oil in the bearing. I swabbed this out and replaced it with a light-weight machine oil (with Sota's blessing) and the sub-platter now has what I would call an appropriate spin down.
3. I ordered mine pre-drilled for a Rega tonearm as I wanted to use my own upgraded Rega arm. The arm hole was drilled fairly far forward so when I mounted my Rega arm, the headshell is about 3mm from striking the front of the dustcover.
ALL IN ALL...
The table sounds fantastic and works very well with an Audio-Technica VM740ML. Runs at the correct speed in both 33.3 and 45 so that's a HUGE plus as so many Belt Drives DO NOT...I recently had a runaround with a Hanss T10 that was running too fast. I do feel most of what I paid for here was the fancy wooden box...at almost $2k for this table, might not be the deal of century when you consider all the DD tables hitting the market...
1. The 2 piece platter that was made from 2 moonbeam platters bonded together is now replaced by a single piece platter (same thickness). It has almost zero run-out error and virtually no wobble. per Sota, this was done because the bonded platters were prone to delamination and warping/wobbling.
2. The main bearing well is no longer made from Turcite, it now looks to be just a brass bearing well. No comment from Sota about this...I did ask.
Problems I had right out the box...
1. upon startup, the belt kept climbing up off the wide part of the motor pulley and getting stuck in the smaller area at the top of the pully causing the table to run too slow. Had to remove the motor and slightly bend the mounting brackets so that the motor would stand up true and keep the belt in place under startup torque. My motor was slightly leaning inward towards the sub-platter. QC Issue.
2. I noticed that the spin-down of the sub-platter was maybe half to one full turn. Sota uses a really thick oil in the bearing. I swabbed this out and replaced it with a light-weight machine oil (with Sota's blessing) and the sub-platter now has what I would call an appropriate spin down.
3. I ordered mine pre-drilled for a Rega tonearm as I wanted to use my own upgraded Rega arm. The arm hole was drilled fairly far forward so when I mounted my Rega arm, the headshell is about 3mm from striking the front of the dustcover.
ALL IN ALL...
The table sounds fantastic and works very well with an Audio-Technica VM740ML. Runs at the correct speed in both 33.3 and 45 so that's a HUGE plus as so many Belt Drives DO NOT...I recently had a runaround with a Hanss T10 that was running too fast. I do feel most of what I paid for here was the fancy wooden box...at almost $2k for this table, might not be the deal of century when you consider all the DD tables hitting the market...
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
Building turntables is a serious business. It is not like a wooden table that can be '' corrected '' during manufacturing. Everything has to be made according to design. Probably a reason that Germany and Switzerland made thousands of record players in the sixties that are still working today. My 1981 Sota sapphire is still running but my Condor already needs new firmware. Maybe it is also part of a mindset? Kind greetings, Eduard
Building turntables is a serious business. It is not like a wooden table that can be '' corrected '' during manufacturing. Everything has to be made according to design. Probably a reason that Germany and Switzerland made thousands of record players in the sixties that are still working today. My 1981 Sota sapphire is still running but my Condor already needs new firmware. Maybe it is also part of a mindset? Kind greetings, Eduard
Attachments
Agreed. That's why you TEST TEST TEST and then TEST again before ever going into production. Than you TEST TEST TEST the finished units. For that kind of money, a customer should do nothing but assemble and enjoy! Having to do what I did on this table that was almost $2k without a tonearm is not OK. Had I been on my game I would have demanded a refund...but I have a background in Precision Finishing, not Bottom Line Mfg so I had the ability to take it apart and make it better. I'm glad I did because it's a fantastic sounding machine. Won't be my last table...but it's a dang good one...for someone with my aptitude.
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
When i prepared my Sota Sapphire to be sold i noticed they did use some '' intelligent design '' during manufacturing that will make it work perfectly and for a few decades. Nowadays the quality of turntables is not better than those made a few decades ago.
Most manufacturers will go for one that can be easily assembled by anyone who can hold a screwdriver and a allen key. A torque wrench can go wrong in the wrong hands. For a few bucks you can get a cheap power supply in China. BUT usually they are not built to last and better pull the plug when you are not home. A few weeks ago there was a fire caused in the fuse box of one of my neighbours. It was the power supply of the internet modem that is usually installed there by most people because the data cable usually enters the house there too.
My Sota Condor is probably hanging around at American customs.
Of course i will hope i can share the good news in a few weeks.
Kind greetings, Eduard
When i prepared my Sota Sapphire to be sold i noticed they did use some '' intelligent design '' during manufacturing that will make it work perfectly and for a few decades. Nowadays the quality of turntables is not better than those made a few decades ago.
Most manufacturers will go for one that can be easily assembled by anyone who can hold a screwdriver and a allen key. A torque wrench can go wrong in the wrong hands. For a few bucks you can get a cheap power supply in China. BUT usually they are not built to last and better pull the plug when you are not home. A few weeks ago there was a fire caused in the fuse box of one of my neighbours. It was the power supply of the internet modem that is usually installed there by most people because the data cable usually enters the house there too.
My Sota Condor is probably hanging around at American customs.
Of course i will hope i can share the good news in a few weeks.
Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
Got a message from Sota. Condor has been received this week. The next day firmware was updated and they asked me to confirm my adres so they can ship it to the right person. I will publish the results here. Kind greetings, Eduard
Got a message from Sota. Condor has been received this week. The next day firmware was updated and they asked me to confirm my adres so they can ship it to the right person. I will publish the results here. Kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello, The Condor has been shipped with new firmware installed and my old Sota sapphire is being dismantled by its new owner before even listening to it. I hope he will be able to assemble it according to the rules. I did suggest to renew the caps on the motor supply board. Of course once packed it will cost a fortune to ship this kind of turntable back to Sota for an '' update ''when you are living in the EU so would be good to have a local technical support. kind greetings, Eduard
EduardVT25
Member
Hello,
I just connected my Condor with updated firmware in a '' temporary set up '' . Before the temperature at the motor unit was around 110 degrees Fahrenheit after the update the aluminium pulley is below 80 degrees. I guess this can be called a considerable difference.
DC voltage offered to the Cosmos is around 18 volt and well regulated. The current being drawn once running is around 300 mA ( i did not check during start up but i gues because the Condor has the feature of a slow start it wont be bigger.
Noise is surely down a lot..
I did run the test for the regulated power supply with 600 mA being drawn to be sure that the voltage drop across the regulator circuit will be big enough. The DC voltage is 18 volt but because of the lower current in actual use i could '' add '' a few volts. BUT i think once the voltage is enough to make it run properly it will not be an improvement making it run at let us say 20 volts.
Judging by the Roadrunner the speed is better as well.
I did not check yet if the new hardware did erase my choices in the program mode because directly after switch on things are better than before.
So big thumps up for Sota staff, Kind greetings, Eduard
I just connected my Condor with updated firmware in a '' temporary set up '' . Before the temperature at the motor unit was around 110 degrees Fahrenheit after the update the aluminium pulley is below 80 degrees. I guess this can be called a considerable difference.
DC voltage offered to the Cosmos is around 18 volt and well regulated. The current being drawn once running is around 300 mA ( i did not check during start up but i gues because the Condor has the feature of a slow start it wont be bigger.
Noise is surely down a lot..
I did run the test for the regulated power supply with 600 mA being drawn to be sure that the voltage drop across the regulator circuit will be big enough. The DC voltage is 18 volt but because of the lower current in actual use i could '' add '' a few volts. BUT i think once the voltage is enough to make it run properly it will not be an improvement making it run at let us say 20 volts.
Judging by the Roadrunner the speed is better as well.
I did not check yet if the new hardware did erase my choices in the program mode because directly after switch on things are better than before.
So big thumps up for Sota staff, Kind greetings, Eduard