STST Motus II in the house

Kingrex

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2019
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My wife is unsure why I invested in a new TT. At times I think Im crazy too. Yet someone posted on another thread about taking your xxxxx to the top. In hindsight, I have spent loads of time tuning everything in my serup. Including my TT. Yet my TT was the only piece I would say was cobbled together with inferior parts.

As a little history is started as an RP6. Then it got a groove tracer sub platter and platter and weight. Then it had the motor pulled off the plinth. (Hugh improvement). Then I broke the rega arm so it got a Vertere SG1. Some time along the way my Denon cartridge mounted in an aluminum headshell went to the soundsmith and came back sapphire with line contact.(another big change).

All in all it sounded good. I was quite pleased. But it was the weak link in my audio. About 1 month ago my Mojo Audio server was returned after a massive software upgrade. The result was astounding. It is so musical. Its what any great source should be. At this point my digital was destroying any vinyl I put at it. Not even close. The cobbled together tt player was very nice, and musical. It just wasn't anything my digital now was. At this point, I was actually pretty nervous about spending all this money on a new STST TT. (3 month delivery wait). How could a table change only impact my vinyl enough to challenge my digital. I was reinstalling my Verter arm and denon cartridge on the new table.

A shout out to Erik with Solypsa. Erik is the USA dealer. He brought the table to my house and performed a complete install. Glad he was there. There were quite a few parts to connect.

So the good part. After it was all put together with my Vertere arm and Denon cartridge, we dropped the needle. Immediately I knew this was a much better table than my previous rig. Just a table change, same arm, cables, cartridge, phono pre. Nothing else changed. A hugh leap forward. The first record we put on was a french album I play all the time. It's nice coffee music in the morning. Immediatly I was struck by understanding the words. The words just flowed forth. No I was not speaking french. Im not Joel. But they were all clear and intelligible. The speed also took a big jump. My favorite album, A Charlie Brown Christmas now digs fsr deeper into Garibaldi piano work. One of his decaying notes struck me as so real it almost put the piano in my room. Taking about real. My wife was upsairs in our open space landing stretching after work. She called down, what that. I was confused and said I heard nothing. She said, that sound, are you playing your guitar. That real. She was confusing music from my stereo with my live playing. That pretty darn good in my book.

I'm super happy with my new table. I am glad there are numerous choices for consumers. If belt drive was all there were, I would be using my old tabe. It was the allure of a DD that pushed me over the edge. I had heard some in rhe past and felt it was for me. And I was right.

Thanks for reading
Rex
 
Here are a couple.20200215_101204.jpg20200215_101204.jpg20200214_172035.jpg20200215_100934.jpg
 
Every day I play the Motus I like it more and more. I did a little back and forth this weekend between my server and TT. I have a nice old Duke Ellington meets Coleman Hawkins. I had the vinyl spinning for a while and thought it was very nice. I then ran a Qobuz version of it. I then went back to vinyl. At this point I realized how much more natural, alive and real the horns sounded on vinyl. The bass was not quite as thick. It was only a slight bit less, but it was just as deep and forceful. It could just be that the tonal balance really showing the natural purity of the horn influenced my perception of the bass thickness. Either way. The vinyl on that album is much better than digital

A few days before I had been doing the same with a Paul Simon Still Crazy About You album. I actually came away preferring the digital. The original album I have is to thin and kind of fatiquing. The digital reissue version has more body and tonal richness. It's a more pleasant listen.

I got amped this weekend and cleaned about 20 used albums I bought a year or so back but never played. I found a few classical jems. I'm really liking the way this TT reproduces violin and orchestra works. I aways liked them on my other table but they weren't fully satisfying. I usually played my digital. Now I play the records. They are so nice. And, I find I can play at higher levels on my stepped attenuator. I'm still probably only 80 to 85 db. But its a more satisfying session wirh a little more punch at those levels.

In 2 days I should have a Hana ML cartridge to try. My denon has issues. And with all the denon shortcomings, I'm still stupefied at what an improvement just a table made.
 
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Aha...you have the Midas 103, I ran that and the ESCO modded Zu 103 for a couple of years about a decade ago. Both beat my Transfiguration Orpheus at the time re snap and drive, but less so on neutrality and transparency.
 
Did you have rhe soundsmith mod. I did but it was done wrong. Its a bit twisted. Enough so I cant dial the azimuth in. Part of rhe reason I am trying others. I am also getting a Sensitive Sound Art. That should keep me for a.long while.
 
As I like DD turntables, I start playing around with a

STST Motus II DQ in 12" and full black glossy Corian plinth DD drive turntable

plus

THE WAND Master 12" tonearm

This is the sub chassis version, which I had ordered for Tonearm in the 850g class,
like Sorane TA-1L oder The Wand master or some others.

Tonarme cut out was chosen as SME standard, as for the most 12" arms a SME slider adapter does exist.

Over the weekend I worked some hours on the turntable, as the Motus and this exotic tonearm are new to me and a lot of things need to be understood first, before fitting together the turntable.

Big fun in the upcoming winter times :)

Starting point is a Shure V15 III with Ebony wood body and the Jazz Kissa edition needle from Jico.

A Koetsu Black will follow..

The red wooden base is the Yamamoto Asada B-60

IMG_0137.jpgIMG_0136.jpgIMG_0139.jpgIMG_0138.jpg

IMG_0081.jpgIMG_0080.jpg
 
A lot of value there. As I have maintained for years the Motus tables offer a great deal in terms of sonic performance and custom configuration ( Corian, paint to RAL sample, impeccable veneers, etc. )

Enjoy it!
 
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@shakti What is your initial reaction to your Motus II, now you have had it setup a few weeks?
 
@shakti What is your initial reaction to your Motus II, now you have had it setup a few weeks?
fine sounding deck, but I had so far no 1:1 shoot out with any other competitor in the price range.
 
Unfortunate life circumstances pushes me towards selling my light maple STST Motus II DQ 12" model with Vertex tonearm. Please send me a PM if interested. Located in USA. Thank you
 
Well that sucks.

What did you think of the 12" arm?
 
The first record we put on was a French album I play all the time. It's nice coffee music in the morning.

Just gotta ask... What is this album?

I also have a favourite French album that I play all the time... typically in the mornings over a cup of tea.

What are the chances of it being the same album as yours?

I'll show you mine, if you show me yours? ;)
 
I.play these 3 quite often.
 

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Nice.

Well, it was a long shot.

Listening to this right now. I firm family favourite... Incredible sound.

It's so difficult to find these obscure albums, outside of vinyl LP. Near impossible, with many of them.

For me, being able to find some obscure old album that has never seen the light of day, is half the attraction of vinyl. The other half is obviously the superb sound...

FRANCE Various, Selected Sound – STEREO 139.jpg
 
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The shipping from Germany to US is a lot more than the album. Have you tried the other Selected Sound versions from Greece, Italy?
If I remember I will look for it on Spotify. My DAC is out for upgrades. I wont have it for a while.
Rex
 
The shipping from Germany to US is a lot more than the album. Have you tried the other Selected Sound versions from Greece, Italy?
If I remember I will look for it on Spotify. My DAC is out for upgrades. I wont have it for a while.
Rex

True. The shipping is killer.

I usually try to gather 6 LPs in a group to make it worthwhile. Still not cheap - but bearable.

I have tried some of the other Selected Sounds albums, but none compare - to my ears. YMMV.
 
fine sounding deck, but I had so far no 1:1 shoot out with any other competitor in the price range.

We use the wonderful DESIGN BUILD LISTEN WAND PLUS 9.5" arm on our LP12 hot-rod... We LOVE it!

How does this arm sound on the MOTUS ii?

I find the engineering logic behind the MOTUS ii to completely align with my own thinking, so I imagine it is a fantastic table.

Are you able to post more about your listening impressions of the MOTUS ii and the WAND MASTER arm combination?
 
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