I need advice on turntable offer - Sota Sapphire package

Hi Folks - I have been offered what seems to be a great deal from a guy I trust, and I'm seriously considering it. Here are the details:

Sota Sapphire vacuum TT
Eminent Technologies 2.0 tangential tracking arm (with upgraded carbon fiber arm - like the 2.5)
Clearaudio Gamma MC Cart

Apparently all works well. The dust cover is either cracked or scratched (I have to ask), and there are some scratches (I don't think too serious) on the table. The tonearm may also need rewiring, but I think the seller says so because he wanted silver strand in there, not because the existing wiring is broken.

Price is $1000, maybe even negotiable. It sounds like a great deal. Is it? And what questions should I ask that can help me decide? Thanks!

 

Ask him when he last used it. The vacuum pump can be noisy and you may have to keep it in a seperaate room or sound proof box. Ask him if has the manuals for the TT and arm. A decade or so ago what you have there was considerred state of the art (SOTA).

 

He's got 40 feet of tube specifically for that purpose (the compressor noise), but yes, I'd probably have to house it in something to cut noise down further. So what of the price? The cart alone looks like a good reason to consider this buy... The whole setup was maybe $5000 new, but I want to know if it's a ripping pain to maintain, etc. I do, however, prefer a linear tracker, so this is a huge selling point for me... And it supposedly sounds great, certainly for the price.

Oh, I'll need to ask him about how to do VTA adjustments - I don't recall seeing that mentioned.

 

Mike, as long as it is in good shape you cannot go wrong at that price. Do you have a good TT stand for this baby?

 

I've got a Target wall rack with a shelf held up with those audiopoint isolation things, so leveling it will be simple. The shelf itself is that cheap laminated pressboard stuff, so maybe a 1" thick cut marble slab or something like that would be in order. In addition, the floor is cement, so only airborne vibration would be an issue...

 

I have an ET 2 arm and I love it. I use a Wisa pump and surge tank. I keep them in a closet not far from my turntable. I drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the wall to run the air tubing through.

The price sounds great to me. You may want to contact SOTA to get the price of an "overhaul" to make sure the turntable is working correctly, though.

 

What David said. I've got an ET-2 too, and while it can be difficult to set up initially, together we can talk you through it. SOTA's pretty good on the check-up thing. I think it's a stone deal. Hey, if you don't want it, steer them my way!

John K.

 

The SOTA site lists the overhaul at $250 for the vacuum model. It sounds like a deal. A new dustcover is $150 or so. And I think the cart alone is no slacker, maybe $1000 new? I don't know. I forwarded a mess of questions to the seller, so we shall see. Thanks so much for the info guys.

 

I got photos today, and the table looks really great. It needs one tonearm wire soldered (came loose) - I'd probably upgrade to better wire anyway, and has a miniscule scratch on the front. The top part of the platter looks funny, like it's separating from something underneath it. I'm going to forward the photo to SOTA & see what they think might be going on there. Apparently, it's cosmetic, and the vacuum functions fine. The dustcover is meat, and I would want a new one w/hinges ($160).

From what I can tell, the TT and arm aren't worth the $1K given some great used deals out there, but the cart is a real strong point... For some reason, info on the Clearaudio Gamma-S isn't easy to find (and I don't think it was discontinued all that long ago), but it sold for about $850 and up. Altogether, with a decent refurbishing (no upgrades), this unit would run me about $1500. Upgrades would add lots of cost, but that's something I'd consider down the road. Comments on the SOTA / ET-2 combo I've seen have been very favorable. In fact, Eminent Technologies' own website pictures the ET-2 mounted on a SOTA Sapphire... Hmm! Still thinking about it.... Any more thoughts from you guys?

 

It seems that linear tracking is really what would drive this deal for you, so let's take a closer look at the pricing thing. I'd be interested to know where you've been checking pricing, since at the price your seller is asking, it seems reasonable for almost the arm alone; the TT is an added bonus. Here's my thinking:

The ET is generally seen as one of the best options for a relatively low cost good linear tracker arm (good generally meaning that it's not a servo driven design, and not as fiddly as the Souther/Clearaudios). An ET 2.5 arm new is currently $2500--and it's not clear whether Bruce is still making them; I have heard otherwise. The last I checked into it, basic used versions of the earlier ET 2--just the arm, no pump, no surge tank, no setup gauge--can trade for about $400 and up (they were about $800 new). With all the other add-ons they can go upwards of $900-1000. Last I knew, a new Magnesium ET arm was $200, a setup gauge at least $100, a pump at least $300.

In terms of the 'table, a used vacuum Saphhire (are you sure it's not a Star? I didn't think the Saphhire has a vacuum option) might go for $600 up; refurbished Stars are $1400. Most complete used 'tables of this caliber I see, arms inlcuded, go for at least $1200-1300. Throw in the cartidge and, well, still seems a deal.

John K.

 

Whoops, it's a Star. It does not say so on the control panel (it has the metal, not wood, panel, and is labelled as a Sapphire), but it is definitely a vacuum model..

Thanks John, I'm just always cautious with purchases like this, but it does really look like a great package. After SOTA gets back to me, I'll probably buy it!

 

OK, I made the plunge and agreed to buy the table/arm/cart for $700. I think that's a fantastic buy. Plus the seller very kindly is throwing in a mint 2-LP Classic Records edition of Kind Of Blue (jeez!). I spoke with Donna at SOTA, and she was really helpful regarding upgrade/refurbishing/tune-up options. The arm & cart are coming straight to me (I'll play with the wiring), and the table to SOTA for at minimum a tune up. With the couple small repairs/tune up the unit needs, I could have it functioning very well with a dustcover (I need one!) for around $1200 or so, with an eye on an eventual full upgrade to the Series V. Nice.

By the way, if anyone has further advice on tonearm wire (specifically silver strand - not copper), I'm very interested in hearing your suggestions and/or tips regarding DIY upgrades. Thanks for all the advice!

 

All the best with the new purchase Mike. Sorry I don't know enough about this to help.

 

Thanks John. This isn't the best time for me to be buying a TT, or anything for that matter, but this deal was much too good. This is the same seller I bought some Doors LPs from (on eBay thread in Classifieds), and he's top notch!

Looks like more items are eBay bound. I need to pay for this somehow.

 

Mike,congrats to you!!!!!!Sounds like an excellent setup!!!

 

Thanks Ron! With any luck I'll keep this one for many years to come.. And I can't say it enough, I really like Donna - she's very professional, helpful, friendly & knowledgeable, obviously working hard to build customer loyalty. I'll post my experiences with them once the table is up & running!

 

What a steal!

Michael Percy sells some 34ga. teflon insulated silver wire that you could use, though I don't think it comes in different colored jackets.

I rewired my ET with a single run from the cartridge clips to the RCA jacks, removing the connector assembly in the process. This is the most radical approach, but it removes one mechanical connection and two solder connections in the run, and IMO was worth it. What I did give up was the ability to swap arms quickly. I used a special Cardas copper wire that comes already braided with four wires, ancased in a shield and a rubber jacket.

John K.

 

Thanks John, I thought so too . The seller knows its worth too, he just wants to move the table along, very lucky for me!

I thought of that same approach, and I'm torn on that one. Depending on how I like this cart, I'll decide from there. How do you like the Shure with that arm? I have the same cart. I also have the last US-made MR Shure coming soon, for not much money, so I'll try that one. With 3 really nice carts, I'd like to swap them but of course don't want to sacrifice much in terms of signal quality. I think additional arms are $200 each at ET, and having 1 spare might be worth it...

Probably a shootout of these carts on my current table (Yamaha PX-3) would be a good idea to help the decision...

So how do you like the Cardas wire vs. what came stock on the arm? I'm open to all suggestions & opinions!

 

Mike, PX-3, is that a straight line arm on that model?

 

Yes, it is, but also not really since it does pivot in 2 dimensions. The arm assembly rests on a thick, wide rubber belt, which is driven by a very quiet servo motor controlled by sensors in the arm assembly. Once tracking error is outside the range of +/- .15%, the servo kicks into action. This prevents it from running constantly, while staying within a very acceptible (IMO) tracking error range. I used to listen mainly through headphones and could never hear any impact on noise from the servo even when playing back widely spaced blank grooves - the ultimate test!

I love this table - in fact, I'll hang onto it. It's woefully underrated, IMO, but there is a great writeup on Audiogon somewhere. 2 years ago I bought a spare for parts, so I might just try to rebuild it - finding parts when something goes wrong is apparently very difficult if not impossible, which is part of the reason I'm looking to switch.

The PX-2 is also a similar design, though I believe it's build quality is a bit higher (heavier platter, better control buttons, etc).

 

Congrats Mike on a well researched purchase!

 

Congratulations on your Sota, Mike! Sounds like you got a pretty nice deal. Regarding the vacuum platter, make sure you keep it super clean. Don't forget dust or any other foreign particles on the platter can be very easily pressed into a record when the vacuum is engaged.

Nice to hear good customer service stories. Sounds like Sota has a good handle on that.

 

Congrats, Mike. In regard to Don's statement about dust, SOTA has a solution, at least on the Cosmos, so you might look into it. It's a soft platter matt that works in conjunction with the vacuum hold down. It's softer than the vinyl so dust gets embedded in it, not the record. Similar to the technology used on the $70,000 Rockport Sirius III.

 

Thanks very much guys!

I had the same concern about debris scraping into the vinyl, and sure enough, there is such a mat and it's something like $40, it fits all their vacuum tables, and I believe it comes included with a platter upgrade (which I may do).

More goodies: I just received the V15V-mr today, and am sending for a new stylus on that. Once that comes in I'll see if what folks say is true (many preferring the supposedly more razor-flat response of the old V15V vs. the V15Vx). Total for the V15V and new stylus will be $110, not a bad deal. The cart body looks brand new.

The arm, cart & Miles LPs ship to me on Monday, the table goes to SOTA on Tuesday (for at least 4 weeks!! - a long waiting list, which means business is booming)....

Still, if anyone wants to chime in with their experiences upgrading tonearm wire, that's great. John, I'd still like to hear what you think about the Cardas wire with your V15Vx-MR (that's what you have, right?).

 

Not really, as the cartridges are likely to perform differently in the ET arm.

Wait until you have the SOTA setup , then do your shoot-out.


cheers