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Seeking opinions on Clearaudio vs. SOTA tables

Looking for opinions and experiences on the SOTA Cosmos vs. Clearaudio Innovation Compact, or thereabouts in each line.

Someday it will be time to upgrade my beloved (never refurbished/upgraded) SOTA Star III. Though it reliably continues making beautiful music, the bearing/springs/etc show signs of being past their prime. The silicon lip was dried out when I acquired the table on consignment 6 years ago, so I've never experienced a working vacuum hold down (I cut the lip off so that records would lay flat).

Based on the Star III, I'd almost certainly love a Cosmos, either new or refurbished (new bearing/platter/vacuum). The question is how much improvement would be gained. Unfortunately, my friendly local dealer doesn't carry SOTA. However they do carry Clearaudio. The Innovation Compact looks rather stunning in design and build -- a work of art. On the other hand, some things about Clearaudio turn me off:
* Very high pricing
* Not a fan of some of their magnetic bearing tonearm implementations; one unit in particular would jump a groove at the *slightest* in-room vibration
* Their screw-on clamp is a huge WTF; that damn screw-cap has no business being able to fully twist off so easily (and the resultant juggling of the damn thing next to a $$$$ cartridge pisses me off like you wouldn't believe) without a stopper!
* Sometimes I feel like they're experts at over-engineering certain elements, but then other elements show neglect and complete lack of thought (see above).
* I've read recently that there may be some dispute as to the effective mass of their Universal tonearm (i.e. their spec may be wrong) -- not confidence inspiring

I got to audition an Ovation Wood (below the Compact) with an Ortofon Cadenza Bronze (I do have a decent grasp of how this cart sounds); it has some very nice attributes but ultimately I preferred my SOTA w/ Koetsu Platinum. Not a fair comparison sure, but ultimately it had me doubting whether the Ovation would provide a worthwhile upgrade. The Innovation Compact on the other hand...
128x128mulveling
mulveling's avatar
mulveling OP
2,018 posts
 
I auditioned the Innovation Compact a couple days ago -- on my prior speakers & preamp, a very similar amp (M180; 1 step down from my Rogue Apollo), and a cartridge I'm familiar with (Ortofon Cadenza Red); it was very impressive. VERY. I'm also familiar with that room -- one of the benefits of having a nearby dealer. The neighboring Esoteric K07 (a gorgeous box) didn't hold up, but then I've always had difficulty in taking to digital.

The sound was exactly as you describe, Audiolui. Normally I'm wary of such descriptions because sometimes it's code for bright/analytical, but not in this case! The bass impact was not there compared to my current system, but I know that's in large part due to the speakers, cartridge, and (to a much lesser degree) preamp, vs. what I'm using at home.
audiolui
295 posts
 
I own Clearaudio tables. The one I have now is the second one. I owned the first one for almost ten years. I believe every brand has its own characters (house sound). Clearaudio is always clean, detailed, transparent, airy, fast, and lively sounding. It may not have the fullest body and deepest bass like other tables, it does have tight, taut, and solid bass with good instrument body.

Your taste is the most critical in choosing the tables. Of course, the rest of your system also plays a very important role. You don't want to use a thin sounding speaker system with the Clearaudio. One thing I do know is that Clearaudio's craftmanship and reliablity is very good.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling OP
2,018 posts
 
Thanks again, Audiolui. My current speakers have good detail, superb PRaT, a warm tone, and ample bass impact, so it should be a good pairing.

Any ideas on what is gained in moving from the Innovation Compact to the full Innovation Wood? The latter is more than I want to spend, but it's a big investment either way, so I want to get it right.
mulveling's avatar
mulveling OP
2,018 posts
 
Also, I'm curious as to how much that Innovation Compact sound (which I liked very much) came from the Magnify tonearm. I do like its action & feel; a humongous improvement over their lower-line magnetic bearing arms.

What might happen if I forgo the Clearaudio tonearm and mount my Fidelity Research arm? How difficult and expensive is it to get a custom arm board from Clearaudio? I need to keep at least 1 arm that works well with heavy, low compliance options (like Koetsu).
audiolui
295 posts
 
Good question. I really don't know the improvement of the full Innovation Wood over the Compact. You may need to talk to a dealer or Musical Surroundings (MS). MS people are easy to deal with. I do know that you can upgrade from the full Innovation Wood to the Master Innovation when your budget allows in the future. Ask the dealer or MS if the Compact can be upgraded to the Wood. If so, you have a very nice upgrade path.

It is hard to say which (table or arm) contributes the most to the sound. You may want to buy the table only and try the Fidelity Research first. If you don't like the sound, then get the Clearaudio arm. However, if they give you a very good deal buying both the table and arm together, then you may want to highly consider that offer.

I know it is easy to get from Clearaudio an armboard for the Graham Phantom series arms. Not sure about Fidelity Research. I suggest you talk to MS. Most dealers still need to call MS to find out the answers for you anyway.

I used to own SOTA Sapphire with vacuum many years ago. SOTA is also very good table. I don't know about COSMO. My past experience tells me that SOTA is a bit warmer and fuller sounding. Clearaudio is more detailed and open sounding. Again, it is your taste that dictates what to get.
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