Schiit Sol Turntable Review - Episodic.

Discussion in 'Vinyl Nutjob World: Turntable and Related Gear' started by purr1n, Sep 10, 2019.

  1. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    [​IMG]

    (go to Imgur.com, upload the image, then click "Copy Link". then, using the Insert Image button on the forum post creator/editor, paste the imgur.com link and add ".jpg" to the URL, then click Post reply.)
     
  2. ripblade

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    Sounds like a lot of work lol...
     
  3. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    easier than setting up a unipivot turntable!
     
  4. ohshitgorillas

    ohshitgorillas Friend

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    I got it from the description, and this method definitely works without having the wires touching anything. I've also been seeing photos of other people's setups with the azimuth nut way way out, so I'm no longer worried that I'm f'ing something up... mostly...

    I've been playing with 0-1g anti-skate weights, and I do think the 1g has more depth and clarity than without (VTF 1.7g). I might try experimenting with adding some small, thin washers to bring the weight up a little... on my P3, I found it was ideal somewhere around 1.25g ± 0.1g (it's hard to estimate because it's not a linear scale). Speaking of anti-skate, holy crap, that is a cool little pulley device! Very nice work. I know you said you were still experimenting a few pages back, but whenever you settle on a solution, I'd definitely be interested in the details at the least
     
  5. Ruby Rod

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    Cool pulleys! On the cueing discussed earlier, it's possible to get the desired drop rate by messing with the lube and spring, but the real intent was never hands-off operation. The lever and cam was specifically designed for good control of the rate at the instant of touch-down. I've rarely seen damped cueing I was entirely happy with, thus the user-controlled choice.
     
  6. ripblade

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    Maybe so, but a whole lot less fun, it is lol.

    I've had the pulleys in play for a few months now, so other than refinement, I think I'm done. The trick to getting it to sing was the 2nd pulley attached to the arm at the base of the pivot cup, in lieu of the hook. I tried a few different sizes but the widest diameter that fits inside the ring works best. I have no idea why. Well, maybe one or 2 ideas lol.

    The whole arrangement looks a bit like a poor man's Kuzma Stogi:
    [​IMG]

    I also hacked the shell. Got tired of jambing the clips against the back to make room. This reduced mass, but equally important is it shifted the mass over to the left, helping to balance the arm. All this necessitated a new fingerlift, as well:
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2020
  7. ripblade

    ripblade Acquaintance

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    Hi Conrad, hope you're keeping well.

    When I filed my first report as a beta tester I asked that the top of the cam include a indent to signify a stopping point and to 'lock' the arm in the up position. I made this suggestion because my first trials with it had me going too far over the top with it, resulting in the lever dropping backwards. In practice, however, I agree it's pretty good as it is. On occasion I sometimes fail to bring it all the way up so it drops before I'm ready, but it's just a matter of being more cautious when using it.
     
  8. ohshitgorillas

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    Just a few thoughts and notes...

    1. I wrapped the azimuth adjustment's threaded post with a thin layer of PTFE tape, which has completely removed any looseness that the nut had. I did need to thread the nut over the post a few times after adding the tape, since it is a tight fit in the tonearm ring, but this has made the motion of turning the nut along the post to adjust azimuth very smooth and much easier to make fine adjustments.

    2. I can't remember if it was someone here or elsewhere that recommended I make sure the anti-skate hook is at the same level as the unipivot point. This has significantly reduced the amount of swaying that gets transferred to the tonearm, even as the anti-skate weight swings like a pendulum. I am still experimenting with the actual weight, by adding various small nuts or what have you to the 1g weight by threading them through the nylon. I'm having a really difficult time telling the difference between 1.0-1.7g anti-skate, even with the Ultimate Test Record LP and a pair of HD800 (probably just don't know what to listen for; any advice to this end would be greatly appreciated). I will continue to experiment.

    3. I actually would love some kind of adjustment to the drop rate, or some notch at the top position of the cueing lever. It's not usually a problem as-is, but occasionally if I've had a bit to drink, I go too far and the cueing arm drops backwards such that the arm ends up bodyslamming the needle onto the record surface... no bueno. In lieu of a drop rate adjustment, some kind of backstop for the cueing lever would probably work well to prevent this. I actually like the drop rate on my old Rega... very very slow and gentle, to the point that when I first got the table I thought the cueing arm wasn't working. One of the few positives of the Rega vs Sol.

    4. I was nervous about how well a microline stylus would pair with the unipivot tonearm, but I'm really happy with the results. As it turns out, Sol is able to squeeze way more out of the Ortofon 2M Bronze than my old Rega P3, in spite of whatever wobbliness the unipivot arm has going on... to be honest, even when the arm is swaying and offsetting the azimuth by a little, the audible effect is pretty subtle... and this stylus is really sensitive to azimuth.

    I'm going to start exploring software-based approaches to alignment, since I'm basically at the limit of what I can do by ear. I don't yet own an oscilloscope, but hopefully I'll get my hands on one in the near future.

    I am continually impressed with the performance of this turntable. I don't have a ton of things to compare it to, but it is by far the quietest, cleanest sounding table I've owned. It is so clean and clear that it almost sounds digital... except that actual digital (Bifrost 2 in this case) falls short of Sol's performance, at least in terms of sheer enjoyability.
     
  9. toddrhodes

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    Hey all! Long time no talk. Haven't had much time to listen through the summer, despite the stuff going on, but am sitting back down now to Sol and my system. Try as I might, I can't seem to get rid of a "ringing" sound. It's most easily heard between tracks and at the beginning/end of sides. I can hear it just freewheeling the platter as well. I've tried a couple ways to lube the pilot bearing and adjacent surfaces with no change in the sound. I also just tonight found that the allen screws that hold the center post into the platter were loose so I tightened those up, but no change.

    I'm really not sure what else to try, and figured I'd ask here if anyone else had heard anything similar in their tables.

    The motor and belt are disconnected when I can hear the slight rub/ring of the platter just spinning it freely. And this may be a bad way to describe it, but I have on occasion heard a bit of a "whirring" sound, like when you run a wetted finger over the top of a glass, while spinning the platter as well. Unsure if that's related, because I don't hear anything like that while the table is under normal operation.

    It's not a dealbreaker but I'm anal about this stuff, so I'd like to correct it if I can.

    Edit - and no, I have not talked to Schiit about it yet, just troubleshooting it tonight so popped in to ask here.
     
  10. gefski

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    Regarding #2, I’ve always “roughed in” anti-skating using a blank disk, arriving at a barely perceptible inward drift. That’s usually pretty close, and one can further tweak with test records as desired.
     
  11. ripblade

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    How long does it take the platter to stop with the belt removed? It should seem like forever if there's no friction.

    When I received my Sol it was one of the very early ones before the beta period was begun. Mine had a slight dent in the top corner of the bearing shaft that was mushroomed over, resulting in a sliver protruding against the bushing. I can't say whether it made a sound resembling what you describe because I discovered this issue while I was assembling the bearing and so it never got so far as to mount the platter. The mushroomed corner did noticeably cause friction when the bearing was rotated by hand.

    I fixed it by lapping the affected spot with a honing stone and some oil. It's been fine and dead quiet ever since. I didn't put a claim in with Schiit over the matter as it was easily resolved on my end. The wobbly platter was another matter, however, which they quickly resolved by promptly shipping me another one.

    Other than that I can't imagine what would cause that kind of noise. You say you've oiled the bearing so I'm at a loss as to what else it could be. Have you tried applying the 'space grease' Schiit sent out to the beta testers?
     
  12. ripblade

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    It's not as easy to hear as some people say. What to listen for is a shift in presence (predominance, focus, clarity) from one channel to the other. When AS is too low, the presence will be on the left channel, whereas the right channel will be audible but without presence. As the AS is increased, the presence will shift to the right, with the loss of presence moving to the left. It's a very subtle shift, but when the presence is equal on both channels you'll know it.

    Another method is to start with a low enough VTF to cause mistracking. Adjust AS until the mistracking is equal on both channels, then increase AS and VTF together until you reach the target range with an equal amount of distortion (ideally, none) on both channels.
     
  13. toddrhodes

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    Well in my ambitious attempt to figure this out on my own, I have been forced to contact Schiit for replacement of a few parts (insert: facepalm.) There was something rubbing in that interface between platter and center post, but I'm not entirely sure what and in my zeal to lubricate what I could, I think I over-lubricated something. And then I tried to de-lubricate it with hot water and, well... now we have a lot of friction and lubricant ain't bringing it back.

    So no vinyl for a bit. Hopefully I don't get hurt too bad on the replacement parts as I don't expect these to be a warranty situation, and I'll just go ahead and take my medicine on this one.

    With that said, I don't believe I got the "space grease" but I could be wrong.
     
  14. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Slight update - it's still not perfect, but I was able to restore operation enough to be passable until I can talk with Schiit about what to do next. I did find that "space grease" and it did help. At this point, despite having a new motor and belt to play with, my speed/WOW issues continue and I think it's all related. Funny enough, I seem to have tamped down the friction/rubbing I was hearing to begin with.
     
  15. astromo

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    Howdy all, hopefully I can get some insight on the motor's technical detail.

    I spotted this piece of DIY kit to help those with "rpm OCD": Turntable Tachometer Motor Speed Controller that is:
    ... designed to work with 2 phase synchronous motors 50Hz/60Hz that work off 6V - 110V RMS (160v p2p) that have a current consumption of approximately 10mA per phase. AKA Premotec, Airpax, Philips motors as used in Linn, Rega, Manticore, Pro-Ject and other compatible turntables.
    So, it's clear that the Sol works off 16VAC from the Schiit website. Any comment regarding the other technical detail?

    Thanks in advance.
     
  16. ripblade

    ripblade Acquaintance

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    I wish I could help you with that. Speaking for myself, I'm ok with utility sync, but a bigger transformer is something I would investigate.
     
  17. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Does anyone happen to know what size screw/thread is used for both the VTA lock allen screw, and possibly the tonearm counterweight? I'd like to get some type of thumb screw for each and wasn't sure if anyone here knew.
     
  18. SuperRoo

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    Both are #8-32
     
  19. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Thank you very kindly!
     
  20. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Friend

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    Looks like Schiit is going to send me a platter and bearing assembly so I'll know fairly quickly if that solves my noise and my wow/flutter issues. I will say that so far, Cruise Control has definitely helped with both speed accuracy and consistency.

    Wow/Flutter is still around .15% and on some jazz albums I can detect some waviness. We'll see how that shakes out with the new assembly.
     

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