Developing A List Of Tonearm Candidates For A SOTA Turntable
So this month i sent my SME V off to a new home, and that leaves my SOTA armless. My other table has a schroder CB-1L on it and I have run either an Ortofon Verismo or Transfiguration Proteus on it. I did put both those same cartridges on the SME on the SOTA and it always had a disappointing presentation of harmonics and texture. A monochromatic sound could be the best description I have. Time for another arm.
The SOTA armboard restricts the type of arm that can be installed. The arm types that have a VTA tower and separate pivot point take up too much real estate to fit. So fitting something like a Wheaton, Reed, or Durand does not seem possible. I wondered about elevating the arm board so its level with the top plate, but I am not sure if there is enough room for the want to pivot without removing the dust cover. It is a possibility, but I wonder how it effects the travel of the suspension. and if there are unintended consequences. I have yet to read about any SOTA owners doing this.
So I am trying to put together a list of candidates. I do know some folks appreciate the Origin Live arms, but I am not very well versed in their lineup. I have wondered about the Groovemaster arms also. I have looked at the Moerch, but its kind of a fiddly thing. The point is the table is on the sidelines at the moment because there is no arm in place. I typically shop the used market, but I can be patient and wait for the right arm to come along. The benefit of having more than one table i guess.
Anyone else have any suggestions. Appreciate your thoughts and experiences.
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- 36 posts total
You presume too much. A friend of mine distributes the Supertrack here. As far as Dohmann goes he will mount any arm you want - "they are all great". Make sure you replace the horizontal bearing pivot point and re-polish the arm block on which it loads on your Blackhawk every year - they wear out quite rapidly.
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I'm surprised you've mentioned the ET2 - when I distributed Sota here our reference system primarily used Sota Vacuum/ET2 - an outstanding combo. We never had a problem with keeping the Sota sub-chassis level. Despite some folk objections to the ET2, properly set up it will see off most pivoted arms, particularly on tracking ability ( 0 anti-skate ). I was also the agent for SME at the time. |
@dover Could be! But I'm interested in the Nighthawk. Not the Blackbird. The Nighthawk was just released. As you may have heard, the Nighthawk is a significant upgrade to the Blackbird. Perhaps the bearing pivot point was upgraded? There were several significant parts upgraded. |
Hey neon, I feel your misery. The problem is that for the suspension of the SOTA to work normally, the arm has to be within a certain weight range. I use a CB on my Cosmos and I am in no hurry to move on. I have also installed the Kuzma 4 Point 9 on a Cosmos with excellent results. The 9 " Origin Live arms fit really well, but their customer service has received more than a few negative comments. There are also several Clearaudio arms that will fit. The Verismo on an SME V is not the greatest match without adding a significant amount of mass to the headshell. I have an MC Diamond which is way heavier than the Verismo and I still have to use the brass mounting plate! The Lyras are a great match for the SME, but you are ready to move on. I would like to try mounting a Reed 2G on the SOTA. It is lighter and more compact for a tower arm and I really like the bearing arrangement and the magnetic anti skating mechanism. The problem is once you buy it you are committed and it might require some modification to the plinth for clearance, something not many are willing to do. I keep thinking I'm going to build a custom plinth for the Cosmos. If I get down to it I might make use the old one as a guinea pig. Elevating the arm board won't work because you can only lower arms so far and somehow I do not think a Rega arm is your cup of tea. If you have a Thrax CB you might want to get in touch with the man himself and put yourself on the waiting list for one of his hand made wood CBs. I must warn you that I have been on that list for 2 years. |
- 36 posts total