Schiit Sol User manual

UNIPIVOT TURNTABLE

IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY, SOL WAS THE SUN. LIKE MANI WAS THE MOON.

BOTH ARE ROUND, SO WE CHOSE THOSE NAMES FOR THE TURNTABLE AND PHONO PREAMP..

YEAH. WE’RE NOT REAL COMPLEX SOMETIMES.

IN ANY CASE, WE HOPE YOU ENJOY OUR CAST-ALUMINUM,

UNCONSTRAINED UNIPIVOT, ADJUSTABLE-ON-THE-FLY VTA TURNTABLE,

EVEN IF YOU THINK THE NAME IS KINDA SILLY.

SOL

OWNER’S MANUAL

The following is required by the roughly 9,542 government agencies

and regulations we have to comply with. If you have some common

sense, they should seem pretty straightforward. In any case, read

these instructions before proceeding farther, follow all instructions, and heed

all warnings. Or else!

1. If you don’t know how to install audio devices, get a qualied professional

to help.

2. Never use this device near water, and clean only with a

dry cloth.

3. Assure adequate ventilation, do not block any ventilation openings, or place

near heat sources.

4. Use only the supplied power cord or suitable replacement. Route cords away

from trafc areas and protect them from being pinched. Unplug the cord from

the outlet if the apparatus is unused for a long period of time.

5. To prevent electric shock, do not use the plug with an

extension cord, receptacle, or outlet unless blades can be

fully inserted.

6. Refer all servicing to qualied service personnel. Service is required when

the device has been damaged, including cord or plug damage, liquid has been

spilled or objects have fallen into the device, the device has been exposed to

rain or moisture, does not operate normally, or has been dropped.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR

ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS DEVICE TO RAIN OR

MOISTURE.

INTRODUCTION

Sol is our way of taking affordable turntables to a higher level,

which is why it looks, well...a bit weirder than anything else out

there. That’s why we decided to go with cast aluminum, rather than

wood and acrylic, and we also decided to give you a real, honest,

unconstrained unipivot arm that’s wayyyyy longer than most

turntable arms, and we also decided to give you on-the-fly VTA

adjustment, along with lots and lots of other adjustments. That’s a

lot of decisions. Now, you just need to decide which cartridge you

want to use, and enjoy some music with Sol!

IN THE BOX

(1) Sol Aluminum Plinth (black nish)

(1) Sol Aluminum Platter (natural nish)

(1) Sol Poron Foam Mat

(1) Sol Carbon Fiber Tone Arm

(1) Sol Motor and Pulley Assembly

(1) Sol Motor Power Cable, 12”

(1) 16VAC Wall Wart (er, “audiophile power supply”)

(1) Hardware Kit, which includes

(1) Bag of Headshell Screws (various lengths)

(1) Set of 3 Anti-Skate Weights

(1) Length of Nylon Monolament

(1) ¼” Diameter Carbon Steel Ball Bearing

(1) Sol Drive Belt

(1) Allen Wrench Set (1/8”, 3/16”, 5/64”, 0.05”)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Take a deep breath. Make a cup of tea. Don’t be in a hurry. Turn-

tables aren’t plug-and-play. To get the most out of Sol, you’re going

to need to do a bit of assembly...and then you’re going to have to

install and set up a cartridge. The good news is that you’ll end up

with much higher performance than you can get with “ready to go”

tables.

THE EASI(EST) WAY

For easiest setup, we recommend you watch the video

linked to at schiit.com/sol-setup

PLINTH AND PLATTER ASSEMBLY

Careful! The Sol Plinth is partially assembled for shipping. Don’t

flip it over, or you may have to re-assemble it. (And don’t panic if

something falls off, just replace it and move on.)

1 Place the Sol Plinth on a level, stable surface near your audio

equipment. On top of a heavy equipment rack is ideal, since you’ll

be able to get to all of the Sol’s adjustments. We recommend align-

ing the plinth so that the rst short leg points straight ahead, as

shown in Figure A.

GETTING STARTED

2 Slide the Sol Platter onto the bearing housing until it bottoms

out. You may need to loosen the bearing cap screws using the

5/64” allen key to get it to slide on and then tighten them up when

the platter is fully seated onto the plinth.

3 Place the Sol Poron Foam Mat on top of the platter. This is

important to decouple your records from the aluminum platter.

FIGURE A

MOTOR, PULLEY, AND BELT SETUP

2 Connect the Sol Motor and Pulley as-

sembly. Use the Sol Motor Power Cable to

connect the barrel jack on the Motor and

Pulley assembly to the OUT jack on the rear

output pod of the Sol Plinth. See Figure C

for details.

3 Connect the 16VAC Wall Wart to the IN

jack of the rear output pod of the Sol Plinth,

also as shown in Figure C.

4 Install the drive belt. The best way to do

this is by holding it at the motor pulley and

looping it around the Sol Platter, as shown

in Figure D. Use the small pulley for 33 RPM

records, and the larger pulley for 45 RPM

records.

1 Place the Sol Motor and Pulley Assembly

near the platter. The edge of the larger pul-

ley should end up about 1” away from the

edge of the platter, as shown in Figure B.

GETTING STARTED

FIGURE B FIGURE C

FIGURE D

CARTRIDGE INSTALLATION TONEARM SETUP

1 Attach the cartridge to the tonearm. Use

the nonmagnetic screws provided. Screws

should be snug but not tight, so you can

align the cartridge later.

2 Attach the tonearm wires. Be care-

ful—these wires are fragile! Sol uses the

standard wiring convention:

Red = Right Signal, Green = Right Ground

White = Left Signal, Blue = Left Ground

See Figure E for a typical cartridge installed

on the Sol Carbon Fiber Tonearm.

Once you’ve selected and installed your car-

tridge, you can proceed to tonearm setup.

1 With the stylus guard in place on the

cartridge, gently place the tonearm on the

pivot pin, as shown in Figure F. Make sure

it doesn’t overbalance and fall off; make

sure it is resting on the cueing shelf. If it is

not, loosen the counterweight and slide it in

towards the pivot until it is.

2 Plug the tonearm wire into the header on

the rear output pod of the plinth. Match the

white dot on the pod and the white dot on

the side of the tonearm wire connector. At

resting position the cueing lever should be

in the up position, as shown in Figure G.

FIGURE E

FIGURE F FIGURE G

We recommend you watch the Sol

Setup video linked to from the Sol

page at schiit.com/sol-setup

However, we’re also providing a list of

adjustments here for your reference.

Depending on your particular setup,

you may not need to do all of these

adjustments.

1 To adjust the tonearm pivot cup height,

loosen the set screw on the side of the

tonearm ring, and carefully slide it up or

down until your cartridge is level. If your

cartridge is already level, you don’t need to

make this adjustment. If you can’t get your

cartridge level, you may need to adjust plat-

ter and motor pulley height. See Figure H.

2 To adjust the stylus force, you will

need some type of gram scale. Different

cartridges have different recommended

stylus forces, but it is typically around 1.75

grams. Using the 5/64” allen key, loosen

the set screw on the bottom of the tonearm

counterweight and move the counterweight

forwards or backwards as needed to achieve

ADJUSTMENT

TONEARM HEIGHT STYLUS FORCE

FIGURE IFIGURE H

the desired cartridge weight. See Figure I.

3 To adjust the VTA, loosen the 1/16” set

screw on the side of long arm of the plinth.

Use the small knob to adjust the height of

the pivot pin as needed. Then tighten the set

screw to lock it in place. This adjustment

can be done when the record is playing. See

Figure J

4 To adjust cartridge angle, turn the lateral

counterweight clockwise or counter-clock-

wise as necessary. The goal is to keep the

tonearm as straight up and down as pos-

sible when playing a record. See Figure K.

5 To adjust platter height, loosen the set

screw on the bottom of the plinth using the

3/8” allen key. Raise and lower the bearing

shaft as needed, then tighten the set screw.

VTA CARTRIDGE ANGLE PLATTER HEIGHT

FIGURE J

FIGURE K

FIGURE L

ADJUSTMENT

See Figure L.

6 To adjust the motor pulley height, (so the

belt doesn’t walk itself off of the edge of

the platter), loosen the set screw at the

bottom of the pulley wheel using the 0.05”

allen key and push the pulley up or down.

See Figure M.

7 To adjust the cueing height, loosen the

set screw on the back of the cuing disc

using the 5/64in allen key. You can raise

and lower the cuing disc on the cuing

plunger as needed. Tighten the set screw

when nished. See Figure N.

8 To adjust the anti-skate weight, you

will need a grooveless record. Using one

of the three anti-skate weights and the

monolament line provided, adjust until the

stylus is steady on the grooveless record.

See Figure O.

ANTI-SKATEMOTOR PULLEY HEIGHT CUEING HEIGHT

FIGURE O

FIGURE L

FIGURE M

FIGURE N

CONNECTIONS

1234

Okay, are you ready to be done? I bet you

are! Well, you’re very close. And if you’re

unsure of anything, just go back and review

the videos at schiit.com/sol-videos

Just a couple more things to connect!

1 RCA Outputs. This is where the sound

comes out. Connect to your phono preamp

with short, well-shielded RCA cables.

2 Ground. Connect this to your phono pre-

amp with a short, thick ground wire.

3 Power Input. Connect the wall-wart barrel

connector here.

4 Power Output. Connect the barrel jumper

from the motor pod here.

5 Tonearm Connector. Connect the tonearm

connector here, observing proper orientation

(or your channels will be reversed.)

Okay, so are you ready to hear something?

Good. It’s easy from here on out!

1 Place your record on to the platter.

2Turn on the motor, using the switch. You

may need to give the platter a little nudge

in the clockwise direction, this is totally

normal.

3 Move the tonearm to the desired track on

the record.Or you can start at the beginning,

if you are a completist.

4 Using the cueing lever, slowly lower the

arm onto the record. We recommend you

hold the cueing lever until the needle has

touched the record and you hear music.

You can also adjust VTA on the fly to ne

tune the sound, if you’d like. This is covered

in the Adjustments section.

Enjoy!

PLAYING A RECORD

I hear hum. What do I do?

Depends on the hum. Some hum (and hiss) are typical of turntables.

Welcome to the wonderful world of analog reproduction!

No I mean LOUD hum.

Aha. In that case, try the following:

1. Make sure the turntable ground is securely connected to your

phono preamp by a short, thick ground cable. Also make sure the

cable isn’t tangled in power cords. Yes, this matters.

2. If you already have the turntable ground connected, try discon-

necting it. Seriously. Some components do better without a ground

strap from the turntable.

3.Try different short, well-shielded RCA cables to your phono pre-

amp. Long RCAs can pick up all sorts of noise. You want the cables

as short as possible from the turntable to the phono preamp.

4. Turn down the gain on your phono preamp (if it has this adjust-

ment).

5. Relocate the turntable and phono preamp. Both may pick up hum

and noise from other components with strong magnetic elds, like

power ampliers.

FAQ

Hey, I don’t have any volume, and there’s no bass!

Do you have a phono preamp, or a preamp or integrated amp with a

phono preamp built in? If not, you’ll need one. Records need a spe-

cic equalization curve (the RIAA curve) and a lot of gain in order to

sound right.

What if I want to use multiple cartridges? Do I have to do the set-up

every time for every one of them?

If you want them to sound right, yes. However, you could also buy

and set up additional Sol Tonearms, which will allow you to swap an

entire pre-set arm in seconds. It just sits on the pivot pin and plugs

in with a pin connector.

It doesn’t turn on, what do I do?

Plug it in to a different AC socket. Ensure you are not currently in a

blackout. Then email us if it still doesn’t turn on.

REFERENCE

1 Plinth. Yes, this entire Y-shaped piece is

the plinth. It ties everything together. Except

the motor pod, of course.

2 Platter. This is where the record sits.

3 Platter Mat. This decouples the record

from the platter.

4 Motor Pod. This spins the platter with a

rubber belt (5).

5 Belt. Use this to spin the platter. Replace

when it breaks.

6 Headshell. This is where you install your

cartridge. Although this photo shows a

cartridge, Sol is not supplied with one.

7 Tonearm. This entire assembly (carbon

ber, aluminum, and brass) lifts off of the

pivot pin for easy swapping.

8 Cueing Lever. Up lifts the needle off the

record, down drops the needle on the record.

Be gentle when using the cueing lever, drop

it down slowly so the needle makes soft

contact with the record.

9 Cueing Bar. This supports the tonearm

when the cueing lever is up.

1 Tonearm Counterweight. Sets the tracking

force for your cartridge. Adjust by loosening

the setscrew and sliding the brass weight.

Use a gram scale (not provided) for maxi-

mum accuracy.

2 Tonearm Pivot Cup. Place this gently on

the pivot pin (pointy bitsticking out of the

plinth). Adjust height if

necessary by loosening

the setscrew and sliding

up or down.

3 Lateral

Counterweight.

Adjust this in or

out so the cartridge

tracks level when

playing a record.

4 Anti-Skate Weight.

Select the weight that

results in no skating when

the stylus is placed on a grooveless

record (not included).

5 VTA Adjust. Loosen and adjust to set ver-

tical tracking angle. You can do this while

the record is playing.

6 RCA Output. Connect to your phono pre-

amp with short, well-shielded RCA cables.

7 Ground. Connect to your phono preamp

with a short, thick ground wire.

8 Bearing Shaft Setscrew. Loosen to adjust

the platter height if necessary

9 33/45 Pulley. Use the smaller pulley for 33

RPM records, and the larger one for 45s.

Schiit Audio warrants to the original purchaser that the product shall be free from defects in material and workmanship for ve (5) years from the date of purchase.

Exceptions: Tubes, belts, and remote controls. Tubes and belts are covered by a 90-day limited warranty with the same terms, remotes are covered by a 1-year

limited warranty with the same terms. If a defect covered by this warranty occurs during this warranty period, Schiit Audio will repair the defective product, free of

charge. Date of purchase will be based on customer-submitted receipts, otherwise date of manufacturing will be used to determine warranty period.

OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE

If you believe you need warranty service, contact us rst. There may be a simple solution to your problem. Schiit Audio products sent back to us without a Return

Authorization (RA) will be returned to the sender without repair. To contact us and obtain an RA, email [email protected]. We will respond quickly to email inquiries.

WARRANTY LIMITATIONS

THIS WARRANTY SHALL NOT APPLY IF THIS PRODUCT: (a) IS MODIFIED OR TAMPERED WITH; (b) IS DAMAGED BY NEGLIGENCE, ACCIDENT, UNREASONABLE

USE, COFFEE, OR BY OTHER CAUSES UNRELATED TO DEFECTIVE MATERIALS OR WORKMANSHIP; OR (c) HAS HAD THE SERIAL NUMBER ALTERED, DEFACED OR

REMOVED.

ANY APPLICABLE IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE HEREBY LIMITED

IN DURATION TO THE WARRANTY PERIOD (5 YEARS). IN NO EVENT SHALL SCHIIT AUDIO BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES RESULTING

FROM THE BREACH OF ANY IMPLIED OR EXPRESS WARRANTIES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS OR

EXCLUSION OF CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

This warranty gives you specic legal rights. You may also have other rights which vary from state to state or province to province.

WARRANTY

Application for Council Directives 72/23/EEC, 89/336 EEC

Conformity declared for EN60065, EN55022 Class B, EN50082-1