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Posts: 7054
Location: so cal
Joined: September 24, 2003
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I couldn't keep my mouth shut about a product I never heard of before this post.
because every new design that advances the same basic design principles used in the old Michell gyro deck, and others, reinforces that I correctly made, what was for me , a tough , in that I was buying sight unseen and heard, and critical, my playback enjoyment is primarily vinyl, budget limited buying decision.
I find every such report a very gratifying reinforcement of my ability to spend money, sometimes intelligently, but not so you can count on it.
the product under discussion shares a lot of the basic design principles incorporated in the gyro product, although executed to a higher price point.
inverted bearing, minimal plinth, three pin point platter support , it seem as if some basic optimal design features are becoming finalized across the industry , as is common with a lot of mature products, although turntables still offer many more diverse design opinions than, for example, car batteries or clarinets.
to try to add some content towards the posters questions,
low torque motors have always been the designers favorite, less motor, less intrusion. The problem was always start up, not every customer wants to nudge the platter to get it to even start to spin, and then wait for it to come gradually up to speed. Now I understand electronics and other solutions are available, but that is the basic stuff, as I understand it from reading. .
As for the bearing, I only found a delron thrust plate mentioned, a common approach I see a lot of tables use. I am not a turntable designer so can't speak to that design choice, but can say the long established choice for precision ball and flat bearings has been with a sapphire flat. Perhaps this doesn't apply to all audio uses, but SOTA uses sapphire fiats.
of particular interest to me was the picture of the main bearing. Looks a lot like my Michell bearing, physically , which is also brass, stainless and inverted. I have no basis to suggest they are the same part but would endlessly enjoy it if it were.
After all, in the brief company statement, much like pro-ject turntables, the company was started in response to customers needs by salespeople observing the market, not by a mechanical designer with a gift for the product , like McCloud with car clutches.
No shame in a customer driven product. After all, early rolls Royce thrived because it was surrounded in London by the best auto parts manufacturers of the time, and it just assembled them into their product. I haven't heard of any turntables bragging they make their own motors, and motor sourcing is never mentioned in reviews, but it must be so.
unlike bicycles, where the collected parts are visible, and consumers can see what level of Shimano ,or other brand, part is used, a clear advantage when forming a buying decision among similar products.
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