In praise of the mighty SOTA Sapphire

Thanks for the post, which I'll keep for future reference.  I've got a Sapphire that I bought in 2004 which I use for mono records. (Arm is a Graham 2.2 and cartridge is an Ortofon Cadenza Mono, which replaced a Lyra Helikon Mono that crapped out way too soon). The current set-up still sounds great, although it doesn't have all that many hours on it.

Yes,its a very fine tt,im still happy with mine.A little maintanance  now and then,thats it

I should buy a new belt, though it's running fine for now.

They certainly are nice tables. I bought a Star Sapphire MK III as a proof of concept table. I hated the oak finish, but loved the table. I ended up buying a Cosmos Eclipse in bloodwood, and have a Nova Eclipse on order for my casual table. 

Belts indeed do matter. I had a worn out one on a Well Tempered Reference table, and it sounded good but the belt was shot. I ordered a replacement one from LP Gear, which is actually a very good replacement option. Not only did the speed come back in line, but the table was more immediate and focused sounding. A nice improvement for a fairly modest price.