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In the Forum: Analog Playback
In the Thread: Copper Mat on a Micro Seiki Gun Metal Platter
Post Subject: AF-1 & so on ....Posted by Stitch on: 10/29/2017
 jam wrote:
I would agree that the RX-5000 has some advantage to the SX-8000 and I put the differences down to mainly the air bearing and construction of the platter which will cause softness and a lack of focus (some people may like this). To understand the use of a metal mat you have to understand a constrained layer damping which is a common engineering practice.
But in my humble opinion  both these tables are superior to the AF-1. The AF-1 suffers from several problems a) a motor system that has insufficient torque, b) a suspension system that is incomplete  c) an inefficient  arm mounting system which has been corrected in the AF-3 and as as someone else put it it too much 'bling' for it's own good. Look at the updates that have gone into the AF-1. Problems that they will try to fix in the upcoming AF-0.
Technically the AF-1 might look good on paper but in my opinion it removes the soul of the music being played. A classic case of a product being released before all the bugs were ironed out. A lot of modern products have taken a step back because of desire to introduce new features that are questionable at best and discard tried and true engineering practice. 


Yes, same say, AF-1 is dead sounding, no emotion .... I agree, it disturbed me a little bit, first I thought it has to do with preamps but now I think, it is - mainly - based on their vacuum System ( but not so bad like 8000 II) ....and I also heard from technical problems...some told me to stay away...
There is a Forum where the owners own the best of the best of the very best and there are also the distributors to give help. But such "problems" are totally unknown there. It is more the usual game. You can't hear the superiority... when you complain something about AF3, all will tell you to go for AF2 because it is so much better, when you complain something about AF2, all will tell you to go for AF-1.....and so on ...
I was ready to go for AF-1 but not using the vacuum System at home and also using a different platter. And when I am honest, I was not able to hear a big difference between AF-2 and AF-1. I was also seriously thinking about AF-2... first price of AF-1 was 28k ready to go .... then 56K .... then a touch below 80K and how much is it right now?  A lot of money difference for nothing but "Air" in the Distributor chain

Romy's friend calls them absolute BS....hm, is it possible to get it more precise? Why? Based on what? What does other Tables better? Which ones?
I listened to a lot of Turntables and there were the very most expensive ones..... and I also have a personal BS-List (Simon Yorke, Clearaudio, Transrotor, Goldmund Reference, VPI, Garrard, EMT's, Feickert, Rockport, Kuzma, TW Acoustics ... for various reasons, speed drift, internal vibrations, no brain, cheap parts, done wrong...) but I would not lift the TechDas into that - my - listing ... but maybe someone knows more....

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