Sota Star

Odyno

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2011
221
3
925
Near Montreal Canada
Somehow in an audiophile trade I ended up with an older Sota Star Sapphire.
I ended up sending the deck to Sota service facility to have it brought up to spec.
They contacted me back with the following answer.

Needed repairs
Heavy wear on bearing, replace
$230 - Chrome bearing replacement
or
$260 - Zirconium bearing replacement
*
Old style mat/lip.* Deformed lip, replace
$420 - Series V Mat/Lip replacement
*
Old style belt
$30
*
Old style spring assembly hangs very low.* Springs are maxed out.
$365 - Series V Spring(s) replacement
*
Sent in non-factory packing
$25 - Transit screws w/Allen key, Instructions, Bubble Level, Strobe Disc
$65 - Factory packing
*
Since they are willing to give me $700 on trade in, would it be wise to spring to a refurbished Star or shop in the used market for a newer design such as a VPI or else.....
 

Gregadd

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
10,517
1,774
1,850
Metro DC
They encourage tradeins over repairs and I think they are right.
 

Jay_S

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
309
5
16
San Francisco - East Bay
Refurb is probably the better way to go. Or sell your old Star and buy something else. One thing that is puzzling about the Sota refurbs - they still use the old Series III motor assemblies. The Series III motors go back to the 1980s. The Series V has been out since the 1990s.
 

Bso

Well-Known Member
Sep 30, 2016
98
18
138
Massachusetts/Toronto
Refurb is probably the better way to go. Or sell your old Star and buy something else. One thing that is puzzling about the Sota refurbs - they still use the old Series III motor assemblies. The Series III motors go back to the 1980s. The Series V has been out since the 1990s.

Why not ask them why they are using the Series III? I'm sure we'd all like to know the answer. Just because it is older does not mean it is inferior.

Sometimes a refurb will not allow a new subsystem mechanically. I see this all the time with original Sound Lab A1s and A3s from the 1980s. There is room in that vintage backplate for the Toroid One mod, but no room for the latest Consummate/Toroid Two/Hotrod components. However, as a rule the new Bass Focus (tm) panels will fit. Frankly, all things being equal, the Toroid One/Bass Focus panels option is not bad sonically or wallet wise.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing