The Mike Moffat (#2 at Schiit) Blog

33 1/3 for now would be fine, but I'd love to have that upgrade available in the future. Currently have a U-Turn Orbit, great table, but switching the belt to play 45s is such a pain in the ass. I have high hopes that schiit would let us change speeds on the fly.

No worries, I can be patient for this.

 

Is it perhaps possible that the gadget somehow performs "better" (mathematically, electronically, witchcraft, etc) when the knob is near the C=256 point?

 

No 45 RPM without a clear and relatively inexpensive upgrade path would mean the Sol wouldn’t be for me. I have a lot of 12” 45 RPM singles and 45 RPM audiophile reissues.

 

Same here. I'm not planning on swapping turntables anytime soon, but if I was looking for an upgrade from something like a u-turn or debut carbon, I don't know if I would consider one that only supported 33 1/3 RPM. I think it would be fine if there was an option to bundle a speed controller with the turntable at launch though.

 

I have no 45s hence I am fine with the 33 1/3 rpm only.

 

Is the Sol going to have a pulley with just one size groove on it? Or is it going to have a 33.3 groove and a 45 groove?

I have no issues with manually moving a belt from the 33.3 groove to the 45 groove to change speeds. Especially with the motor and pulley being located away from the platter like it is with the Sol. I'm OK with 33.3 being more optimized than 45. But I do want the ability to play 45.

 

Is there another well regarded turntable from a major manufacturer that doesn’t do 45 RPM? Seems like removing that functionality would turn off a lot of customers.

Everything I’m hearing about the Sol is that it’s going to be killer. I am seriously considering it as my next table if the reviews are good. But no 45 feels arbitrary and unnecessary given that more material than ever is being released on 45.

 

I can still remember being pissed off that my turntable did not do 78. Seriously.

Almost all the records that I have encountered post shellac and pre-CD have been 33.3. The few singles I've met in the past decade or two have been in as bad condition as the one or two LPs that I have kept fifty years without being stolen. 45s were never a thing for me because I skipped the pop era of the sixties. If I were buying a turntable, I think I would want it to do 45... but serious thought would make me acknowledge that I just wouldn't need it.

But there must be players of 45s out there. There must be players of 45s in the potential Schiit market.

My vote is do not leave out 45. But give it a weighting of <1, because, with some nostalgic regret, I am just not a turntable guy any longer.

 

I'd be bummed if it can't do 45s. I have more than a few favorites on 12" 45.

Sol, Jot with phono and can't listen to everything I want would be a bummer.

 

The game changed in the ‘80s. Some of the best music of the decade was released on 12” 45. If you’re a serious Prince, Madonna, New Order etc. collector you will own a ton of 45 12” singles.

 

Even as a non-phono guy I have noticed a ton of full-length 12" albums that are at 45rpm in recent times. If it's only 33 1/3 you will lose some sales for sure.

 

45 is a must and shouldn't be an "upgrade path". Kind of sends a "half assed" message. I say do it once, do it right. Don't understand the children comment, either. Of the high quality reissues I have at both 33 and 45, 45 just sounds better on my system. The downside is the constant flipping.

My $0.02.

 

Absolutely!!! But don't forget Duran Duran. They are one of the few bands I'm aware of that recorded special versions ("night versions") of their songs for night clubs.

According to wikipedia / Nick Rhodes... "they recorded extended versions of their singles to be used in night clubs. Rather than have the master tapes cut and taped into remixes, Duran Duran went back into the studio and recorded longer versions of the songs with more instrumental breaks."

 

Just need a Garrard.

 

Yeah, different artists approached extended mixes differently. Madonna went the full remix approach, deconstructing and recreating songs. Prince recorded full versions and cut them down for the albums and 7” singles.

 

I think the funny thing about this conundrum is that 33 1/3 vs. 45 argument doesnt seem that much different from PCM vs DSD. People seem to be arguing one way or the other based on how many 45's they have (myself included).

Seems like Schiit would need a more formal market survey to answer that question reliably, since I'm guessing it would shift dramatically based on turntable experience and the genres/eras of music people listen to.

 

That's the best reasoning. We could sidestep into which might be better and why, but bottom line is... what do people think in practice.

So... oddly, perhaps, I've never ever thought about whether faster might be better with vinyl like it is with tape. But this is probably, unless it is a very quick answer, not the discussion in which to ask.

 

I don't need to play 45s. I'd actually prefer to not pay for the option. My current crappy turntable has the option, but I've never used it.