The Nova has long been the Sapphire’s sister table, as they share the same platform, the same beloved suspension system, and now – all the same, new innovations for the Series VI. However, unique to the Nova VI is the inclusion of a 1” milled aluminum brace on the sub-chassis. This more robust design leads to a sub-chassis that is heavier and stiffer than previous sub-chasses, and yields a sound with more life and clarity than ever before.
Despite all the innovations, to keep with SOTA’s history of making quiet, reliable, American-made vacuum turntables, the new Nova VI is still available with the option of our legendary vacuum hold-down system.
Vacuum Hold-Down
No matter what else is on your rack, high-fidelity playback is not possible without a flat record. Clamps and weights may yield a variety of sonic improvements, but they often fail to completely flatten the records near its outside edges. Our proprietary, self-sensing vacuum system solves this problem without introducing noise or reliability issues.
The record seats onto the rubber mat lip at the edge of the platter. A vacuum pump located in the power supply box removes the air between the platter surface and the record. With the record flat on the platter, our circuitry senses the vacuum seal in place on the platter and dramatically drops the pump power, greatly reducing any pump noise, resulting in a remarkably quiet vacuum hold-down system. Better yet, this progression happens in seconds, as to not inconvenience listeners.