Looking for a great arm that is low maintenence

Sota turntables use an inverted suspension, so when they are being shipped there is no play in the armboard or the platter. There shouldn't be any problem with it.

The last time I bought a table from Sota I did the same thing but I had a Rega arm at the time, and was concerned about the VTA.

Kirk knows more about setting up an arm than I do, so when it comes in I'll just have to fine tune it. If it's damaged ups can fine tune my wallet.

Nrchy: all of the arms you have listed are excellent choices. Whatever you do, do not opt for the ET. If you breath on this arm, it will go out of alignment. With a suspended TT (which the SOTA is) which is subject to ambient humidity and temperature, not a good match. You will end up having to level it at almost every time you listen: a royal pain in the #$%! it is incredibly finicky.

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Nrchy,
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Congratulations on deciding to get the Tri-Planar VII and ZYX Airy3.
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If you don't already have one, think about getting a Cardas Frequency Sweep / Break in LP. They are only about $ 30.00 and well worth the money. It will be a great help braking in the Airy3 and the Tonearm cable and it is does great things for the sound of your system when run every 3-4 weeks.
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The time interval is very system dependant you can experiment and figure out how long you can go before running the frequency sweep makes a sonic difference.
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Let us know how it all sounds once you have it up and running with a few hours on it.
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Rgds,
Larry
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I'll be sure to let everyone who has been so helpful know how the new setup sounds.

I don't suppose there's much of a chance of getting you to travel across the country to listen for a while, huh Cello?

Thanks to Sirspeedy, and Dougdeacon for all their help, and everyone else who offered good advice.

Nrchy,the only reason I bring up the "local" installation of the arm is because the first time I sent my Cosmos back to Sota,for a series III update,UPS did the unthinkable!Thank God Kirk is so great to work with.I simply would not want to see another person have such a crappy shipping experience.Trust me(I know),it can,and does happen.Remember,turntables,alone,are very difficult to ship.They are heavy,and UPS will most likely not give a crap about keeping it"upright"(which it must be,if an arm is attached).Believe me.The locking sub assembly means nothing,when you consider what a careless delivery guy can do!I have had Sota products(and loved them)for over 20 years.Just make sure to emphasize to Kirk(who packs incredibly well,BTW)that you want him to "PACK THE HELL OUT OF IT"!!A bit of extra emphasis here will yield rewards.Absolutely,best of luck with your fabulous new rig!!!Maybe at some future point,if you ever decide to report on it,you may want to list some of your "more unique" LP acquisitions over time.I'm really interested in this,as it can lead to some "newer" musical experiences,that I'm always looking for.