I had Sota turntables for over 20 yrs and never had a problem with thei SMEV that I used on a series 3 Star a few years back. The combined weight of the arm+armboard+lead shot in well had to come to a certain weight(can't remember exactly how much but for a heavier arm you just removd some of the lead). I suspect if anyone had problems with balancing a SOTA with SMEV that either the springs have sagged or the armboard was too heavy(non standard). The SOTA was designed to be pretty much plug & play as far as suspended turntables go. I recall when they first came out ease of set up vs the then ruling Linn was a major selling point. The springs were not set up for tweaking as I recall there was no mention in the users manual of adjusting them but if the springs have sagged you can take up some of the slack by tightening the screws on the underside . I would NOT recommend dismantling the springs as they are a right pain to reconnect . The platter bearing was not
designed to be user serviceable but if you want to lubricate it you need to undo the bolts under the bearing and remove the platter/bearing as a unit ( do up the screws that raise the platter off the bearing before you do this) . You can then remove a circlip and lift the platter off the bearing being careful not to lose the ball.
designed to be user serviceable but if you want to lubricate it you need to undo the bolts under the bearing and remove the platter/bearing as a unit ( do up the screws that raise the platter off the bearing before you do this) . You can then remove a circlip and lift the platter off the bearing being careful not to lose the ball.