Seen at AXPONA: SOTA Quasar Turntable

AXPONA is officially in the books, and what an amazing show it was! Let’s all do it again next year, shall we? As mentioned here last week, our full show report is forthcoming in both text and video form. In the meantime, I’d like to draw our collective analog attention to another cool product seen at the big show — namely, the SOTA Quasar turntable.

SOTA’s Quasar turntable sports a three-phase synchronous motor controlled by a Condor PSU, and the ’table’s thick MDF core is wrapped in American walnut. The Quasar boasts a 1.5in clear acrylic platter with hand-lapped steel shaft in 360 brass bearing cup, and a 2.25in thick walnut wood plinth with an interchangeable tonearm base.

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The supplied tonearm is the regal Rega RB330, but the Quasar mount also accommodates SME, Origin Live, Audiomod, and other tonearms as well. Directly available cartridge options include the Ortofon Blue and Hana Elliptical. (SOTA’s various tonearm/cartridge combo offerings for the Quasar, and their respective SRPs, are all duly provided at the end of this post.)

Other Quasar features include an Ultimate 3-phase brushless AC synchronous motor, Ultimate Condor digital power source with crystal-controlled motor speed for 33 1/3, 45, and 78rpm operation (the tech is licensed via Phoenix Engineering), 360 brass spike feet with pads, and an optional RoadRunner tachometer with built-in accumulated time counter. The RoadRunner has a direct connection to the Condor power supply for automatic fine-adjustment operation.

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The Quasar turntable is available at authorized SOTA dealers, and its base SRP is $2,995, sans both tonearm and cartridge. Including the Rega RB330 tonearm but no cartridge adds $675 to the price tag. Taking the Rega tonearm and Ortofon Blue cartridge combo route adds $914 to the SRP, while choosing the Rega tonearm and Hana Elliptical cartridge combo adds $1,150 to the total.

Finally, the aforementioned optionally installed RoadRunner has an add-on SRP of $525.

For more about SOTA, go here.
To find an authorized SOTA dealer near you, go here.

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COMMENTS
Trevor_Bartram's picture

Doesn't SOTA realize we've moved on from unsprung turntables with a large top plate that'll act as a sounding board. There's a reason why AR, Thorens & Linn turntables are highly regarded. Even Rega have moved to unsprung skeletal designs in their latest tables!

HiFiMark's picture

What? Care to elaborate?

Sure, AR, Thorens, and Linn tables can make lovely music, but who has "moved on" from great mass loaded tables of which there are dozens, if not hundreds, of phenomenal performers?

I don't get it when we audiophiles like what we have and then pronounce our choices superior to all others. I had a friend long ago who absolutely adored his Linn. It sounded great.

I love my VPI. Sounds great and footfalls are not a problem with my suspended wood floors.

Yeah, there's room for both, and methinks we live in a golden age of HiFi, analog in particular. Enjoy!

Glotz's picture

It all comes down to support and environment.

While I replaced the sprung suspension on my VPI, the support underneath needed to change as well as considerations to the room and potential feedback from subwoofers, room nodes, etc.

If you have a fixed or non-suspended turntable, major considerations to platform and support need to be made, as too much coupling to rack and/or the floor will lead to more unwanted collective vibration, not less.

Suspended designs from SOTA are renown for their isolation from the environment, reduction of parasitic vibrations and self-noise. VPI has a 20lb, 1/4" folded steel top plate. Linn and Thorens also have both fixed and suspended designs.

No free lunch with turntables.

Wymax's picture

"I don't get it when we audiophiles like what we have and then pronounce our choices superior to all others"

Hifi is one of the worst hobbies when it comes to pushing your own agenda towards other fellow audiophiles. It seems like there is no room for varying preferences. Almost religion like, and I will slay you if you disagree :-)

Anton D's picture

The average number of seats in a true audiophile’s hobby room rounds to one.

Glotz's picture

Very true.

JACK L's picture

Hi

Seasoned audiophiles don't do that, including yours truly.

Being an audio handyman as well as a vinyl addict, I never push whoever to go vinyl, triode tube amps, dedicated powerlines, powerline conditioning etc etc.

Like I don't drink coffee vs nearly every human being goes for coffee. I don't bother.

HiFi music is sooo subjectively personal !!! Just be nice !!

Listening is believing

Jack L

JACK L's picture

Hi

Finally I got the insight of Mickey leaving The Absolute Sound (TAS) where he started his career 23 years ago to join the Stereophile where he finally left to go back to TAS 2022 in an exclusine interview published by PMA magazine.

Wow!!

Glad I am not too late to chit-chat here in AP which Mickey founded in the 90s.

Jack L

Gardnerpen's picture

Playing games is a great way to relax. Territorial io supports this way.

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