Turntable Reviews

This table is going to open many doors and create its own mini-industry of fun tweaks and add ons.

I hope they let it stay and play with you as we watch the evoluton of things to do to it!

Cheers.

I have been saving and planning to add the Sol to my setup, but the absence of any reviews has culled my enthusiasm. I have read several forums and posts, but none quite as full or complete as this. What made the decision easy for me? The recorded version of Feels Like Rain. I've always been partial to Buddy Guy's version admittedly, but the clarity and accuracy of this version was staggering.

Thanks for the write up. I look forward to getting my hands on one soon.
It seems to me that a lot of these are going to get paired up with Schiit Mani phono preamps, so it would be neat if Schiit added the little multi pin tonearm wire connector as an alternate input connector directly on the Mani, eliminating a bunch of extra signal path connections and cables in the process. They could even make a little bracket to hold the Mani in a suitable orientation near the base of the arm. Just a thought.

for that price point.
Also an outstanding idea from MichaelTrei!

Nice job Michael.

First off, Thank you Micheal for the work you do.
I own a SOL. I have since April or May. I bought it with the Grado cart. So this was my first turntable in 15 years. When I first set it up I thought it sounded great, and as it burned-in, it just got better. As I've started really fine tunning it, it just keeps getting better. I just wanted to add that the Plater height is also adjustable, this came in handy when changing out my matt and setting VTA. Just another amazing feature on a table at this price point.

I've done one upgrade/tweak so far. I built my own two-piece isolation platform out of maple, with Sorbothane feet. The motor sits on one platform and the rest of the table sits on the other. This made the background and spaces between instruments very quiet.

I am one to always tweak if I can. Thank you for the speed controller suggestion. I was looking at it and wondering if it would work, or if it would add hum to the motor. Are there motor upgrades or blet upgrades that you think would further improve the performance of the little table? Or any other suggestions?
Thanks,

How about replacing the drive belt with a polyester thread a la the Well-Tempered turntable? It should improve speed variations, perhaps at the cost of increased transmission of motor noise to the platter. Cheap to try!

Great review and quite remarkable sound for this price range!
I hear hum and the start and end of the record. Is that from guitar amps on the records or from the table?

Thanks for the great review Michael.Like Christopherorman above, I've had my eye on this turntabe but was waiting for a review from a trusted reviewer. Here's a questions, by the time you add your recommended Music Hall Cruise Control and Funk Firm Achromat you are at $1,200 (which I still think is a good value if you get high end performance). How do you feel the Sol compares to turntables available in that price range? Is there something at that price range that doesn't require additional enhancements over the SOl? Thanks

I was exhausted by the time you got to the listening. I know there is a market for difficult to use products but will the customer that buys an $800 table want to go down all those roads? I doubt it. If Michael Fremer finds it tedious then it is definitely not for me.

I’ve never quite eliminated motor noise on my Debut Carbon, so had been waiting for a strong review of this table as I pondered my next upgrade. As it happens I already own and like a low-output Opus3 cart and a heavy rubber platter mat from a previous table, so I’m thinking the Sol is right for me. Thanks for covering what seem to be the principal issues clearly. The VTA and other adjustments were high on my list, especially considering I’ll probably try an MC cart sooner than later.

This is why I enjoy the reviews here on Analog Planet - Michael clearly has a thorough understanding of every technical aspect of turntable engineering. Reviews elsewhere can often focus more on the hard-to-quantify, hard-to-describe, ineffable qualities of a turntable’s sound. I learn so much more from reviews like this one where the technical qualities of the machine are explained as well as the sonic results.

Redchaser asked about possible alternatives in the price range. I haven’t seen it mentioned here on AP, so I will briefly say that my local hifi shop (The Music Room, Glasgow - two doors down from my flat!) is the UK distributor for New Horizon turntables, an Italian brand. Jack (the owner) was very impressed by these turntables and really worked hard to bring them to the UK. He usually sells Origin Live and Michell and Brinkmann turntables, so he knows his onions and has high standards. One comparison that might be interesting is the New Horizon GD2 or GD2.5, along with some of the cartridges mentioned above, to roughly hit the $1200 price point. Full disclosure: I do not work for Jack, and I have not heard these turntables! Possibly worth exploring though.

New Horizon turntables use Project tonearms (elemental on the 101 an extremely cheap design totally unusable). Don't know how they could get these parts from them as their delays are extremely long (centuries or so) when you get something (no stocks perhaps)... Here we have a good to very good original tonearm alas without detachable headshell nor proper lift (Elipson Alpha 100 has no lift at all but it's a cheap turntable) (?!).
Speed problems and unadjustable feet (re- ?!) make me want to get the arm separately and forget the rest.
The Grado is interesting.

There is nothing worse than a turntable that runs slow.

So this means that, to actually enjoy music on the Sol, you've got to spend $800 for the TT and another $300 for the Music Box Cruise Control. That's $1100, for which you can get you a Technics SL1200 MK7 (with $100 left over towards a cartridge).

I guess running slow is better than the belt falling off, which apparently is what happened during the Sol beta release.

Anyway, it's great that Schiit tried to make a turntable -- their heart and market instincts were in the right place and I had high hopes for this product -- but it appears to fall short (or fall slow, I guess) where the platter hits the road (mixed metaphor)

Submitted by Jfuquay on Sat, 2020-10-24 06:39
Not sure what happened to the comment portion of my post previously. But thanks for addressing all the issues that have circulated out of Sol’s beta release. I’ve been looking for an upgrade from my Debut Carbon, which has always been touchy about motor vibration. I’m not sure how I feel about the slow speed, but you put my mind to rest about the uni pívot arm and general design of the Sol. In any event, I’m current running, and like, a low-output Opus 3 cartridge so I’d say the Sol is a real candidate. I stream so much now that I’m just not willing to spend $$$ on a new table.

I've read they wait for years* to ad this table to their line so if it's just a pulley affair they can do something. Hope it'll be the same price outside USA.

* = 6 in fact

I have a heavy, rubber-like mat, I’d say 4-5mm thick, from an old Yamaha P450 turntable. It’s very flexible but also really substantial. Anybody know anything about whether it is similar to the Achromat? I didn’t use it on my Debut Carbon because it was so much thicker than that horrible felt mat, and then I didn’t need a mat at all, per Pro-Ject’s instructions, after adding the acrylic platter (which I found a big improvement, BTW) If the Achromat works by deadening resonance, the Yamaha mat sure looks like it would do the same. Thanks.

Not ready for prime time.
The frame looks excellent but needs leveling capability.
The platter has noticeable wobble and runout.
The tonearm pivot design looks like a science fair project.
At the moment this table is Schiit Out of Luck......

Lol.. so funny.

An early review online mentions problems mounting longer cartridges eg. Denon DL103 due to lack of space in the head shell. I was wondering whether Schiit have addressed this issue?

I own a SOL since April. The issue with long cartridge has been addressed in the March relaunch. I currently use a Dyna 10x4 MK IV, without no issues.

I have the Shinola turntable but before I read this review I didn't know Schiit from Shinola.
Couldn't resist, sorry.

I pulled the trigger on a Sol a week ago and am very happy with performance. No platter wobble, although the mat is slightly irregular. Here are some observations. Setup is not hard. Very straight-forward, especially with the video on the Schitt site. The included AT cartridge is OK and I used it to make sure everything was working right. Then I mounted my own Grado Opus3 low-output cart, whose 1 mV output is better suited to my 55 dB gain phono stage. I was afraid I wasn’t going to get the azimuth vertical but hit it right before the adjusting weight bottomed out. I haven’t yet adjusted VTA; the set screw is quite tight, but I’ll get to it. The unipivot arm is my first, but it quickly settles in with no rocking side to side. But wow, the arm is feather light and unconstrained, so it will go flying with the slightest touch. No way I’d own this with a cat or a child in the house! The cueing lever is undamped and can slip out of the raised position unless it is exactly at 12 o’clock. Not a table for casual use. But I plan to experiment with MC cartridges and wanted an adjustable table without spending $$$$. Finally, I think the tripod plinth looks very cool and seems rock solid. Leveling screws would be nice, but I may end up putting an isolation base under it anyway. Thanks, Michael, for the review.

After several hours of playback, I’ve noticed that after fine tuning the cartridge, a Grado Opus3, I hear a considerably quieter noise floor than with my Debut Carbon with acrylic platter. The music just seems to jump out of a dead-quiet background, and there’s less pop and crackle from surface imperfections. I have to think part of that is due to the adjustments to VTA allowed by the TT and to a more stable platter bearing and steadier arm.

Given the capabilities of the Sol what preamp and cartridge would bring out the best in the table? Pre-amp wise Project Phono Box Ultra 500, iFi iPhono3, PS Audio Stellar? Cartridge wise go the MC route and get a Hana ML? Any suggested for a new Sol owner is appreciated.

First off, thanks Mike! You're the best!

I read this review at the behest of a friend who's thinking of getting back into vinyl.

This is definitely not a beginner's TT, even a beginner with deep enough pockets to shell out 12 to 15 hundred bucks to get it right, so to speak. Also, as one commenter pointed out, not a beginner or anyone with small children, cats, dogs, spongy floors or anything likely to insult that tonearm or introduce vibration. Seems like this TT would also need to be located as far away from speakers, as possible. However, it certainly seems like a budding tweakofile's dream. It seems, to me, like this TT was rushed to market, rather than doing the proper amount of beta testing and development to avoid all the little glitches unearthed during this review. Not expensive "fixes", relatively speaking, but add-on "fixes", nonetheless. I've never been a fan of outboard motors that cannot be fixed in space, for obvious reasons. However, this, too, is another inexpensive fix. Gotta admit, though, that tonearm is hot Schiit! (Sorry! Couldn't resist, either. C'mon! Even you couldn't, Mike.) If Schitt keeps at it and keeps paying attention to customer and reviewer feedback, this is a relatively inexpensive TT with lots of possibilities.

Nice touch with the audio file Mike, it sounds very good,thanks, David Tomsett.

Based upon Jason's recent, but first Youtube Q&A from Corpus Christi, he had mentioned that the future of SOL as a product is being discussed internally. SAD.... Yes, there were hiccups but turntables are TOUGH to do as it is very mechanical yet I think overall, people that are really into vinyl really like it. It is unique, it is AMERICAN.. Hope it survives...

Reading I couldn't help but think about the AR XA which by the time I bought one was almost $80. Why? Well, the AR broke ground at a ridiculously low price point. It encouraged tweeking like a better mat, counterweight, as well as any one of several arm lifts (mine was a Lyra Lift). And some other things like different springs and possibly an improved motor. The weak point seemed to be the tone arm which was plenty good enough at rock bottom prices, but oh so simple with the ugliest plastic headshell. The tnng was the AR had a sprung platter and arm isolated from the plinth/box. This was in a time where Dual and Garrard were using a less sophisticated spring suspended whole table in a box. AR went it's own way at what was an amazing low price. So in 2021 I see parallels with the Schitt Sol table. The Schitt, adjusted for inflation and including a decent starter cartridge, is within a stone toss of the AR cost-wise. One has to believe it's sol (couldn't resist) purpose is to make a very high-performance cdeck available to the masses for peanuts. Like the AR XA The Schitt Sol can encourage the audio hobbyist to search for and install upgrades. In this case it would seem the AR's weakness, the arm, has been given much thought making t not a weakness, but a strength. Aimed at the audio hobbyist seeking max performance for a bargain price I hope this table will so well encouraging Schitt to evolve the table over time to be more and more of a cornerstone product. I'm tempted to buy it without a deeper dive.

This is definitely not a beginner's TT, even a beginner with deep enough pockets to shell out 12 to 15 hundred bucks to get it right, so to speak. Also, as one commenter pointed out, not a beginner or anyone with small children, cats, dogs, spongy floors or anything likely to insult that tonearm or introduce vibration. Seems like this TT would also need to be located as far away from speakers, as possible. However, it certainly seems like a budding tweakofile's dream. It seems, to me, like this TT was rushed to market, rather than doing the proper amount of beta testing and development to avoid all the little glitches unearthed during this review. Not expensive "fixes", relatively speaking, but add-on "fixes", nonetheless. I've never been a fan of outboard motors that cannot be fixed in space, for obvious reasons. However, this, too, is another inexpensive fix. Gotta admit, though, that tonearm is hot Schiit! (Sorry! Couldn't resist, either. C'mon! Even you couldn't, Mike.) If Schitt keeps at it and keeps paying attention to customer and reviewer feedback, this is a relatively inexpensive TT with lots of possibilities.

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I watched the Sol setup video and the first thing I noticed was a wobble in the platter as it spun...it looks like it was machined out of spec?

Sadly, I found a thread on SuperBest AudioFriends...Schitt has pulled the plug on this project - and it is now discontinued. That'ss from Jason Stoddard himself.

I’m a little late to the party, but I just bought what may have been the last new Sol from Schiit. And I love it. It’s a shame Schiit had to discontinue this product. I am considering replacing the cartridge for something a bit more high end. In his conclusion, Mr. Fremer states, “starting with as good a medium to high compliance MM or MI cartridge you can possibly afford.” With a tonearm mass of 13 grams, wouldn’t a better match be a low to medium compliance cartridge?