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Dual Arm Transcendence
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THE MOTOR
The Transcendence utilizes the most speed-stable type of motor available, an AC synchronous instrument motor. Basis modifies this motor with a custom magnet assembly to further smooth the power delivery and to assure a totally balanced rotating system. The motor coils are direct driven in a dual-phase manner to maintain coil-to-coil balance and achieve an optimal phase shift condition. This represents the ideal configuration with which to operate an AC motor, yielding a standard-setting combination of fluidity of transmitted power and stability of speed.
With this custom motor, the motor temperature is stabilized at an ideal level by the housing’s high mass resulting in more precise motor bushing clearances, facilitating retention of motor lubricant, and reducing thermal aging on the motor windings.
The result of these extreme measures is a totally speed stable, quiet, cog-free drive system. Musical notes are unwaveringly solid, as expected. Additionally such exceptional levels of speed stability lend a coherence to the music and soundfield that must be heard to be believed.
With this custom motor, the motor temperature is stabilized at an ideal level by the housing’s high mass resulting in more precise motor bushing clearances, facilitating retention of motor lubricant, and reducing thermal aging on the motor windings.
The result of these extreme measures is a totally speed stable, quiet, cog-free drive system. Musical notes are unwaveringly solid, as expected. Additionally such exceptional levels of speed stability lend a coherence to the music and soundfield that must be heard to be believed.
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Single Arm Transcendence
FEET
For the ultimate in neutral sound, the machined suspension parts must be extremely rigid with any resonant frequency falling outside the audio range. The Transcendence "feet" in each corner are massive and precisely machined from solid billet.
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THE VACUUM SYSTEM
The Basis Vacuum record hold down system applies a controlled level of negative pressure to the underside of the record guaranteeing a perfectly flat record which is so tightly coupled to the platter that record resonance is eliminated. The true musical tonality and texture captured on the record are revealed, without any added coloration of vinyl resonance. The vacuum system can even restore most warped record to virtual flatness, thus ameliorating speaker damaging and power robbing “woofer pumping” due to record warps. Dynamics, imaging, musicality, bass power, and tracking ability are all brought to levels unreachable without the Basis Vacuum system.
The Basis conceived HFLV (high flow, limited vacuum) system combines rapid record pull-down with the gentlest possible handling of records. The laboratory-grade vacuum regulator and the precision indicator assure the user of consistent, gentle vacuum application while allowing total adjustability and flexibility. The remote pump allows flexibility in placement and assures silent operation of the system.
The Basis conceived HFLV (high flow, limited vacuum) system combines rapid record pull-down with the gentlest possible handling of records. The laboratory-grade vacuum regulator and the precision indicator assure the user of consistent, gentle vacuum application while allowing total adjustability and flexibility. The remote pump allows flexibility in placement and assures silent operation of the system.
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BASIS “SYNCHRO-WAVE” POWER SUPPLY
The Synchro-Wave Power Supply is the finest power supply ever offered for turntables using AC synchronous motors. Delivering smooth, dual sine waves with perfect 90 degree phase difference, at audio-amplifier quality distortion levels, the Synchro-Wave power supply brings Basis turntables to further heights of musical reality. The Synchro-Wave power supply offers the following features:
1. Speed selection: 33 1/3 or 45 RPM at the flip of a switch.
2. Dual-wave motor operation: 2 individual sine waves with exact, optimal phase shift are fed independently to each motor coil. The benefits: Far smoother motor operation, lower cogging for more relaxed, lower grain sound. Greater detail, more precise imaging, and more natural decay characteristics are easily heard.
3. Stable, generated frequency of power. The benefits: Perfect long-term speed stability.
Summary: The Synchro-Wave Power Supply brings greater “convincing power” to the sound of any Basis turntable. With both long-term and short-term speed variations reduced to levels below the finest industry test records the musical structure, timing, texture, and character are much closer to a real musical event. The emotion and “feel” of the music is conveyed in a clearly more convincing manner, with all “mechanical artifacts” dissolving away.
The Synchro-Wave Power Supply, along with other exclusive Basis features such as the "Micro-Thin Revolution" perfectly ground belt, establish new standards for vinyl playback in terms of realism of tone, complexity and accuracy of instrumental decay, and soundspace definition. Audio industry members have commented that Basis turntables with the Super Platter, Superarm tonearm, Synchro-Wave Power Supply, and Micro-Thin Revolution precision ground belt sound more like master tapes rather than records. This is high praise, yet we at Basis agree, having always considered high quality master tapes to be the closest representation of the original musical event. Basis has now closed, and with some records virtually eliminated, that gap between vinyl playback and master tapes.
THE FORM
Extreme high performance and reliability always take precedence over form at Basis Audio. Basis products are aesthetically defined only after the “Basis Systems Approach” of product development has resulted in successful performance. Even the revolutionary visual design of the Transcendence turntable is the practical marriage of artistic shaping of structural components with the functional requirements of those components.
No part is “extra” or unnecessary and no performance concessions have been made for the sake of style. In the tradition of the finest examples of industrial design, the Transcendence is a superior performing piece of equipment as well as an aesthetically groundbreaking object of artistic expression.
No part is “extra” or unnecessary and no performance concessions have been made for the sake of style. In the tradition of the finest examples of industrial design, the Transcendence is a superior performing piece of equipment as well as an aesthetically groundbreaking object of artistic expression.
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PRODUCING THE AJ CONTI TRANSCENDENCE
Unfortunately, production of such an intricate piece of equipment as the Transcendence is not like “churning out” a mass-market consumer item.
The Transcendence is an ultimate statement of precision, performance, and the art of analog playback. The turntable itself is indeed a piece of art, sculpted from solid billet pieces of material. Not one part of shape is extruded or molded. All of the features, contours, and architectural shapes are created by precision machining operations. Further, all machining is performed by “Tool and Die-Makers”, machinists of such high caliber as to be differentiated by their ability to create the special tools, dies, and molds that are used to produce molded, cast, and stamped products. Only the best machinists ever achieve this level, working on dies that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet may be ruined by one wrong move on the maker’s part. Most such machinists, after attaining this status, no longer will accept production work of components for products, reserving themselves for the more difficult job of creating tooling. Due to the challenging nature and the prestige of the Transcendence, Basis has been able to convince two Tool and Die Makers to machine all of the parts for this product. Combined, these two craftsmen have well over fifty years of experience. One has been a supplier to Basis Audio since 1984, and the other since 1987. This type of machining, consuming thousands of hours for a small production run of the Transcendence, is one of many reasons why the Transcendence will always be unique in the marketplace and will represent the pinnacle of analog playback and art for decades.
Most consumer products are designed with an eye toward “ease of production”. The Transcendence, however, is no normal production product. Instead, the Transcendence was designed to be an ultimate work, whose design is based only on the requirements of performance and unique, sculptural shape.
All of the above helps explain a few of the design attributes as well as some of the intense requirements of building the Transcendence, and why quantities of this product will necessarily remain limited for the life of the project.
The Transcendence is an ultimate statement of precision, performance, and the art of analog playback. The turntable itself is indeed a piece of art, sculpted from solid billet pieces of material. Not one part of shape is extruded or molded. All of the features, contours, and architectural shapes are created by precision machining operations. Further, all machining is performed by “Tool and Die-Makers”, machinists of such high caliber as to be differentiated by their ability to create the special tools, dies, and molds that are used to produce molded, cast, and stamped products. Only the best machinists ever achieve this level, working on dies that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and yet may be ruined by one wrong move on the maker’s part. Most such machinists, after attaining this status, no longer will accept production work of components for products, reserving themselves for the more difficult job of creating tooling. Due to the challenging nature and the prestige of the Transcendence, Basis has been able to convince two Tool and Die Makers to machine all of the parts for this product. Combined, these two craftsmen have well over fifty years of experience. One has been a supplier to Basis Audio since 1984, and the other since 1987. This type of machining, consuming thousands of hours for a small production run of the Transcendence, is one of many reasons why the Transcendence will always be unique in the marketplace and will represent the pinnacle of analog playback and art for decades.
Most consumer products are designed with an eye toward “ease of production”. The Transcendence, however, is no normal production product. Instead, the Transcendence was designed to be an ultimate work, whose design is based only on the requirements of performance and unique, sculptural shape.
All of the above helps explain a few of the design attributes as well as some of the intense requirements of building the Transcendence, and why quantities of this product will necessarily remain limited for the life of the project.