SOTA Cosmos and other models - lean sounding?


I have owned an older SOTA Star (vacuum) Sapphire Series III for nine years and it's been great. I am considering either upgrading it or selling and buying a newer (not new) Star/Nova/Cosmos and if necessary upgrade it a bit. I don't want to change the tonal balance much though... more about getting quieter and maybe more dynamics.

Digging back into reviews and forum posts on SOTA, I ran across a couple of comments that the Cosmos might be "lean" sounding that some other comparable tables. This really surprises me because my Star Sapphire always struck me as very full sounding. Or at least that's how my system sounds overall. The table sounds incredibly musical.

Does anyone experienced with SOTA tables know:
1. As you move up from a Sapphire to a Cosmos, it is known to sound a bit more lean?
2. Are these "lean" comments just outliers and do most people not experience the Cosmos or other SOTAs that way?
3. If you do think the SOTA Cosmos tend toward leanness, what other brands/models in the $3-4k range used ($6-9k retail) might have a fuller sound?

My system is a Koetsu Rosewood Signature, Jelco 850M, custom all-tube Berning preamp w/ phono, Quicksilver V4 amps, Verity Audio Parsifal Encores, and Cardas Golden Cross cabling. 29' x 16' x 7.5' room with concrete floors.

Thanks for thoughts!

montaldo

Showing 4 responses by montaldo

Thanks guys. Mulveling: what sonic changes do you you recall when upgrading your Star III TO A Nova? This is likely exactly the upgrade I would do.Thanks
Thanks for the great feedback, all! Also pondering a used Basis Debut or an EAT turntables as alternatives to my SOTA. Any opinions are welcome.
It would be psychologically challenging for me to move away from the vacuum hold down, now that I have had it. Not certain of the sonic impact.

Mijostyn: There may be audiophiles who care mainly about accuracy to the recording, but two things I believe:1. I am not one of them.2. Chasing accuracy to the "source" is a red herring, unless one happened to be at the recording session. I would rather chase a sound that, to some degree, fools my brain into thinking I am hearing the real thing... which is, as Nelson said, chasing sound that makes me happy.

What makes others happy may be knowing that their system is reproducing what the engineer laid down on the track, even if it is poorly done. I dont begrudge them this pursuit of happiness. I guess that is what Nelson meant... there are different causes of happiness in audiophilia, and everyone chases their own flavor.
This makes for spicy forum debates as well... partly because we often dont  acknowledge that our respective roads to hapoiness are completely different! Its no wonder our systems should also be different.