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Questions Regarding Installing a Wheaton Triplanar On A SOTA Cosmos

As luck would have it I recently acquired a Wheaton Triplanar VII U2, and am waiting on it being shipped. So at this point I am trying to decide what the most favorable table to mount it on, and what arm gets replaced. I have a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse with a SME V on it, and that would be my preferred place to install it. The only thing is this Triplanar has the arm cable extending out the back of the arm pillar instead of routed out the bottom of it. I have to assume the cable is going to have to be routed on top of the arm board and then over the edge into the body of the Cosmos. Not wild about that but do not see any other options other than drilling a 1/4 hole and routing the cable through it. Anyone have any experiences to share if they have installed it on a SOTA table?

My second alternative is to put the arm on my Scheu in place of a Dynavector DV505 I have. That is certainly a straightforward option, with no issues to be solved. However, I have never been fond of the SME V on the SOTA, so this would be my first choice. 

neonknight
lewm
13,442 posts
 

I once owned a Star Sapphire III and still own a Triplanar. I believe the topology of the Cosmos is identical to the SS. Your answer is no. It won’t work, because the VTA tower on the TP gets in the way. I’m sure Mijostyn will chime in. TP now offer optional longer arm wands, 12 inch might work. Maybe TP can modify yours. The routing of the cables is not the problem; they just go over the top of the deck.

As I write this, I’m wondering whether my memory is playing tricks. The TP won’t work on a Technics SP10 mk2 or mk3 for the same reason, and maybe I’m confusing my experiences with SOTA vs Technics. Like I said, Mijo has more recent experience.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
12,061 posts
 

@lewm I've seen plenty of Technics machines with the Triplanar, one of them being owned by Tri Mai of Triplanar.

@neonknight You'll need a new arm board of course. Why are you concerned about the cable routing? Is it a cosmetic thing?

elrod
261 posts
 

Just looking at a photo, that arm board is sitting down in a well. Where the tone arm needs sit, the TP leads may be hitting on the base edge preventing the TP base from seating properly. I have no idea if the TP has enough tower adjustment with a flush arm board to set VTA properly. He needs to check that firsts.

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