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SOTA vacuum or no?

I am considering a new SOTA Sapphire or Nova as a replacement for my VPI Scoutmaster. I am aware of the differences in features between the Sapphire and Nova, but the biggest difference is obviously the presence of the vacuum clamping system present on the Nova. Is it worth it? The price difference between these two SOTA's is about $1400, I think. I am curious as to the reliability of the vacuum system, sonic benefit versus using the SOTA I-clamp or Reflex clamp alone. Also, how easy is the vacuum system to live with? I'd prefer minimal tweaking, if possible. Thanks!
rockinrobin

Showing 1 response by dusty

dusty
60 posts
 
The vacuum option is available on both the Sapphire and the Nova. The Nova has a different bearing material IIRC and some other changes in the substructure. The clamping makes a difference. There is an increase in low level resolution that is hard to give up once you recognize the difference. There was a review in Audio a few years ago that measured the differences between the vacuum on and off. The graphs showed a dramatic reduction in the amount of spurious resonances in the vinyl once the vacuum was turned on.
You may NOT like the result of this reduction but that's another story.
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