Not long after my review of the $4000 SOTA Cosmos (Vol.13 No.7), things began to happen. The turntable was upgraded with a new motor, which appeared to have more to do with parts availability than any needed performance improvement. Then the drive circuitry had to be redesigned to function properly with the new motor. In other developments, Allen Perkins, one of the three most recent SOTA principals behind the design and manufacture of that company's turntables (along with Robert Becker and David Fletcher), left to form his…
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Paul Bolin wrote about the Series III Cosmos in July 2003 (Vol.26 No.7):
It's been a loooong time since Thomas J. Norton reviewed the original SOTA Cosmos turntable back in July 1990 (Vol.13 No.7). Remarkably, both SOTA and the Cosmos, now in its Series III iteration, are still going strong. Under the ownership of Kirk and Donna Bodinet, SOTA Sales and Service, is still hand-building turntables, from the modest Moonbeam to the top-of-the-line Millennium, and taking especial care in repairing, restoring, and upgrading the thousands of SOTA 'tables still out there in the hands of happy,…
Sidebar 2: Specifications
Description: belt-driven, vacuum-platter turntable. Speeds: 33 1/3 & 45rpm, switch-selectable with fine speed adjustment.
Dimensions: 20.25" wide by 7.5" high by 16.5" deep.
Prices: (include clamp, vacuum, and power-line conditioner): $3750 (matte white), $4000 (sandstone, grey, or black charcoal), $4500 (high-gloss acrylic) (1990-92); $5520 (2003).
Approximate number of dealers: 50.
Manufacturer: SOTA Industries, P.O. Box 7075, Berkeley, CA 94707 (1983-1990). SOTA Industries, 1318B Marquette Drive, Romeoville, IL 60441 (1992). SOTA Sales and…
"The bottom line is that good stuff really is better, and unfortunately, it usually costs more," proclaimed my friend Charlie over lunch one day. Our conversation had drifted to our newest toys, and although Charlie isn't an audiophile, he's passionate about his hobbies and appreciates performance and quality. He'll talk animatedly about exotic mountain bikes or Leica cameras, for example, and he has a garage full of Snap-On hand tools. Last winter he conducted an exhaustive search before selecting a particular pair of Zeiss binoculars—and the price of one of his James Purdey or 1930s-…
All current 830s are programmed to accept signals with 16-24-bit resolution, and to lock on to any sampling rate up to 96kHz. My DVD player doesn't have a 24/96 digital output, so I couldn't test the Wadia's performance with DADs, but the digital inputs and 24/96 capability do make the 830 a bit more "future-proof" than your average CD player. Wadia intends their players to function as the center of a digital system, accommodating emerging digital formats via digital inputs and software modifications. They're adamant that until a new format truly takes hold—in the form of universal support…
And the journey continues...
One thing led to another and, finally, to a complete rearrangement of my listening room. Even though the optimization will continue, I've spent the last month or so with the best system and setup I've ever had. For the first time in a long while, I've been listening into the wee hours night after night. My 4:30am mornings have been brutal, but each night, I can't wait to get back to the music.
One thing led to another and, finally, to a complete rearrangement of my listening room. Even though the optimization will continue, I've spent the last month or so with the best system and setup I've ever had. For the first time in a long while, I've been listening into the wee hours night after night. My 4:30am mornings have been brutal, but each night, I can't wait to get back to the music.
I've even felt compelled to wake Bonnie and demand that she come listen. Once, it was to "Chuck E.'s In Love," from Rickie Lee Jones' Naked Song (Reprise 45950-2…
The Wadia's precision also seemed to result in instruments having truer, more natural timbres. The overall effect was a more vivid, captivating presentation. When I concentrated on an individual instrument, its components—attack, body, and decay—were obviously more distinct with the Wadia, as were the notes' fundamentals and individual harmonics. Voices and solo instruments, in particular, were wonderfully complex and rich with inner detail, as if I was hearing far deeper into the notes and voices than I had been before.
Backing up a step, the Wadia seemed free of any obvious texture;…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Integrated CD player with remote control and digital-domain volume control. D/A conversion and digital filtration: 24-bit, 32x-resampling DigiMaster decoding software, accepts digital inputs of sampling rates up to 96kHz. Standard outputs: 1 set each balanced (RCA) and unbalanced (XLR) analog. Optional outputs: 1 each optical (ST) and S/PDIF (BNC) digital. Optional inputs: 4 digital inputs, 2 each optical (1 ST, 1 TosLink), 2 S/PDIF (BNC). Digital resolution: 21 bits. Digital volume control range: 50dB in 0.5dB increments. Maximum output level:…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog source: VPI TNT IV turntable, JMW Memorial 12" tonearm, Grado Reference cartridge.
Digital source: Marantz CD63SE, Ultech UCD-100, Rotel RCD 971, Parasound C/DP-1000, Adcom GCD-750 CD players; Denon DVD-3000 DVD player.
Preamplification: Sonic Frontiers Phono-1 phono preamp; Sonic Frontiers Line 3, Adcom GFP-750 line stages.
Power amplifiers: Mark Levinson No.20.6, VTL Ichiban, VAC Renaissance 70/70, Sonic Frontiers Power Three, Krell KSA-250.
Loudspeakers: Thiel CS7.2, Audio Artistry Dvorak, NHT SuperTwo.
Cables: MIT 330 Shotgun, MH-…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
The Wadia's error correction was good—the player produced no glitches in its analog output until track 32 of the Pierre Verany Test CD, which has 1.5mm gaps in the data spiral. Its maximum output level as supplied was 2.25V, with an almost perfect match between the channels. The output impedance was extraordinarily low, at less than 1 ohm (unbalanced), and still just 15 ohms from the balanced outputs. The player's output was absolute-polarity-correct from both sets of outputs, the balanced jacks being wired with pin 2 "hot."
All measurements were taken…