Sota or Technics

Forget it - I just saw your system you posted. Pretty nice, I must say. Way beyond mine, but I am not a fan of electrostatics as they are very directional from what I hear, and the dustcover on your table is attached through those hinges which bother me because it is better to remove it completely when playing and when I used to have to worry about that on my old Rega P5, I forgot sometimes if I put the dustcover back in the hinges when stopped paying for the time being. I guess I should just have never put it back in the hinges but it is hard for me to change a mindless routine after 10 years with a table, and with the P8 it is impossible to screw that up.

You really are into the digital stuff big time. Do you prefer it to vinyl or does it depend if you can find the vinyl of what you want to play?

My potential interest in digital would be if there were a lot of music I couldn't find on vinyl, which is not the case. I hate to say it, but I like what I like and the newest group that I have any vinyl of is REM (I know that dates me). Of course I have new records from people still alive, but they've all been around a while.

BTW - I have the same Beatles Collection sitting on top next to my components outside the normal record area......

What's the Beatles box on top?

There is nothing wrong with the arm on the Technics, objectively, based on construction and specs. It is very simple in appearance but it is also the result of many years of production experience. It sounds great to me when used with a suitable cartridge.   Of course there are better arms but they cost considerably more and many of them don't offer the flexibility and ease of use of the arm on the Technics.  When I was considering a new turntable a few years ago, it also came down to SOTA and Technics.  I ended up buying a Technics 1200G and am very happy with it.  Both are fine tables and you should be happy with either one, especially if all you want to do is play stereo LPs.  If you want to play 78s or use a mono cart occasionally, the Technics would be the better choice.

I own the Technics GR along with a bunch of super vintage MM and MC carts. This turntable is excellent for the price but if I had your budget I might buy the Technics SL-1200MK7 and use the extra money for an excellent cart. Technics all the way.

When I bought the Technics 1200GR (Jan/Feb. 2018), this is what I posted in another forum:

" I just recently bought the Technics SL 1200GR, which I paired with my Goldring MM 1042 cartridge. I change the the stock headshell with a Yamamoto Acoustic craft Carbon fiber headshell HS-4 HS-4 NEW that I bought from Japan. This TT replaced a Music Hall 5.1 that was paired with the Goldring cartridge.

You can only buy through dealers. My local dealer have both versions and I auditioned both models the G and the GR through state of the art speakers, cables, pre/pro, you name it. I also was auditioning speaker because I thought that my JBL L890 towers were too lowly. Two things happened:

1. After I listened the Technic SL 1200GR paired with my cartridge while listening to my mobile fidelity album of Santana Abraxas I knew right there and then that I did not need to spent $4000 on the 1200G, the difference is so minimal that is not worthy, unless you are too anal retentive. And when my unit came, and they assemble it, after the Yamamoto Acoustic craft Carbon fiber head shell HS-4 HS-4 was installed the sound got even better, so much better than the stock headshell that the owner of my local dealership, immediately ask me for a link of the Yamamoto dealer in Japan. Once at home I switch the stock platter mat with a Nottingham mat that I was using on my Music Hall. All I can say is that the sound stage open up so much that I could not believe it, and I had to call my wife and sat her in from of the system to verify if it was my brain playing tricks with me, she notice the difference also. So the 1200GR for me is all I need, I listened to other TTs brands as well (in the thousands of dollars). This TT is way, way better than my Music Hall.

2. I auditioned Focal, Bowers and Wilkins, Elac, and others ranging from 4000 to 15000 dollars, and yes, you can tell the difference from my JBLs ($1700 original price), but if was only after you are in the $ 8000 and up that I was able to discern such a change as to say: yes this is worthy. So I kept my JBls, because they sound so good in my system that there was no need to spent $ 8000 to 15000 to get some improvement. moral of the story: The JBls are not so lowly anymore after my snub attempt to trade up in speakers.

In closing the new Technics are very good. I also used to be under the impression that Belt Drives were better than Direct Drive; not anymore, not at all."