So lose the dust cover. Mijostyn is in the minority who believe that the dust cover does more good than harm. I wouldn’t let the dust cover control my choice of tonearm. But better yet, make up your own mind based on listening. You might end up agreeing with mijostyn. |
Mijo, I now understand what you mean by a plinth “cover” wrt the SOTA turntables, but the term is unnecessarily confusing. It’s inherently part of the plinth. Yes, the armboard is part of the sprung substructure so it rides a bit lower than the stationary part of the upper plinth. Thus the deck can foul the counterweight especially of well designed tonearms that place the CW in the plane of the LP surface. I had that issue w the TP on my SSIII, but was able to resolve it.
FWIW, having owned and used both, I’d say the Phoenix Eng stuff ( now available as Eclipse for SOTA) does a better job w Lenco motor than the Walker, which does not offer the benefit of tachometer feedback and has a much lower power output. The Walker is way better than nothing, however, especially w the very low power consumption Notts motor. |
It was after living with the Nottingham that I became interested in first idler-drive turntables and then direct-drive. After purchasing both a Garrard 301 chassis and an NOS Lenco L75, and thinking for a bit, I decided to go with the Lenco, sell the Garrard as is. I eventually ended up with a highly modified L75 in a slate plinth. Along the way, I picked up a Denon DP80, just because I had a longstanding interest in it and the price was right. The DP80 had a thorough going over by Bill Thalmann and is also in a slate plinth. And from there I just went on and on with vintage direct drive turntables, buying but not selling. I owned two Mk2s before acquiring the Mk3. (I did sell both Mk2s.) Suffice to say Mk2 is good, not as good IMO as the DP80, and the Mk3 is better than all of them. I never heard a GAE in my own system, so I can have no opinion. I go back and forth between the Mk3 and Kenwood L07D, and I like aspects of both. The difference is slight. The DP80 has the Triplanar mounted with a B&O MMC1, which drives my modified Silvaweld SWH550 MM phono stage. I love that rig from cartridge through phono stage.
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To be clear, I am not necessarily pushing for the Triplanar over all the other very good tonearms also mentioned by others. There is not a loser among them. For me, not being able to close the cover (a potential issue with the Triplanar/SOTA combo, apparently) would be a non-issue, since the first thing I do with tt covers is to store them out of sight in my basement. Also, I would not advocate for a SOTA without the Eclipse motor and motor control upgrade. this is based on my ~10 year experience with my Star Sapphire III. It was only after selling it and replacing it at that time with a Nottingham Analog Hyperspace and a Walker Audio Precision Motor Controller that I came to appreciate that the SSIII suffered a bit from speed instability audible on decay of piano tones. The Eclipse option should raise the SOTA to a level of speed stability way above that of my old Hyperspace/Walker combo. Enough said.
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$3200!!! Seems very high to me, but maybe that proves I am a troglodyte. Especially in light of the added $1600 cost to upgrade it further. Mine is about that old. I was actually at Herb Papier's house having mine upgraded to Mk7, or whatever was the final version made by Herb, when Tri was visiting with Herb to learn how to manufacture the tonearm. (Herb was the designer and inventor of the tonearm, and he made the whole thing himself in his basement workshop in Wheaton, MD. By that time he was farming out the manufacture of some of the individual parts, but he alone did the quality control and assembly.) Since taking over, Tri has made some nice further upgrades to the arm in terms of parts quality and function. Maybe if you can be patient, a later version will show up on the market for similar cost.
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I meant get a 5g weight and use the double-sided tape to affix it to the headshell. You can use any sort of flat disc that weighs 3-7g. You would need an accurate scale to weigh the chosen object. Or ask Tri Mai, the maker of the Triplanar. Maybe he has a more "professional" attachment for increasing effective mass of the Triplanar. I think a US nickel (5 cents) weighs 5g. If not a nickel then some other common US coin does weigh 5g. There are innumerable options for adding weight. You can also wrap the arm wand in tape, which also reduces resonance. Etc. Don't forget also that the weight of the cartridge itself adds to effective mass, and the Denon is fairly hefty. Aftermarket mods to the Denon often also increase its weight (see Zu and a few others); you could look into one of those. (But I personally would not spend more money on the Denon.) Also, use heavy screws (and nuts if needed) to mount the Denon; that also adds to effective mass.
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Yes, 11g is the standard quoted effective mass for the 9-inch Triplanar, regardless of the "version" as indicated by Roman numerals. And yes, that is probably not the best choice in terms of effective mass for the Denon 103R, but it is probably a good choice for any of several other modern LOMC cartridges that have higher compliance. You could add any 5g weight at or near the headshell of the TP and be in good range for the 103R. Double-sided carpet tape would do the job as adhesive. Thought you had decided on a Graham.
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FWIW, Dover is correct; the Triplanar does fit fine. I now recall that I had my Triplanar mounted on my Star Sapphire once upon a time. The only issue is in the vertical direction wrt the max extension of the VTA adjustment and the height of the platter or rather the sunken depth of the arm board. Anyway you’ve made your choice.
My recommendation was to go for the Eclipse system as biggest bang for the buck. |
Surprised that a Reed will fit and not a Triplanar, since the Reed is basically a copy of the TP, in terms of the VTA adjuster which affects the arm geometry as regards mounting. Unless you refer to a 10.5-inch Reed. Don't know whether Tri can supply a 10.5-inch option for the TP, but its worth asking if the OP wants to spend that much. The Technics SP10 turntables, with their square, raised escutcheon surrounding the platter, is also a problem for my standard 9-inch TP, but no problem for my 10.5-inch Reed. I vote again for the Eclipse motor and motor controller/speed control upgrade, for what it's worth.
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Not yet mentioned: the Eclipse motor upgrade from SOTA. Will make a huge improvement even against the limiting background of what you already are using. Go to their website and read about it. Bonus: if you send your unit to SOTA for Eclipse upgrade, you can also have them fit a new arm board to suit your new tonearm, whatever that may be. I don’t presently own a SOTA, but I did own and use a Star Sapphire III for about a decade. Based on that sonic signature, I would not have a SOTA without the Eclipse. You won’t appreciate what I’m saying until you experience it for yourself. |
