TT suggestions -- please

Mike. The Sota is also a very nice TT, as Sean and Nrchy point out. You would not go wrong with it either. I have my preference for the Teres however.

Thanks to all have responded. You have really been a big help.

Tom, regarding the Teres. Do you use an isolation device since you are over a crawl space? What type of rack are you using? Sonically, is the Sota similar to the Teres?

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Mike, I use a mass-loaded TT stand, which has granite slabs over wood, and topped with MDF covered with formica on the surface. I don't believe in soft isolation on a TT. I think isolation is the worst thing that you can do to a TT. In my opinion, direct coupling is the only thing that allows true dynamics and bass response. I would never isolate my TT. If I have a problem with the floor, then I fix the floor, I don't wreck to sound of my TT, in order to try to band aid a floor problem. The system I use now is a makeshift stand that I threw together. But it does the job, and has no "mushy" parts between the TT and the floor.

Regarding the comparison of sonics between the Teres and Sota tables, I am hesitant to say, as I don't want to tweak anyone's nose, but in my opinion it is no contest, the Teres walks away from the Sota. Sota is a nice table, but the Teres is in a whole other league, sonically. The main competition for the Teres 245 all cost over $10k. There is one other TT that would compete with the Teres in a similar price range, and that is the Redpoint TT. You can see it at the Redpoint website. I considered it too ugly for my tastes. Also I think that their motor/contoller doesn't do as well. But sonically, it would compete, if you want to pay $850 more than the Teres 245 and get a butt ugly TT. The Redpoint is an offshoot of the Teres project, and uses the same main bearing. The guy doing Redpoint is one of the original Teres project participants, Thom Mackris. Personally, I think the Teres is just as good sounding or better, and looks 100% better, and costs $850 less. This is the only TT that could be considered competition for the Teres under $10k with arm. IMHO, of course.

Tom. I'm trying to understand why suspended tables, such as the Linn, would prefer a lightweight stand. It seems to me that all tables would benefit from a very rigid heavy stand, whether mass-loaded or suspended. Please explain. I'm considering the "entry level" Teres models but am concerned about the company's long term survival. Do you see them being around 20 years from now? You're obviously a wealth of knowledge through your passion for music. Mike.

Mike, it has to do with the frequency of the vibrations that come up the stand, and enter the suspension. I did not do the actual research on this, Linn Products did it. They recommended a light rigid stand for their TT as far back as the early 1980s.

Since the Teres is a mass-loaded design, more mass in the stand helps the TT even more, as it couples to the mass of the stand via the cones.

Nobody can predict the health of a high-end audio company 20 years down the road. That is impossible. Many companies that you now consider to be "big dogs" could easily be out of business that far out in the future. What I can say about the Teres TTs is, that all of the items in their TT will last a lifetime, except possibly the belts and motor. The motor is a Swiss made Maxon DC motor that can be obtained directly from Maxon, or even substituted. The belts you make yourself out of silk cord anyway. Nothing else will wear out as long as you are alive. I don't consider that to be an issue. I want the best sound for the least money, and the Teres is where it's at.