The arm arrived at Sota yesterday. The countdown is on! Is it ever going to get here? |
Nrchy,I would suggest you do NOT have the arm put on at SOTA!!It really could complicate shipping,properly.You would be better off having it installed locally!It's not hard to do,and you can probably do it yourself!! |
Sota turntables use an inverted suspension, so when they are being shipped there is no play in the armboard or the platter. There shouldn't be any problem with it.
The last time I bought a table from Sota I did the same thing but I had a Rega arm at the time, and was concerned about the VTA.
Kirk knows more about setting up an arm than I do, so when it comes in I'll just have to fine tune it. If it's damaged ups can fine tune my wallet. |
Nrchy: all of the arms you have listed are excellent choices. Whatever you do, do not opt for the ET. If you breath on this arm, it will go out of alignment. With a suspended TT (which the SOTA is) which is subject to ambient humidity and temperature, not a good match. You will end up having to level it at almost every time you listen: a royal pain in the #$%! it is incredibly finicky. |
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Nrchy,
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Congratulations on deciding to get the Tri-Planar VII and ZYX Airy3.
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If you don't already have one, think about getting a Cardas Frequency Sweep / Break in LP. They are only about $ 30.00 and well worth the money. It will be a great help braking in the Airy3 and the Tonearm cable and it is does great things for the sound of your system when run every 3-4 weeks.
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The time interval is very system dependant you can experiment and figure out how long you can go before running the frequency sweep makes a sonic difference.
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Let us know how it all sounds once you have it up and running with a few hours on it.
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Rgds,
Larry
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I'll be sure to let everyone who has been so helpful know how the new setup sounds.
I don't suppose there's much of a chance of getting you to travel across the country to listen for a while, huh Cello?
Thanks to Sirspeedy, and Dougdeacon for all their help, and everyone else who offered good advice. |
Nrchy,the only reason I bring up the "local" installation of the arm is because the first time I sent my Cosmos back to Sota,for a series III update,UPS did the unthinkable!Thank God Kirk is so great to work with.I simply would not want to see another person have such a crappy shipping experience.Trust me(I know),it can,and does happen.Remember,turntables,alone,are very difficult to ship.They are heavy,and UPS will most likely not give a crap about keeping it"upright"(which it must be,if an arm is attached).Believe me.The locking sub assembly means nothing,when you consider what a careless delivery guy can do!I have had Sota products(and loved them)for over 20 years.Just make sure to emphasize to Kirk(who packs incredibly well,BTW)that you want him to "PACK THE HELL OUT OF IT"!!A bit of extra emphasis here will yield rewards.Absolutely,best of luck with your fabulous new rig!!!Maybe at some future point,if you ever decide to report on it,you may want to list some of your "more unique" LP acquisitions over time.I'm really interested in this,as it can lead to some "newer" musical experiences,that I'm always looking for. |
Maybe at some future point,if you ever decide to report on it,you may want to list some of your "more unique" LP acquisitions over time.I'm really interested in this,as it can lead to some "newer" musical experiences,that I'm always looking for.
Sirspeedy, I'm not sure if this comment is in reference to something specific... What is your area of interest? I'm confused. |
Just some different types of music(unique instruments,or arrangements).EX:Russo's "Street Music".On DG label.This is a classicly influenced blues cto,for harmonica,blues piano,and string bass/with orchestra.It is incredible,and out of the norm!Also,it was just a suggestion.You really don't need to follow up,but it would be nice for all of us to,maybe,add something about a new LP,that may be of interest to others.Just food for thought.Regards! |
Sirspeedy - I'm a little frustrated right now. I bought a stack of vinyl right before I sold off the Rega and Benz. I had just bought Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on four single sided 200 gram 45 rpm lps. I also got Rosemary Clooney, and Jacintha on 200 gram 45's and Sonny Rollins, and Dave Brubeck's Time Out" on four single sided 200 gram 45's.
I have several LP I bought in Dallas when I went to visit Albert Porter and Lugnut to which I have not yet listened.
Thanks for causing me to bring to mind all these bitter memories!!! |
Nrchy,I'm assuming your frustrated over the wait time to receive your table/arm combo.I have NO sympathy towards you here.As I complained to Larry(CELLO),last winter,my Cosmos update journey took a LONG time.I mean many months to get it to where I wanted it to be!No fun!!That's one reason to have a good CD player.
The GOOD news---It REALLY was worth it,for me.As you will find out in time.Remember that you are dealing with small companies.They are really "specialty" operations,and need our patience to "Do their thing".
Kirk is a fabulous guy,but he IS Sota.He is hands on with everything,in that small,yet high quality operation.So,it takes a bit longer to get things done.The upside is their products are underpriced(especially the Cosmos)and are built to an heirloom standard.My previous Cosmos ran flawlessly for 12 years,not even needing a new belt,until I upgraded to the series III,which is "on another planet" in performance.Your frustrations will be short lived.Of that I'm confident.Now go get some new music!
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Ha! I want to listen to the music I already have. I talked to Kirk today, probably for longer than I should. When he's talking to me, he's not working on the next table. This is my second time around with them. I bought a Star a few years ago and was so happy with Donna and Kirk that I couldn't jump ship. I met Donna at CES this year. It was fun to put a face with the name and voice I spent so much time with on the phone. They are great people.
Supposedly the table will be done around the end of the month! |
Nrchy,
I'm sure you'll be thrilled with your new rig. I'm familiar with the arm and cartridge of course and they're a great combination. I've never heard anyone who didn't like their SOTA. Assuming your model doesn't have the arm-compatibility issue that SirSpeedy's did all should be well.
Here's my suggestion for mounting the arm and shipping safely, which are two different but equally valid concerns. Have SOTA drill the armboard and test mount the TriPlanar. When all is good, they should dismount the arm and ship it seperately in its original carton. You'll want to have that anyway, both to store all the extra bits the arm comes with and in case you ever need to ship the arm for any reason. The TriPlanar box is custom fitted to hold the arm and its components safely.
SOTA can then pack and ship the table as they always do, without worrying about the arm flopping about in transit.
Since SOTA will have pre-drilled the three mounting holes, re-mounting the TriPlanar on the table will be child's play. It's literally a two minute job that's impossible to mess up. Tip: pick up three nylon washers to use beneath the screw heads, to prevent scratching the arm's mounting plate. Other than that the arm comes with everything you'll need, including tools and a re-badged version of the TurnTableBasics protractor.
One word of caution that you should pass on to SOTA: have them triple check the spindle-to-pivot dimension BEFORE they drill the mounting holes. They should not blindly trust to the accuracy of the drilling jig supplied with the arm. (Trust me on this one.)
Hope you're enjoying the wait, anticipation's half the fun!
Doug |
One more tip: have SOTA ship the arm to you by 1- or 2-day air, not by ground. It doesn't weigh much and it's worth the few extra dollars.
Mine came by UPS ground and they took 7 days to get from the dealer to me during July. They apparently plopped it upside down in a 130 degree truck for most of that time: every square mm of that arm was coated in silicone oil that had leaked from the damping cylinder.
Now a TriPlanar has a LOT of square mm's. It took me four hours with cloths, Q-tips and alchohol to clean up the mess. Not much fun, but it did make me intimately familiar with each and every part of the arm. In the end I'm ALMOST glad it happened. ;-) |
Nrchy,Doug IS right on the money.Take the advise seriously! |
Doug and Sirspeedy - I will have the cosmos and the rest shipped overnight, even though regular UPS is overnight from Chicago. I don't want to take any chances.
The rest of the advice you offer is also of experience, and therefore wise. I will follow your recommendations. I have been tempted to just drive down there and get it myself. It's only a few hours...
Doug, you're starting to sound like Larry. He told me the same thing about anticipation when I talked to him yesterday.
I have been thinking about getting a set of Wally Tools for setting the cosmos/triplaner/zyx combo up, any thoughts on the need for the tools?
Thanks |
Doug, you're starting to sound like Larry. One of us has surely been insulted, though I really can't say which. |
Doug, I was trying to cover all the bases! |
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Nrchy,
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If it is not that bad of a drive, I would drive and pick it up. It will take any problems out of the equation and you can pay for the gas and hotel with the money you save.
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It would also give you a chance to meet the Sota people and possibly hear your table set up in their system (nice to have the comparison to what you have at home).
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I am insulted, not Doug.... (Doug, I meant that in the nicest way possible).
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Rgds,
Larry
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It's only 3.5 hours from here to Chicago. I think I'll call Kirk and Donna and see if they would be agreeable to me picking up the table/arm/cartridge. At least that way I couldn't blame anyone else if something happened in transit.
Thanks again for all the advice. |
Hi Sirspeedy! I think I may have found a copy of your recommended dics.
Can you tell me the label number?
P.S. Will you be attending the Audiophile Society BBQ on Saturday August
20th? |
Sorry...Sirspeedy..It's "Street Music" selection..you raved about. |
RWD,great album.Sid gave it to me.I'm not attending the A.S. party,though that may change.Best of luck. |
