Schiit Sol Turntable Review - Episodic.

Installed my AT33PTG/II in place of the stock AT-VM95ML (I added the ML stylus, came with EN) and the MC is working great. More hum than I recalled on my previous deck but moving the SUT around as shown took care of that.

I love listening to this table but every time I interact with it I truly miss my KAB SL-1200 MkII - hamfisted brute that I am.

 

Honestly I never thought there would be a sound quality improvement from the Cruise Control. I really noticed a lower noise floor when I bought one, and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Another big tip is have the motor on a separate surface and isolate the table in some way. Separating the motor off the same surface again lowered the noise floor.

I'd also recommend the Acromat that M.F. also recommended if you haven't done one already. Great lively sound without getting out of control and a solid improvement over the stock or a standard felt mat.

 

Hey guys,
I know it's been said here but I seem to have overlooked it, but has anyone had luck upgrading belts for a little better speed stability? It plays so nicely with most music, but I'd you play something like piano jazz with long sustained/repeated notes it announces the slight bit of wow it has. That's not to say it is much as I have consistently measured less than +/-0.08, but it is ever so noticable when playing that style of music. I would imagine (but not certain) it is more belt related than an offset or wobble in the platter. So, what other belt options have you all tried?

 

I was using a rayon sewing thread treated with liquid rosin for awhile. It seemed to impart more thrust or drive into the rhythm but also transferred hum from the motor to the platter so I stopped using it in favour of the rubber belt.

I listen to a fair bit of solo piano as well. When I hear pitch waver it's usually due to a slight ripple warp visible in the light reflected while the record is turning. Sometimes it's the ground shaking the foundation of my house and only occurs during such times. And, more rarely, it's in the master tape.

The Sol's unipivot is a mighty sensitive instrument which can reveal all kinds of problems elsewhere in the environment. If it was just the belt it would be audible all the time and not just occasionally .

 

Interesting. I know the speed stability of the table is generally really good since I consistently measure +/- 0.07%. I find when the belt decides to walk around on the platter that I get the instability, and it does so somewhat infrequently but enough to notice on certain music. It's almost like when it was glued together it had a slight twist to it so it naturally wants to scoot up and down the platter side. Sustained or repetitive piano notes seem to be the biggest standouts. I'll try the string method and see if I can get anything good there. Not too worried about noise as I have the motor on a separate base from the table. If that doesn't work I'll search the depths of the internet for more belt options after that.

 

It could be that I'm more sensitive to hum and noise than I am to speed stability. I had to go to great lengths to eliminate motor noise, starting with cutting away the plastic jacket on the AC umbilical that connects the motor can to the plinth mounted circuit box. Next, I isolated the motor itself within the can by suspending it between the top of the can and circuit board below using sorbothane sheets. In effect, the motor itself no longer touches the can. Lastly, I improved the can and plinth isolation from the platform below by propping them up on sorbothane grommets, in addition to he existing rubber feet. With the original rubber belt in play, I'm happy to say that it's now as quiet and free of motor noise as the Oracle Delphi I was using before.

Pitch wow, OTOH, is not nearly as good as the Delphi, at least not yet. If I could accommodate the Sol arm on the Delphi I'd probably still be using it instead, but the Delphi's armboard won't fit an 11" arm and the Sol's arm is much, much better than the modified Rega I currently have on the Delphi. So the Delphi sits unused awaiting a different arm while I'm rocking the Sol in the meantime.

Mine did that initially but it doesn't anymore, and hasn't for quite awhile. Part of the problem is with the way the belts are stored folded up. The folds kink the belts, so they take a long time to unkink owing to the low tension on the belt. Flipping between pulleys to change speed might exacerbate things. I don't play many 45s so I don't have that problem.

Keep any spare belts flat and unfolded in the box to reduce the time it takes for them to straighten out.

 

Back on page 16 there was a post by @ripblade about isolating the grounds by modifying the board. I think I've come to the conclusion this needs to be done. I don't want to modify the board though (just in case purposes) so I'm going to make a new attachment for mounting rca plugs and hard wired w/o a circuit board. It'll take away the ability for quick swapping arms sorta, but I wasn't lucky enough for a second tonearm anyways. Should be easy to rewire the tonearm (cardas clear) direct to some KLE female rca plugs, the headshell ground to a proper chassis ground (eliminating the common ground issues) and mount to a piece of aluminum directly bolted into the old board bolt holes on the plinth. Hoping it yields a good sonic upgrade, but it could just be a fun afternoon fiddling. We'll see next week.

 

So I finished the rewiring this weekend. I used Audio Note silver cartridge pins, Cardas Original wire (clear was backordered for 3 weeks) and KLE RCA plugs with a regular separated ground lug. I fashioned a new mounting plate to bolt in the same spot as the previous board holes, albeit facing up rather than sideways. Those Audio Note cartridge pins are really tiny and super tricky to work with. One pin is barely on there as some solder creeped up blocking where the pin plugs a little bit. Super frustrating to solder the tiny little clips, but that tonearm was amazing to feed wire through using a little bit of paracord and scotch tape. BUT all in all it's back together and playing. It's a HUGE improvement in sound quality compared to stock setup. Strongly recommend anyone do this if you have a free weekend and are good at stress management.

 

Hello Sol Brothers and Sisters!

I have finally started making progress on building a diy version of the tonearm supplied with the SOL. My plan is to replicate the tonearm as closely as possible. To cut down on the amount of machine work required, I ordered parts that are the size and shape of the various components of the arm.

Material for the brass weight was cut from a solid brass rod. Material for the aluminum unipivot hoop was cut from thick wall aluminum pipe. An online company called Metal Depot had these materials in the same dimensions as the finished pieces on the Sol tonearm, leaving me with only mild machining and polishing to be completed.

I checked out carbon fiber pipe on Amazon, but the reviews weren't always good. Many people complained that the products were not staight. I ended up ordering the carbon pipe for the arm from an online company called Carbon Kevlar Supply. 20" of the stuff cost something like $8.00 USD and it is dead straight. Not a flaw to be found in the finish.

I ordered 2 of everything in case I mess one up. So far parts for 2 arms cost a total of $70 USD. If my diy version of this arm performs well, I will build a few more for various other cartridges I have.

(I tried to post picts but I don't see a way to do that)

 

Any update on progress of your DIY tonearm? Super curious to see how the project turned out.

 

Great photos and vibe. What's the TT light? Cordless?

 

I'm sure most everyone here is jealous of that stack of extra tonearms. I know I am. What cartridges do you have stacked up there?

Also what ring record clamp is that? Does it ever interfere with the belt?