What happened to SOTA

[Adrian Low]

There was a time that SOTA tables were among the best; relatively easy to set up, built very well, could accommodate virtually any arm, had a great suspension system, and very good value. They still make tables and from what I can surmise, still offer all the above. Why aren't they more popular? Even Dr. House uses it!

I have owned many tables over the years, but some of my fondest memories are of my SOTA Star Sapphire with Eminent Technology 2 and a Koetsu Urushi. Sold it a few years ago, missed it tremendously. Recently bought Nick Doshi's SOTA/ET. We had a quick chat and he agreed the combination is wonderful. My opinion is that tables should have some way to flatten the warps on a record, and the SOTA does it very well. I like the idea of a stretched spring suspension instead of compressing the same, assuming you want a suspension to begin with, but that's perhaps another topic.

So, the old timers among you, what happened to SOTA? How did the company go from being on top to a virtual unknown?

 

[audio.bill]

SOTA turntables are still being manufactured and supported by a worldwide distribution network. Over the years they have had some changes in ownership, but they continue to offer an excellent product and support their products with available upgrades. I agree that you don't read as much about them in the press as you used to and I can't definitively say why that is. Their existing dealers still very enthusiastically support the line which does offer some unique design features as you have indicated.

 

[Mike]

Adrian - using mass to flatten the record (like the VPI record clamp) is one way. Building an arm that moves better on a warped record is another. Check out the design of the Kronos arm. Its a round ball that rests in a cup of oil. Warped records sound great and the arm raises and lowers as needed - with ease.

The VPI clamp works well too. The point is - there are other ways than shear force.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mep]

There was a time that SOTA tables were among the best; relatively easy to set up, built very well, could accommodate virtually any arm, had a great suspension system, and very good value. They still make tables and from what I can surmise, still offer all the above. Why aren't they more popular? Even Dr. House uses it!

I have owned many tables over the years, but some of my fondest memories are of my SOTA Star Sapphire with Eminent Technology 2 and a Koetsu Urushi. Sold it a few years ago, missed it tremendously. Recently bought Nick Doshi's SOTA/ET. We had a quick chat and he agreed the combination is wonderful. My opinion is that tables should have some way to flatten the warps on a record, and the SOTA does it very well. I like the idea of a stretched spring suspension instead of compressing the same, assuming you want a suspension to begin with, but that's perhaps another topic.

So, the old timers among you, what happened to SOTA? How did the company go from being on top to a virtual unknown?

I too owned a beautiful Star Sapphire table with an ET-2 arm. I had many years of enjoyment with that combo, although the SOTA suspension was not really the ideal suspension for the ET-2 arm's mass. If there was ever a table that was *perfect* for the ET-2, it has to be the VPI TNT. I owned that combo as well and had years of enjoyment from it as well. The ET-2 also stayed perfectly level on the VPI instead of requiring periodic re-leveling on the SOTA.

I think one of the things that hurt SOTA was when the original principals sold out, the company wasn't seen the same in the marketplace. SOTA was know for innovative products and constantly improving their products. Right or wrong, I think the new SOTA was seen as caretakers who were servicing, repairing, and upgrading the existing product line vs. introducing new and improved tables.

 

[Garth]

There was a time that SOTA tables were among the best; relatively easy to set up, built very well, could accommodate virtually any arm, had a great suspension system, and very good value. They still make tables and from what I can surmise, still offer all the above. Why aren't they more popular? Even Dr. House uses it!

I have owned many tables over the years, but some of my fondest memories are of my SOTA Star Sapphire with Eminent Technology 2 and a Koetsu Urushi. Sold it a few years ago, missed it tremendously. Recently bought Nick Doshi's SOTA/ET. We had a quick chat and he agreed the combination is wonderful. My opinion is that tables should have some way to flatten the warps on a record, and the SOTA does it very well. I like the idea of a stretched spring suspension instead of compressing the same, assuming you want a suspension to begin with, but that's perhaps another topic.

So, the old timers among you, what happened to SOTA? How did the company go from being on top to a virtual unknown?

I still have a SOTA star sapphire up graded to the 9s in my other system with a sme V arm has you say a very nice table just not the latest and greatest and if Dr. House has one well and he is weird enough to be a great audiophile . It should be on the front page of the mags again.

 

[audio.bill]

I think one of the things that hurt SOTA was when the original principals sold out, the company wasn't seen the same in the marketplace. SOTA was know for innovative products and constantly improving their products. Right or wrong, I think the new SOTA was seen as caretakers who were servicing, repairing, and upgrading the existing product line vs. introducing new and improved tables.

I think mep describes the changes in their product development and innovation perfectly in this post, which explains a lot as far as their current position in the marketplace.

 

[puroagave]

my first high end 'table was a sapphire with a sumiko FT3, within 6-mos i traded up to a star sapphire with ET-2 (never got it dialed in because of foot falls/wood sub floor). I changed out the ET-2 for a well-tempered arm (fantastic combo). my last SOTA was a Cosmos/ SME IV, ser# 18, they were still based in Berkeley CA and Allen Perkins was with the company and had a hand in its development along with the millennia.

I loved every SOTA i owned, AFAIK Rodney Herman incorporated the first under hung suspension and inverted bearing with a sapphire thrust pad before it became passe (hence the name), it was superior (imho) to their contemporaries (LP12 & HW19). a less publicized issue was the vacuum hold downs tendency of embedding dirt into the vinyl. They came out with a micro fiber mat to appease users but not before they were sued and my understanding was they bought two record collections as a result. I can say i had the same issues but was uncertain at the time of the cause. i later used the versa dynamics mat on the cosmos and it completely resolved that issue.

I'm still on the lookout for a Millennia it was Allen's last hurrah before starting immedia, id love to take one for a spin someday.

 

[Adrian Low]

Adrian - using mass to flatten the record (like the VPI record clamp) is one way. Building an arm that moves better on a warped record is another. Check out the design of the Kronos arm. Its a round ball that rests in a cup of oil. Warped records sound great and the arm raises and lowers as needed - with ease.

The VPI clamp works well too. The point is - there are other ways than shear force.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hi Mike, I'll definitely look into Kronos' arm. Certainly letting the arm "trace" the warp is one way to the address the issue, such as unipivot arms, and theoretically unipivot arms done properly can track a grove better than almost anything else, in a 3D plane. I just feel that when you start with the flattest surface possible, you can then extract more out of the groove. All other clamp ideas seem to work less well, especially if the warp is a ripple instead of a simple concave one.

I heard about the lawsuits but wasn't sure if they were real or the usual urban legends.

 

[Adrian Low]

I too owned a beautiful Star Sapphire table with an ET-2 arm. I had many years of enjoyment with that combo, although the SOTA suspension was not really the ideal suspension for the ET-2 arm's mass. If there was ever a table that was *perfect* for the ET-2, it has to be the VPI TNT. I owned that combo as well and had years of enjoyment from it as well. The ET-2 also stayed perfectly level on the VPI instead of requiring periodic re-leveling on the SOTA.

I think one of the things that hurt SOTA was when the original principals sold out, the company wasn't seen the same in the marketplace. SOTA was know for innovative products and constantly improving their products. Right or wrong, I think the new SOTA was seen as caretakers who were servicing, repairing, and upgrading the existing product line vs. introducing new and improved tables.

Hi mep,

had the TNT as well, with the unipivot arm. In fact I recently set it up again for the client who eventually bought mine. Nice table combo. One of the first "big" tables that perhaps started the trend. I didn't have issues with the SOTA suspension requiring readjustment, but I would do so once a year just out of natural upkeep. Really didn't have to do anything to be honest. The table was very stable. The ET arm, however, was a tweaker's delight.

 

[Adrian Low]

SOTA turntables are still being manufactured and supported by a worldwide distribution network. Over the years they have had some changes in ownership, but they continue to offer an excellent product and support their products with available upgrades. I agree that you don't read as much about them in the press as you used to and I can't definitively say why that is. Their existing dealers still very enthusiastically support the line which does offer some unique design features as you have indicated.

thanks Bill. I am aware of their current existence. Was just wondering why they don't seem to be as popular, especially considering all of the strengths and benefits of the tables.

 

[Adrian Low]

my first high end 'table was a sapphire with a sumiko FT3, within 6-mos i traded up to a star sapphire with ET-2 (never got it dialed in because of foot falls/wood sub floor). I changed out the ET-2 for a well-tempered arm (fantastic combo). my last SOTA was a Cosmos/ SME IV, ser# 18, they were still based in Berkeley CA and Allen Perkins was with the company and had a hand in its development along with the millennium.

I loved every SOTA i owned, AFAIK Rodney Herman incorporated the first under hung suspension and inverted bearing with a sapphire thrust pad before it became passe (hence the name), it was superior (imho) to their contemporaries (LP12 & HW19). a less publicized issue was the vacuum hold downs tendency of embedding dirt into the vinyl. They came out with a micro fiber mat to appease users but not before they were sued and my understanding was they bought two record collections as a result. I can say i had the same issues but was uncertain at the time of the cause. i later used the versa dynamics mat on the cosmos and it completely resolved that issue.

I'm still on the lookout for a Millennium it was Allen's last hurrah before starting immedia, id love to take one for a spin someday.

Interesting about the lawsuits. I had heard rumours about them but this was pre-internet and I thought they were urban legends. I never had the dirt issues, though I always used a cleaning machine and made sure the platter was clean.

Speaking of the Versa, that was a table that got away...I was a poor kid in University when the Versa Dynamics came out, but I recall thinking that the table satisfied both my heart and my head...engineered and machined to an impressive degree, complex yet no more than necessary, expensive yet justifiable considering all that it offered, and the build. Think I'd buy one today if it was available. Anyone have any leads?

 

[audio.bill]

Adrian - Here's a link to the only Versa Dynamics table that I can find currently listed for sale, their Model 2.3.

 

[puroagave]

Interesting about the lawsuits. I had heard rumours about them but this was pre-internet and I thought they were urban legends. I never had the dirt issues, though I always used a cleaning machine and made sure the platter was clean.

Speaking of the Versa, that was a table that got away...I was a poor kid in University when the Versa Dynamics came out, but I recall thinking that the table satisfied both my heart and my head...engineered and machined to an impressive degree, complex yet no more than necessary, expensive yet justifiable considering all that it offered, and the build. Think I'd buy one today if it was available. Anyone have any leads?

When i sold the cosmos i bought Garth Leerer's Versa 1.0, my old Cosmos was also his. The Versa is/was an engineering tour de force. imho the arm design hasn't been surpassed, It also incorported ceramic bearing design I have not seen since. my buddy had a 2.3, a highwater mark in anyone's book. id still pit a versa 2.3 this against a techdas AF1 anyday. his deteriorating vision forced him to go back to a basis/graham setup.

 

[Mark Jones]

Yes most record flattening systems do help with warped records but I think they make good flat records sound worse. A table should be designed for 90% off your record collection not the warped 10%. The problem with using air for bearing or clamping systems is the introduction of noise. Maybe the new TechDas is an exception by using todays latest technology. (I'm probably gonna get flamed for this!)

But Yes Adrian, SOTA was near or at the top in its day, but this is true for so many other brands. In fact there are far fewer companies from yesteryear still on top of their game today than ones that faded away. There are not too many SME type companies left.

 

[mep]

I think that warped records deserve to be thrown away if it's much worse than a very minor warp. I don't want to look at my cartridge/arm tracking a record and having visions of a surfer riding the big one in. Screw that. Trash goes in the trash. Life is too short to put up with LPs that are basically junk. If it's a family heirloom that belonged to your great-aunt Matilda, put it in a frame and hang it on your wall.

 

[Adrian Low]

Yes most record flattening systems do help with warped records but I think they make good flat records sound worse. A table should be designed for 90% off your record collection not the warped 10%. The problem with using air for bearing or clamping systems is the introduction of noise. Maybe the new TechDas is an exception by using todays latest technology. (I'm probably gonna get flamed for this!)

But Yes Adrian, SOTA was near or at the top in its day, but this is true for so many other brands. In fact there are far fewer companies from yesteryear still on top of their game today than ones that faded away. There are not too many SME type companies left.

Hi Mark, guess I have to disagree. If the whole point of getting the microscopic ridges to turn into a minuscule signal, then anything you can do to flatten the record is a good thing, assuming it's done right. Use a normal clamp(including Oracle/vpi with washer under the record), tap the record and you hear different tones over different parts of the record. The record cannot possibly be coupled properly. Do this with a good vacuum seal and the problem is virtually gone. I find this improves both "flat" records and warped ones. Major warps won't be easily sucked down and perhaps the only remedy is to flatten the record using heat.

When a stylus traverses a hill, there is significantly more pressure on the needle, which leads to greater bass response. Conversely, when it goes over the other side, there is much less pressure and thus less bass. Among other things. Sounds better? Perhaps, since that is subjective. But that can't possibly be right. Then there is the issue with tracking, which varies dramatically with warps, and I'm not talking about major warps. We discuss spending tons of money and time on minutiae of our systems, engineer and machine the bearings/platters to incredible tolerances so we can get the most out of the record, yet we think a warp is ok. And we aren't even considering the wow/flutter/pitch effects that warps cause. Perhaps I'm just particularly sensitive to pitch.

Re noise, I have yet to see any figures showing that air bearings increase the noise. That doesn't mean they don't, but I haven't seen any. And I certainly haven't heard it on any of the air bearing tables I've used and owned/own. Air pumps are a nuisance however, that much I agree, so I just turn up the volume! Or locate it in a closet.

by the way, one of the finest tables I ever owned didn't have either air bearing or clamping. It is the Roksan Xerxes with the Artemiz arm. The designer had some incredible ideas and solutions to record playback. I read the white paper and remember thinking this guy had really given the whole thing a tremendous amount of thought. Gary Koh of Genesis speaks very highly of Touraj's new table. Would love to check it out and see what else he's come up with after almost 30 years of development.

 

[Adrian Low]

Adrian - Here's a link to the only Versa Dynamics table that I can find currently listed for sale, their Model 2.3.

Thanks! I'll definitely check into this. Forgot which was the top model. Thank god for google

 

[Adrian Low]

When i sold the cosmos i bought Garth Leerer's Versa 1.0, my old Cosmos was also his. The Versa is/was an engineering tour de force. imho the arm design hasn't been surpassed, It also incorported ceramic bearing design I have not seen since. my buddy had a 2.3, a highwater mark in anyone's book. id still pit a versa 2.3 this against a techdas AF1 anyday. his deteriorating vision forced him to go back to a basis/graham setup.

yea, the Versa was a real breakthrough in so many ways, especially when the competition was mostly repeating the same recipe. The Rockport was another table system that I loved. I set it up for a client and marvelled at the engineering and the amazing attention to detail. That was a real treat.

 

[Adrian Low]

I think that warped records deserve to be thrown away if it's much worse than a very minor warp. I don't want to look at my cartridge/arm tracking a record and having visions of a surfer riding the big one in. Screw that. Trash goes in the trash. Life is too short to put up with LPs that are basically junk. If it's a family heirloom that belonged to your great-aunt Matilda, put it in a frame and hang it on your wall.

ok....

 

[Mark Jones]

"by the way, one of the finest tables I ever owned didn't have either air bearing or clamping. It is the Roksan Xerxes with the Artemiz arm. The designer had some incredible ideas and solutions to record playback. I read the white paper and remember thinking this guy had really given the whole thing a tremendous amount of thought."

Touraj may be the smartest guy in the business when it comes to mechanical engineering.