Teres 265 or 320 vs. Sota Cosmos

Nrchy,to me this is simply amazing!!I had the exact same problem,when first ordering my Triplaner/Cosmos,some time ago.I "freaked out"(my dealer was supposed to check out compatability here,and did not).What I ultimately had to do,was to have Triplaner(Herb Papier,at the time) make me a spacer,that went between the arm's headshell and cartridge.This allowed for vta adjustments,but added unwanted mass.I had always felt that the Triplaner was not such a hot "fit" for the Cosmos,but as you say,Sota does use it at trade shows,but it may be fitted on a Millenia.

In any case I don't want to alarm you.You have paid good money for your stuff,and ANY good dealer/manufacturer should take responsibility for any potential problems.Especially if you had mentioned to them the combo of arm/table you preferred.The audiophile community is a small one,and you should exercise your right to have this problem solved quickly,and to your satisfaction.

Don't do as I did,and wait 2-3 years before you realized that you could not extract optimum performance, from a front end that should be nearly state of the art.Kirk is a truly great guy,and will bend over backwards to try to help you.I think,as in my situation your dealer(for the arm) is responsible for making sure of no problems,in matching arm/table here.LEAN on him a bit.If he's worth his weight then he should solve your problem,and fast.It is NOT up to you to do the legwork,after spending audio "big bucks".

I wish you the best,and you can communicate your concerns any time.Also,it would not hurt if you were to indicate,to any dealer/type seller,of your analog rig,that you have more than a few interested parties(in your dilemma),on the web.That should send a message!!

Nate, two questions:

1. The Cosmos picture on the SOTA website shows the arm mounting area is actually recessed into the plinth. Is yours like that?

2. If so, is it a case of the arm hitting the edge of that plinth cutout when you try to lower the VTA tower?

Doug

Sirspeedy, Sota uses the TriPlanar with the Cosmos and the Millenia. My concern is that the suspension is hanging too low from the chassis. If the sub-chassis sat up higher there would be no issue, but at the same time I doubt that Kirk has the same issue with his own display models.

Doug, you are correct in your assesment of the Cosmos construction. The floating sub-chassis which contains the platter, and the armboard is hung from the main or outer portion of the chassis.

The arm lift assembly is actually sitting on top of the chassis when the VTA is set anywhere near it's intended location.

The entire works is boxed up and awaiting shipping back to Sota, where I hope Kirk will find something obvious that I did wrong, or something wrong in construction that we be rectified.

Hope for the best and expect the worst...

The entire works is boxed up and awaiting shipping back to Sota,

That certainly seems like the best course given the circumstances.

They claim this arm works with this table. Let them make it so. If they can't, I'd expect a full refund on the table. They'd owe you that after all this aggravation.

P.S. Make sure they fix the spindle-to-pivot error too. Could that be the cause of your arm/plinth collision problem? If the arm were 2mm closer to the spindle would it clear the plinth?

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin' me late
Is keepin' me waitin'

Nate, sorry to learn of all these problems. As you described to me yesterday the clearance issue should be an easy fix. If the spindle to hole distance is off though it must be corrected to fully enjoy the synergy of that wonderful arm and cartridge combination. As an owner of a suspended table I must say that suspension adjustment is something SOTA should instruct their owners on doing themselves.

In any case, you will be richly rewarded and the time you spend in waiting will quickly fade away once you start listening to it. Hang in there!!