Direct drive vs belt vs rim vs idler arm

Yeah. The bass on mine was muffled as well. (I totally forgot about that issue.) Could be I had the version you are talking about. But when you say "we", do you mean to say you were a SOTA dealer or otherwise involved with SOTA?

Yes I imported & distributed SOTA in this country about 25 years ago.

Most suspended tables have the motor fixed and platter/arm suspended to isolate the arm from motor vibration. that was the problem with wimpy suspension which would create oscillation and speed changes. This was especially true with suspensions that hold the plinth up, rather than when the plinth hangs, such as Oracle or Sota. Sota was able to fix the motor to the platter/arm plinth by changing the motor and regulation to virtually eliminate motor vibration and damping what was left. Works as far as I can tell.

Works for me too. I invite anyone to come listen to the Appassionata on my tt and tell me what's wrong with it. I don't mind constructive criticism- except that it ends up costing big $$$ in upgrades. :)

I just did an experiment using the first track on Fresh Aire III. Some great drums and synthesizer on that track. I have both the CD and the record so I listened to the first track back to back. I focused on the bass. I found that the bass on the CD is just a bit crisper and deeper. Not a big difference but it is there. So is my tt deficient? Is the difference due to speed stability, cartridge, tonearm or tubes? My preamp tubes are a couple of years old now.