@audio_rd_uk, my mistake. I appreciate the clarification on slight variances.
@neonknight, great to hear how satisfying this new set up is. That’s what we’re all after.
Developing A List Of Tonearm Candidates For A SOTA Turntable
So this month i sent my SME V off to a new home, and that leaves my SOTA armless. My other table has a schroder CB-1L on it and I have run either an Ortofon Verismo or Transfiguration Proteus on it. I did put both those same cartridges on the SME on the SOTA and it always had a disappointing presentation of harmonics and texture. A monochromatic sound could be the best description I have. Time for another arm.
The SOTA armboard restricts the type of arm that can be installed. The arm types that have a VTA tower and separate pivot point take up too much real estate to fit. So fitting something like a Wheaton, Reed, or Durand does not seem possible. I wondered about elevating the arm board so its level with the top plate, but I am not sure if there is enough room for the want to pivot without removing the dust cover. It is a possibility, but I wonder how it effects the travel of the suspension. and if there are unintended consequences. I have yet to read about any SOTA owners doing this.
So I am trying to put together a list of candidates. I do know some folks appreciate the Origin Live arms, but I am not very well versed in their lineup. I have wondered about the Groovemaster arms also. I have looked at the Moerch, but its kind of a fiddly thing. The point is the table is on the sidelines at the moment because there is no arm in place. I typically shop the used market, but I can be patient and wait for the right arm to come along. The benefit of having more than one table i guess.
Anyone else have any suggestions. Appreciate your thoughts and experiences.
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@wrm57 I apologise I hadn't answered your question regarding 12" OL Arms. Yes I have and in fact I do have a 12" Enterprise arm, as when I bought the Sovereign it had that and the 12" Arm board, which fortunately for me is one you can swap over between a Resolution and Sovereign. When I got the Sovereign and was already ordering the Agile from OL and had specified 9.5", Mark was at the time working on upgrades to Voyager, the Renown arm and he platter modifications and was at that point leaning himself towards 12" being preferable. So I did contemplate going for the Agile in 12". The reason I didn't was that when I tried the Enterprise it was clearly several steps above the Encounter arm I'd originally got when I bought the resolution. It was great with ballads, but if anything it felt/sounded like the result was 'dampening' perhaps 'too smooth' on fast percussive tracks. Further discussion with Mark at the point when he was developing the Voyager-S platter from which some of the Strata mat technology trickled down he was by this time last year considering that the upgrades to the turntable were leaning towards a 9.5" having the best balance overall. That is what I have gone with on my upgrades and been very happy. You can see what is my turntable on the videos (and actually also my Whest phonostage) on the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O9i5t0aGvg video of UK HiFi show 2023 at 9 min 37 Sec (sorry couldn't find an engl. I do note that though the TT sounded very good, that OL's 2023 exhibition rig of the speakers shown and sub can truly do even a Calypso and Silver / Onyx arm combo justice. Let alone a Sovereign / Agile, or Voyager/Renown. I will find out tomorrow Fri 20th Sept whether they have upgraded that for 2024. I will report back. |
@audio_rd_uk, thanks for following up on the 12-in Agile. Your rig looks sharp in the vid. So it seems you found the 12 to be slightly more relaxed and less dynamic that the 9.5, which is not unusual. I have 12 and 9 Graham Phantoms (III and Supreme, respectively) on the same turntable and that pretty much describes the difference in their sonic profiles. BTW, I recently adopted the OL Strata mat on this turntable. It's excellent, and I say that as someone with an embarrassing number of mats in the closet. |
When the TT > Tonearm > Cart' are seemingly performing out in front of other permutations trialed or wed to. The introduction of using Platter Mats in a variety of types can then become another method to help really hone the end sound to ones preference. I do this with a large selection of owned Mats and have found my go to mats. It s also quite a reveal how adding different spindle weights in conjunction with a Mat can enhance the qualities the Mat has shown as being able to add discernible improvements. |
@neonknight This is what it's all about. We can (and do) go down philosophical back-holes pertaining to mechanical & electrical component design, but the "conclusions" often have little bearing on the pleasure we derive from a system. High-end vinyl playback is rife with patterns of solving the wrong problem, or a problem that doesn't really matter. It's human nature. |
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