@lewm I bet that was amazing to see! Guess the pitch controls were not going to have enough range to dial that down!

I am sure the platter speed was well beyond 78 rpm by the time he yanked the plug out of the socket.

@neonknight The PD300 was produce from 1982 to 1984. I do believe that SOTA beat it out but it was close.

It is entirely possible for a suspended turntable to take multiple arms, the Dohmann Helix 1 is an example. Sota could easily make one on the basic Cosmos design. They are turning the Millennium into a multiple arm turntable, but by removing the suspension, mounting feet on the chassis and a heavy base under the feet. No dust cover. Not my cup of tea. You could take the chassis and place it on a MinusK platform. Then you would have to concocted a dust cover.  

@mijostyn Some sites show 1980 some 1981

General

• Manufacturer: Luxman
• Model: PD-300
• Type: Turntable without tonearm, with built-in manual vacuum platter suction
• Years of manufacture: 1981 - 1985
• Made in: Japan
• Color: Silver, Wood
• Remote control: -
• Power consumption: 15 W
• Dimensions (WxHxD): 490 x 200 x 390 mm
• Weight: 18 kg
• New price approx: 163,000 yen (Japan, 1981), about 2,500 DM without tonearm and without system, with Elac ESG-796 H 30 (according to Stereoplay 11/81 + 1/83 top class group 1) 3,150 DM market price.

Vinyl Engine says

Luxman PD 300

Belt Drive Turntable (1982-1984)

An AI search engine gives this answer

You’re right; there seems to be some confusion around the release date of the Luxman PD-300. While many sources cite 1975, others indicate it was introduced in 1980. It’s not uncommon for vintage audio equipment to have discrepancies in dating. If you have a specific source in mind, I’d be happy to help clarify further!

So far even the latest search date slightly predates the SOTA Star Sapphire which is 1984.

Steven W. Watkinson, Various | Sep 5, 2008 | First Published: Feb 5, 1984 The SOTA Sapphire was the first, and the most successful in terms of sales, of the new generation of high-end American turntables.

AI Search engine shows

You

release date of sota star sapphire

Copilot

The SOTA Star Sapphire turntable was introduced in 19841. It was an advancement over the original Sapphire model, featuring vacuum clamping to further reduce vibrations and improve sound quality.

Except in the case of my Star Sapphire III, the vacuum clamp introduced a faint dull haze over the music. Sounded better with vacuum off.