SOTA Quasar Turntable and Pyxi Phonostage

Setup was straightforward. It helps that the Quasar came with tonearm set and cartridge mounted, which takes care of the majority of the fiddling; those that opt to purchase the base unit sans cartridge and arm probably know what they’re doing already and are aware they are in for some extra steps. The deck came well-packed in multiple layers of Styrofoam and bubble wrap, and after a bit of finagling, it was as simple as attaching the spikes, placing the cups on my rack, and getting the turntable leveled. After that, I had to get the Condor and the Roadrunner working, which, again, was easy thanks to SOTA’s well-detailed instructions. I found this part of the table fascinating: The Condor is the speed box, and the Roadrunner is the tachometer, which detects platter speed using a tiny magnet on the underside of the platter and adjusts the Condor to get as close to 33.33 rpm as possible. The display on the Roadrunner shows a constantly fluctuating representation of how fast the music’s moving, usually within ±0.005rpm accuracy based on my very scientific “watching the numbers change” method of testing. Actually, I spent a lot of time staring at those numbers, wondering if I could hear the teeny-tiny changes in speed, wondering if that piano was out of tune or if the speed was simply off by some absurdly small order of magnitude, and after a while I tumbled into delirium. Fortunately, I saved myself by, you know, not looking at it anymore, because in reality, the Quasar’s about as rock-solid steady as it gets. More on that shortly.

All that said, with the Roadrunner and the Condor installed, I managed to get the Quasar spinning and spinning well. The motor has a soft-start function, which SOTA claims helps to increase belt longevity, which makes sense, though I won’t have this deck long enough to confirm. I can say that it gets to speed quickly, and once the Roadrunner dials everything into place, it stays locked in admirably well. I did notice that a record brush slows everything down considerably, which was a minor annoyance. Switching between 33 and 45 was simple, just a button-push, no belt-movements required. However, the little button on the Condor was very sticky; again, extremely minor, but I noticed. Like the Quasar, the Pyxi was very simple to set up, since the pre-installed cartridge was an mm and worked great on the defaults. I also tested the Pyxi with my normal system and with my typical Zu Denon-103 mc cartridge. My listening notes for the system as a whole apply to the Pyxi in general, but to spoil things, I’d agree with SOTA’s assessment. I found the Pyxi had a very low noise floor, an overall neutral tone, and felt it sounded as good or better than phonostages costing twice as much or more. In effect, the Pyxi disappeared and allowed everything else to shine.

All right, that stuff out of the way, down to the dirty business of actually listening to music. I started with Rudolph Johnson’s Spring Rain, part of the Black Jazz Records reissue series. Johnson has one of the most unusual and engaging tones out there, and I loved the way the Pyxi/Quasar system kept that strange combination of both silken smooth and slightly edgy sharpness in focus. There was nothing muddy or uncertain about the Quasar as it chugged along at an incredibly steady rate—according to the Roadrunner, anyway—and it felt like the deck was completely locked in. Nothing distracted from that tone, which was truly the star of the record. Meanwhile, drums were tight, the rhythm remained solid and plugged-in, which again is a testament to the Quasar’s fascinating set of technological improvements in the on-the-fly adjustments from the Roadrunner. Those little changes in speed were impossible to hear specifically; instead, they resulted in a rock-solid pace. Jazz flourishes under steady pacing, and the full band sounded tight with good layers of soundstage depth. That iron pacing was a huge pleasure throughout my time listening to the SOTA. I sifted through a ton of different jazz, throwing pretty much whatever came to hand at the deck, and it never once lost that fantastic stability.

Next up, I put a little Steely Dan on the deck. Katy Lied is my favorite of the Steelies, and the SOTA had me grooving from the start. Holy rhythm, I was completely hooked. Nothing like a bedrock-solid backbeat to get me completely engaged in the music. Especially on “Doctor Wu,” that bass and drum combo had me nodding along as the slow verse swelled into that big chorus. And it’s no small thing to note that “Doctor Wu” is crammed onto the inner grooves of the record. I noticed little to no distortion, a testament to the tracking ability of the tonearm and the cartridge, but also the stability of the deck itself. The sax solo, when it broke out like a stampede, soared, dipped, screamed, and sound fantastic—played by the immortal Phil Woods, by the way. Overall, the SOTA performed admirably, keeping everything in focus, tight and on-beat.

I decided to finish up with a genre I don’t write about a whole ton. Blind Guardian’s brand of fantasy-novel-inspired metal is my jam, and I wanted to see how the SOTA handled some sick shredding. The group’s concept-album Nightfall in Middle-Earth is one of those masterpieces I’ll always love, from the cheesy DND-style cover art to the messy battle noise that begins the record. The opening song “Into the Storm” slams those kicks so hard it feels like my office is in the middle of Mordor—but just like the jazz and the yacht rock, rhythm and pacing are key to bringing symphonic power metal to life. Grand scale defines everything on this track, from the shouted chorus that sounds like an entire choir’s belting the lyrics from an earthworks rampart to the synths droning over ripping guitar solos. The SOTA kept everything in focus and never let the sheer weight of all that music sounds too messy or overwrought. Later on, during my favorite track on the record, “Nightfall,” the layers of voices remain distinct from each other, creating a wave of sound which grows throughout until that first chorus hits hard. It’s probably obvious, but I had a lot of fun with this record, and the SOTA’s to blame—the neutral Pyxi allowing the music to shine, the deck keeping up that solid pacing, and even the great tracking from the tonearm/cartridge combo.

There was a lot to love about the Quasar. Its simplicity was the star here: Solid components on a beautiful base with a little touch of technological speed stability all added up to a deck that performed beautifully. This was the turntable I’d always wanted to try out from SOTA, and I’ll admit that the Quasar lived up to the hype. Any analog enthusiast looking for a first deck or a last deck—though don’t forget about SOTA’s trade-in program—should absolutely turn toward the Quasar.

Specs & Pricing

Drive system: Eclipse Condor PSU with Roadrunner
Speeds: 33.3, 45, 78rpm  (available in PSU)
Wow and flutter: 0.05
Dimensions: 18.25″ x 2.375″ x 4.25”
Weight: 24 lbs.
Price: Quasar Base Price: $2995 (as reviewed: Rega 330 tonearm, AT-0C9XSL cartridge +$1424 to base price); SOTA Pyxi Phonostage: $300

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