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Worth having my SOTA Sapphire refurbished?

I own a vintage 1986, SOTA Sapphire turntable, fitted with a Linn Basik tone arm, with some sort of old, Audioquest cartridge (it has a red housing). After a lengthy remodel, I am finally getting ready to unpack my stereo system once again and get it set up. I have miles and miles of beloved vinyl. :-) My listening room is on the small side. I value transparency and imaging over sheer volume.

Associated equipment includes a PS Audio Elite Plus integrated amplifier (I think it has 70 W per channel). I recently sold my old Vandersteen 2C speakers here on Audiogon (for space reasons in the new house) and am looking to replace them with Regas or Paradigms, probably monitors (but that a whole other question)!

Anyway, the SOTA probably needs some inspecting and tuning. I think that the motor and bearing are okay, but I'm guessing that the suspension springs need adjusting or replacing; I think they're a little stretched out.

SOTA has an inspection and tune-up/repair service. Have any of you ever used it? I'd have to ship the table off to them, and, apparently, pay for return shipping as well (I do have the original box) and the table weighs around 50 pounds in the box.

By the time I do all of this and buy a new cartridge, to boot, I'm looking at quite a chunk of change. Do you think I'm better off selling the SOTA and putting the money toward, say, a new Rega P2? Please, no flames; I've been out of the active high-end scene for many years, so I have no idea how those tables compare.

Anyway, all advice appreciated.
rebbi
sirspeedy
738 posts
 
Stingreen,though I find my Sota Cosmos a pleasure,many of my friends have VPI products.Truthfully they are superb,"as you state".

I believe many hobbyists(nobody in particular)liken up to stuff that they,and friends have.From there,the "other" related products take a "little hit",from time to time.Usually with "tongue in cheek"....This happens in my group of audio pals,but it is always in good spirits.Yet,they do give credit to good sound,which is becomming more and more common with so many different equipment combos,these days!

To me,if it sounds good,I like it...period!

Best.
grimace
624 posts
 
The fact that you can call Sota and speak with the owners - Donna will likely answer the phone - is part of the beauty of owning a Sota. They stand by their product. Try to get the owner of technics on the phone. Really, try it.

Plus they really do make a kick-@$s turntable.
rebbi OP
1,326 posts
 
Again, thanks to all of your for your help with this decision. The Sapphire shipped off today... thank goodness the UPS Store had a dolly... I nearly got a hernia getting it into the store! ;-)

Now that that part's done, I'm wondering what y'all would recommend as far as a tonearm upgrade from the LInn basik that won't break the bank?
pryso
1,944 posts
 
SMEs are a classic combination with SOTA tables. For a real deal on the used
market, the various Sumiko Premiers (MMT, FT-3, FT-4) or their siblings from
Audioquest can offer a very high performance per dollar and are another
popular choice with SOTAs.

But I would suggest that you be more concerned about the match with your
preferred cartridge. I believe that synergy is more important than between arm
and table. Read some of the posts by Raul about performance matching of
cartridges with tonearms for more on this.
lespier
68 posts
 
Definitely the right move (imho)to keep the Sota.
As far as arms go if you can find a Zeta in good condition at a fair price that's what I'd reccommend.
I had one on a Sota many years ago and it was a killer combination.
I often wish I'd kept that arm.
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