Schiit Sol phono cartridge shoot out

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by russk, Aug 14, 2019.

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  1. russk

    russk Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
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  2. AlmanacZinger

    AlmanacZinger Zingin'

    Location:
    The Land of Zaat
    I think I am. Will be my first TT so I'm sure I'll need help with set-up, but I've got some needledrops to be made. Looking forward to it.
     
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  3. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    Makes me wonder about the gain and what they did to equalize that.
     
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  4. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Interesting selection of cartridges, some of which haven't been made in a long while. Wonder why they chose those, rather than cartridges that are still in production (not that I'm against vintage cartridges). I do like the interchangeable arm wands for swapping in and out-- that design apparently involves the change out of the entire arm and counterweight. Guess it makes comparisons easier, less set up involved when changing out (unless you bump the counterweight position).
     
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  5. AlmanacZinger

    AlmanacZinger Zingin'

    Location:
    The Land of Zaat
    I mainly am interested in this so I can have arms with mono and stereo cartridges ready to go for needledrops.
     
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  6. JohnO

    JohnO Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    It's interesting if not incredible that they would include a Micro-Acoustics cart, and not call out that is unobtainium and replacement styli are unobtainium. The article just lists its price in passing ($200) and that may be what its price was 30+ years ago, considered a high grade or high price cart then. The article, like many, strains hard to describe any sonic differences among those carts, and that is useful to know.
    Mildly interesting article, but not truly useful.
    Regarding that turntable, I won't be changing arms for different carts - I change headshells or switch between whole turntables.
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2019
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  7. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Random assortment of carts from yesteryear along with two budget MM favorites and a HOMC? Bizarre indeed. Plus no mention of any technical aspects of the cart design, or compliance match to this SOL arm.

    As for the SOL, the idea is interesting but the final execution seems super fiddly, almost like a minor step up from DIY designs. Can't imagine it will go over well with the gateway headphone-phile crowd Schitt attracts. Just seems like a poor choice for a beginner, especially since the $700-900 range is full of much easier options. Perhaps Schitt really is trying to go after the tweaker crowd, who would be more interested in mods and such for this thing, but that's a pretty big demographic pivot.
     
  8. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Also I see little benefit to a whole arm vs a headshell. Seeing the pile of arms looks like a hassle to store too. I'm sure you could argue rigidity, and ease of VTF setup, but then you lose the ability to tweak the arm mass via a headshell change.
     
  9. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    Schiit’s fans tend to be very zealous towards the brand and feel they can do no wrong, so I’m sure it will go over very very well.
     
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  10. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Haha I'm sure, but marketing a table like this to someone who has never touched a turntable seems about as sensible as trying to teach someone english by throwing Infinite Jest at them. Some newbie folks can barely operate those AT LP-60 things....
     
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  11. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    [​IMG]

    No way. Just no.
     
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  12. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    The cartridge "shoot out" was pretty vague. But the new turntable is pretty Esoteric looking for the $600 price point. Not your Project or Rega TT, that's for sure.
     
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  13. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    I expect the product and order page for the turntable will make it very clear that it is not a table designed for people new to turntables. I also expect the reviews and user impressions of the turntable to also highlight the setup challenges that a turntable design of this type will have.
     
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  14. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    I’m super interested in the Sol. Not as a replacement for my RP6, but rather that it’s so different than anything at its price point.

    I have a second/basement rig that I probably wouldn’t buy a second turntable for, but I could be tempted by something weird like the Sol.
     
  15. Bill Hart

    Bill Hart Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin
    Looks like a cool concept- stripped down to the essentials, but not designed for the neophyte- more like a tweaker table, as others here have mentioned. The old mantra about the turntable's job being simple is great in theory, but the execution is always the question. I like the spare, exposed parts approach. One of the biggest issues from my perspective, aside from set up (and the flexibility to change arms, make adjustments, etc.) is isolation, including from footfalls. (Something that suspended tables might do better with, but it's been a long time since I've had one of those).
     
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  16. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    There is the somewhat similar Wax Engine table at around that same price point, $700 give or take, though a bit more conventional ...

    [​IMG]

    Features:
    The WAX Engine is an advanced analog playback system introduced at the entry-level price under the design of the best-quality LP turntable, and the adjustment of the whole machine is very simple.
    Whether it is a heavy or light turntable, the support of the bearing system is essential if it is to rotate smoothly.
    The Wax Engine is equipped with a stepped stainless steel shaft and a ceramic bead pressed into the bottom. The entire bearing is placed on top of a Teflon gasket. The addition of a few drops of lubricant results in a very low friction of the entire contact surface. The rotating shaft is mounted in a brass bushing with a relatively short length so that the turntable can obtain a relatively low center of gravity, which is beneficial to ensure the stability of the rotation during operation.
    DC motors use high-quality, low-noise, long-life DC motors and a proprietary DC-powered servo system with patented technology.
    The horizontal and vertical modes of the bearing section are combined with brass and stainless steel, making the friction very small and very flexible.
    The arm tube is made of aluminum alloy and cotton, and is equipped with a light-weight cartridge holder. The balance of the direction-financing force can be adjusted by the three scale levers and the counterweight behind the pivot point of the arm.
    The base is constructed of a "T" aluminum material with independent shock-absorbing feet for height adjustment.

    Specifications:
    Support: rubber shock absorber foot
    Chassis: Aluminum chassis
    Turntable: Acrylic car system
    Motor: High precision torque DC motor with 33/45 rpm rotor
    Speed error: <0.01%
    Rotational signal to noise ratio: 80dB
    Shaking degree: <0.03
    vinyl turntable :13KG
    MM Phono:4KG
    vinyl turntable Dimension: L*W*H)57*52*26cm
    MM Phono Dimension: L*W*H)44*30*17cm
     
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  17. Rolltide

    Rolltide Forum Resident

    Location:
    Vallejo, CA
    I think there are kind of paradoxes in play here that will cause me to believe this is vaporware right up to the point customers unbox them. Schiit's MO is "no-nonsense". Their product write ups give the reader a sense that the competition for said product is probably overpriced nonsense, and you're better off with their no-nonsense approach. And to wit, I get the impression a large chunk of the people buying X from Schiit are buying their first X. This is completely incompatible with a niche turntable that is most definitely not for beginners or the faint of heart. We'll see. I'm curious how it turns out.
     
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  18. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    Agreed. It was a strangely not-very-useful review. Missed opportunity.

    I dunno... it makes some sense from the angle of Schiit’s ‘bang for the buck’ reputation. The Sol allegedly outperforms the Rega Planar 3 handily, and for less money too.

    But, to get there, Schiit had to go with a design that will indeed be fiddly in practice. Will be interesting to see if the Schiit-heads embrace it or rebel against it. My guess is that both camps will be significant, and quite vociferous.

    Which will just raise the profile of the Sol, actually.
    .
     
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  19. AlmanacZinger

    AlmanacZinger Zingin'

    Location:
    The Land of Zaat
    They've been pretty upfront about this from the beginning, which as a TT noob, has given me time to prepare. I'm of course going to give a review period before I purchase, but I don't feel like they've hidden the fact that this'll be a tweaker's TT.

    I'm also attracted to the price range, especially if it'll help me swap out arms with mono/stereo cartridges rather than my original idea of having two separate turn tables at the ready. Limited space/funds.

    It seems pragmatic to me. I could be wrong (again, admitted TT noob). Reviews may advise otherwise. I'll certainly take them into account. But I'm definitely not interested in praising or bashing their gear for any type of status symbol/brand loyalty. (Hell, I give them non-stop crap just for not having black options for the majority of their products.) Just looking to have my audio needs met as a reasonable price. And, win, lose or draw, I do like that they think outside of the box and try some crazy things. If they fail, no loss for anyone. If they succeed then consumers benefit.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2019
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  20. inperson

    inperson Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    Who is the retailer for this in the US?
     
  21. Robert C

    Robert C Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Just get a Technics! Jesus. Why make it difficult?!
     
  22. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Because not everyone wants a Technics and direct drive. And a new 1500C is $1200.
     
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  23. AlmanacZinger

    AlmanacZinger Zingin'

    Location:
    The Land of Zaat
    Mind if we see the reviews first? Yeesh. :rolleyes:
     
  24. JackG

    JackG Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    This looks pretty cool, have been following it. I like the replaceable arm idea.
     
  25. vinylsolution

    vinylsolution Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO, USA
    I have four tables (one dedicated mono, the others various stereo cartridges) and am intrigued by the potential easy swap of arms / cartridges.
    My ET/2 arm tubes are somewhat easy, but still require fine adjustment each time.

    If I could reduce my table count to 1 and have 3 or 4 arms that easily and reliably swap (pre-adjusted) and perform well, I'd think it was a great purchase.
     
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