If I had the $$, the SAT XD-1 would be the table I would plonk my cash on.
It sounds like it meets my criteria of DD goodness including quick start up and stop. Bass that is continuous, fast and deep that links into a transparent midrange with smooth detailed upper end extension.
As I know with my 40+ year old SP10MK3, the motor will outlive myself and provide reliability unheard of in most components.
The same cannot be said about the competition when using almost unobtanium 45 year old Past motors or motors not designed for turntables so no guarantee spares etc will be around if needed. Imo
As I know with my 40+ year old SP10MK3, the motor will outlive myself and provide reliability unheard of in most components.
The same cannot be said about the competition when using almost unobtanium 45 year old Past motors or motors not designed for turntables so no guarantee spares etc will be around if needed. Imo
Well… maybe… It’s not stock a Technics motor and drive unit, after all. No one really knows what mods Marc made (although the power supply seems stock, which is disappointing at this price point).
Can your local Technics dealer service your XD1 when the motor won’t run? Likely not.
This is the biggest con in my view of the SAT (other than the exorbitant price) - it’s a one man show with a short track record. What happens if Marc decides to do something else or cannot work anymore?!
This doesn’t apply only to SAT of course. Fremer made similar comments about his Continuum table - the company parted ways with the designer and left owners to fend for themselves.
OMA K3 - same risk. Weiss passes away or decides to do something else and owners may have a $500k paperweight on their hands when that “special” motor won’t spin correctly.
At least with Technics, Nagra, and other large companies, while by no means guaranteed, the fact that they‘ve been around for the better part of a century should give owners confidence that they will continue to be in business.
Not trying to be negative, it’s just an important point to consider when this kind of money is being contemplated.
Well… maybe… It’s not stock a Technics motor and drive unit, after all. No one really knows what mods Marc made (although the power supply seems stock, which is disappointing at this price point).
Can your local Technics dealer service your XD1 when the motor won’t run? Likely not.
This is the biggest con in my view of the SAT (other than the exorbitant price) - it’s a one man show with a short track record. What happens if Marc decides to do something else or cannot work anymore?!
This doesn’t apply only to SAT of course. Fremer made similar comments about his Continuum table - the company parted ways with the designer and left owners to fend for themselves.
OMA K3 - same risk. Weiss passes away or decides to do something else and owners may have a $500k paperweight on their hands when that “special” motor won’t spin correctly.
At least with Technics, Nagra, and other large companies, while by no means guaranteed, the fact that they‘ve been around for the better part of a century should give owners confidence that they will continue to be in business.
Not trying to be negative, it’s just an important point to consider when this kind of money is being contemplated.
This is the biggest con in my view of the SAT (other than the exorbitant price) - it’s a one man show with a short track record. What happens if Marc decides to do something else or cannot work anymore?!
This is a really important point to me when considering buying expensive audio. And that the dealer is solid and dependable, and likely to be around in the future also.
Well… maybe… It’s not stock a Technics motor and drive unit, after all. No one really knows what mods Marc made (although the power supply seems stock, which is disappointing at this price point).
Can your local Technics dealer service your XD1 when the motor won’t run? Likely not.
This is the biggest con in my view of the SAT (other than the exorbitant price) - it’s a one man show with a short track record. What happens if Marc decides to do something else or cannot work anymore?!
This doesn’t apply only to SAT of course. Fremer made similar comments about his Continuum table - the company parted ways with the designer and left owners to fend for themselves.
OMA K3 - same risk. Weiss passes away or decides to do something else and owners may have a $500k paperweight on their hands when that “special” motor won’t spin correctly.
At least with Technics, Nagra, and other large companies, while by no means guaranteed, the fact that they‘ve been around for the better part of a century should give owners confidence that they will continue to be in business.
Not trying to be negative, it’s just an important point to consider when this kind of money is being contemplated.
Your interesting post deserves a separate thread, but I will just post a few comments. What is the risk that very expensive current top high-end becomes door stops in ten years? IMHO we should consider two possibilities - maintenance and service can become too expensive or simply impossible. I have to say that as I am located in Europe and shipping and customs to US or non EC countries is expensive, risky and time consuming I always weight this aspect with care. As I have an instrumental / technical background my dream component in this aspect were the Atmasphere OTLs - they are sturdy, reliable, just easily obtainable parts and I always could service/upgrade them myself in a short time. The same for conrad johnson.
Well… maybe… It’s not stock a Technics motor and drive unit, after all. No one really knows what mods Marc made (although the power supply seems stock, which is disappointing at this price point).
Can your local Technics dealer service your XD1 when the motor won’t run? Likely not.
This is the biggest con in my view of the SAT (other than the exorbitant price) - it’s a one man show with a short track record. What happens if Marc decides to do something else or cannot work anymore?!
This doesn’t apply only to SAT of course. Fremer made similar comments about his Continuum table - the company parted ways with the designer and left owners to fend for themselves.
OMA K3 - same risk. Weiss passes away or decides to do something else and owners may have a $500k paperweight on their hands when that “special” motor won’t spin correctly.
At least with Technics, Nagra, and other large companies, while by no means guaranteed, the fact that they‘ve been around for the better part of a century should give owners confidence that they will continue to be in business.
Not trying to be negative, it’s just an important point to consider when this kind of money is being contemplated.
One could say the same about many high end hifi manufacturers.
How old is the designer of Tech Das, 80 something. Mark Gomez is half his age.
The fact that the Technics motor has a pedigree over the last 40 years is unparalleled. Many techs can and do service the current and old Technics motors.
One could say the same about many high end hifi manufacturers.
How old is the designer of Tech Das, 80 something. Mark Gomez is half his age.
The fact that the Technics motor has a pedigree over the last 40 years is unparalleled. Many techs can and do service the current and old Technics motors.
Yes but it’s not clear what changes Marc has made. He is adamant that the XD1 is not a modded Technics, after all. You can’t have it both ways…
Marc may be half the age of the TechDas founder but he could move on to something else… is SAT more of a hobby for him or a business? So far I’ve seen more evidence that it’s the former.
TechDas has been around for decades - this makes them more likely to be around in the future, even with a new CEO.
There are no guarantees either way, but the risk is definitely lower with a company that has been around for 10+ years. Why? Because these companies have come through recessions, adapted with shifts in the industry, and have proven that they are not just vanity projects for their founders. Time is the best prediction of future resiliency.
Yes but it’s not clear what changes Marc has made. He is adamant that the XD1 is not a modded Technics, after all. You can’t have it both ways…
Marc may be half the age of the TechDas founder but he could move on to something else… is SAT more of a hobby for him or a business? So far I’ve seen more evidence that it’s the former.
TechDas has been around for decades - this makes them more likely to be around in the future, even with a new CEO.
There are no guarantees either way, but the risk is definitely lower with a company that has been around for 10+ years. Why? Because these companies have come through recessions, adapted with shifts in the industry, and have proven that they are not just vanity projects for their founders. Time is the best prediction of future resiliency.
Full disclosure, I am a SAT representative in Canada. I have background information that I can add here about the company and succession plan. These are important considerations when purchasing equipment and worthy questions to ask. I have asked these very questions to Marc in the past and I received what I believe to be a well thought out plan.
SAT has been developing Analog products for 12 years and producing them for 9 years now, building arguably some of the best pick up arms in the world and now one of the highest resolving turntables. The materials, fit, finish and performance are all at the highest level for a high end audio product. Marc Gomez's focus is SAT, it is his sole source of income, not a hobby or vanity project. His son has been working with him at the company for the past couple of years and will be onboarded this summer as his academic studies wrap up. Marc's son is enthusiastic about the work SAT has been doing and had decided to dedicate himself to the business. This allows for a future generation to continue the work, gives a bench depth to SAT and allows more research and building to continuously improve their products.
A great deal of thought and dedication has gone into the creation of SAT. They know there is more to discover and uncover in those black grooves we all love. They are passionate about its continued research and improvement to resolve the recorded music still waiting to be unleashed. They fully plan to be at this for decades to come.
Our own XD1 demonstration table is slated for delivery this coming April. Anyone with interest in experiencing and physically touching the XD-1 while in Toronto is welcome to arrange a visit and realize what SAT is all about.
I had posted this elsewhere in a discussion relating the to the operation of the XD1's P1 vacuum system and thought it appropriate to keep it in this thread also as it relates directly to the XD1 operation:
"In full disclosure I am a SAT representative in Canada. I have a little bit of background information that I can add here regarding the SAT vacuum system.
The vacuum system is an option to the XD1 and can be purchased without it or with the typical threaded clamping system employed by many manufactures quite successfully.
The P1 (vacuum pump unit for the XD1) is not battery operated but is connected to the wall and has a PSU feeding the pump. The pump itself is a programable laboratory grade design rated at 30,000+ hours of continuous use. That is 3.6 million vacuum cycles on the XD1. It would be difficult to approach playing that many album sides in a lifetime. The vacuum hose is attached and detached from the valve port on the side of the platter. The hose is now brought through the body of the XD1 leaving a length available for easy connection. When you engage the vacuum system the P1 runs continuously until you reach the vacuum desired. You then turn it off and detach the hose. It does not run continuously or has permanent attachment as it was found that the continuous vacuum approach had a perceptible noise and detracted from the performance of the XD1. The convenience is secondary as the performance of the XD1 is of primary importance. The vacuum can last hours if left. More than enough time to play the entire album side. For disengaging the vacuum from the record there is now a button that is depressed. The early production unit provided a tool to release it.
We are also TechDAS and Dohmann dealers. The vacuum systems employed by TechDAS has had no issues with any warped records. It struggles with dished records, when the dished side is up as it does not contact the outer vacuum seals easily, but will easily flatten them with some coaxing around the edges.
In my experience vacuum systems add a level of performance to turntable designs and allow the majority of your records to be played flat, maximum contact to the platter surface and with a uniform pressure applied to the vinyl itself."
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense re: SAT. Great points.
Also, the comparison between the XD1 and AF1P that @TLi mentioned- that was with an XD1 that did not have vacuum hold down! Wonder how much better it would sound with vacuum hold down!
I would never buy it, not my taste; but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.
And there is a camp that doesn’t care what it looks like if it sounds great. I get that.
