Schiit Sol turntable owners out there?

How do you like it?

The engineered flexibility is extraordinary. Ergo I started the thread to gather owner input on how they're optimizing. 

What TT did you own before this, I'm interested in how it compares to other TT.
BillWojo

Nobody owns one of these? 

@billwojo My other is the Denon VL12, dj model. I returned to vinyl a year ago. I don't really compare them as have Ortofon Blue on the denon, Grado Opus3 on the Sol, also different pre's, etc. Both sound great to me; esp after a couple decades of digital only (liking that less & less). 

Sill no other owners? Or they're too busy spinning to reply. 

From what I know, the Sol has only been available for a short time.  I also heard that not many were shipping, meaning not that many folks own one yet.  Give it time, and I'd say you will get more responses.  Also,  consider yourself an early adopter. 
If Schitt has a Facebook group you might want to try posting there instead of here.  Also there are some other good Facebook groups devoted to turntable users.  Turntable Talk is the one I'm on and I find it very useful.  Lots of users on there and a wide diversity of gear is discussed.  

 I actually considered this TT very recently, but it wouldn't ship until April 27. Also, after reading an article by Mr. Fremer, it occurred to me that so much adjustability can also encourage much error. Tweaky was one of the words he used to describe this TT. I am all for it if you have the steady hands and Xray vision still in tact. I sir, do not.

Oh that's interesting the queue is that long. Mine arrived in a few days, back in Oct or so. Selling out quick perhaps. Be great to have more users out there.

Yes indeed: many variables to be user adjusted. Which prompted my OP, tips and tricks, discoveries, etc. It's pretty easy to setup, but getting it dialed in is an ongoing process. Part of the appeal to me actually. 

If my Technics bit the dust I would be all over this. Seems like a tremendous TT for the Money.

By luck, I just got a SOL this week. Yes it was used, and for $500 the price was right. When it arrived, there were a few things that I needed to do. First off as stated in the ad, one of the tonearm leads was broken. Since the tonearm is so accessible it was little trouble to repair this problem. Next was taking a look at platter height. It was low for the recommendation from a set up video by one of the original designers, so I changed it. Weird little problem was about the adjusting knob on the VTA. It doesn't work. It just jams in place, telling me that there may be a missing bushing on the tip that would have properly centered it. Dunno. VTA can be adjusted by hand so that's what I did. Next, I need to see why the cuing is not smooth. It catches and then jumps down. I think that I have it figured out, so not really a worry. Sounds like trouble? Not really. As this is a mostly mechanical device, all things can be resolved. 

 So, I set up my AT95SA catridge, which is new, and in short started to listen to music. After a couple of readjustments, it seems that things are  coming together very well. In fact, the AT95SA cartridge sounds better in this unit than it did in my previous Project 2Xpression, That is likely due to the fact that I did not adjust VTA with that TT. So a comparison is not likely fair. 

 In the SOL, the sound is what I like to hear most from analog, i.e. a full sounding presentation with good bass and natural highs. I will have updates here because just today, my Record Dr record clamp came in. I also ordered a Hudson Hi-Fi TT mat. Can't say what effect that these will have, but I always use a clamp with vinyl. The supplied cork mat isn't my thing since it seems to keep dirt on it. I might lightly spray it with some kind of coating just to experiment, but not before the new mat arrives.

 Oh yah, might be getting a new belt since the platter won't spin until it gets a little help. 

I happen to have a Speed Box II by Project, but first must check and see if it is compatible with the 16 AC motor.

Did Schiit discontinue the Sol for good??? It's a  cool design.

My unofficial understanding is that the SOL will no longer be. Parts accessibiity being one of the culprits, and the company itself biting off more than they could chew. My guess is that there will be some similar model that comes outwith a supply chain long enough to handle anticipated orders.

 No doubt I will keep this rare TT forever.

 

 FWIW, I sent a repair question today about the poorly funtioning VTA adjuster. In an hour they sent my return number and a place to send it to. Pretty nervous about letting her go for any length of time.

This is what you like? 

This school of design is what I don't like, unfortunately so many modern belt drive turntables are like this 

 

 

And this is a proper design of belt drive turntables from the past:

 

 

 

No doubt, I will probably end up owning more than one TT. I have to admit, I like the idea of getting something to sound it's best. OTOH, I also like to be able to just sit back and listen to a good recording. Mood dependant I guess.

I am pretty sure that I saw Jason from Schitt on youtube stating that the Sol will be discontinued. It may have been on audiophiliac's channel. Jason is incredibly candid discussing supply chain issues, etc. It's cool that they are proactively adapting what they do based on parts availability and related challenges. Too many other just take your money and tell you to wait.

A shame as the Sol had a lot of promise for aspiring vinylistas. Cheers,

Spencer

@chakster 

 

"This school of design is what I don't like"

 

I think most here aren't to interested  in what you don't  like. IMHO.

You could read what I asked instead of cut and paste one frase @mr_m 

 

Why modern belt drive turntables are all look a like ?

Here is Simon Yorkee design 

 

This has a parallel. Why are so many speaker designs bass reflex? It should answer itself. If I had a pet peeve, it would be that every year, the audio industry turns out one rectangular black box after another announcing a ’sleek, sexy unit’. New, before now, unreachable technology time after time.

So then we have a few examples of TT design, proper or not. Honestly, I wasn’t really considering whether this design was proper or not, simply due to the fact that I was unaware of the difference between them in performance. I do revere the classics of design. Incredibly striking in appearance and in some cases performance. But really, what drew me instantly to this unit was the possibility of experimentation and adjustment. Now I really do believe that more than one TT is required for this luxury. One designed for spot on performance practically out of the box (any suggestions?), and one to play with, but not a toy. Definitely aimed more toward learning by practice, the value of physics.

I sold the Sol a few weeks ago. Listed on the mart, sans cart, for $500 and it sold in 30 minutes. New owner very happy with it. I dug the Sol but my ladyfriend wouldn't touch it. I don't blame her, that thing was like playing jenga. Bought a clearaudio concept but the arm is too finicky, won't hold the vtf and the a.s. seems to move with each play.

Just ordered a Marantz TT-15, should arrive in a couple weeks given how slow shipping is now. Ergo, we shall see. Hope it's a keeper. 

Zufan,

 

 As it turns out, I am the buyer of you SOL. In fact, I made a decision to sell the Project 2Xpression which it replaces. Hard decision since both are great units. I guess I enjoy setting things myself, and the SOL accommodates that. Unipivot tonearms are tricky though, and I still have to work on the tonearm lift to adjust it right. Soundwise, I am very happy with the results that I am getting with the AT95SA. I did change out the cork mat, as it was a question to me how to clean effectively.

  Now the Marantz TT that you ordered appears to be a really good choice but is beyond my budget at the moment.