B A S I S A U D I O

P H O N O
"I'm a fanatic about quality."
That summed up AJ Conti's approach to every product that he ever designed and built; from his first turntable in 1984, his foray into the world of coffee machines the "Espresso Armando", to the super sophisticated Transcendance, Super Platter and Superarm designs. He never designed products to meet an arbitrary price point; performance was always the driving force. Every element of design, down to the best method for tonearm cable isolation was considered and precisely engineered. He was a rarity in the audio industry. A consummate engineer, able to see the theoretical limits of a design and the real-world technological limits to execute it, while possessing an artistic temperament that is manifest in the simple beauty of his designs. The company continues to manufacture under the auspices of Jolanta Conti and the existing technical team. It is gratifying that AJ's perfectionism, innovation and love of music will live on. If you seek the ultimate in turntable design, Basis Audio has the answer.
TRANSCENDENCE TURNTABLE REVIEW
Goodwin's High End is one of the oldest and most experienced Basis dealers in the US. The design of the Basis turntables have been continuously refined over the past three decades and at this point has reached an incredibly high level of sonic neutrality due to the Superarm and the Super Platter technology. After all a turntable shouldn't have a sound of its own, it should merely be a platform for a record to be played from by the cartridge! Not only are the designs of their various turntables quite refined, but the precision of their manufacturing is top notch. For instance if you look at the run-out (a machinist term referring to the degree of concentricity) of their platters, they are incredibly accurate in both their shape and their degree of centeredness. Plus the mechanical impedance of their platters is very close to that of a vinyl record. Especially now with the new Super Platter the mechanical impedance is ideally matched to that of a vinyl record such that the record can effectively become one with the platter, which of course is the ideal. Couple that with very intelligently designed suspension and you have a superb line of turntables.
From our perspective the most important design ever from Basis is the Superarm which is available in either 9" or 12.5" lengths. Compared with other tonearms that we've tried, including Basis' own Vector 4, the Superarm is a design and sonic quality break-through! It really must be heard to be believed!
Again from our perspective the second most important design advance from Basis is the Super Platter. The sonic upgrade from incorporating this platter technology also has to be heard to be believed!
Another very important technological advance is the Synchro-Wave power supply combined with the Micro-Thin Revolution Precision Ground Belt. The Micro-Thin is is the thinnest most precise turntable belt ever produced by any manufacturer. The result of this combination is a breakthrough in speed stability for belt driven turntables, or for any type of turntable drive for that matter!
All of these advanced technologies are available with both the Work of Art, the Inspiration, and the Transcendence, with the Transcendence being the latest and most advanced design in their line.
[Please note that the Micro-Thin belt is designed to be used solely with the Synchro-Wave. For Basis turntables without the Synchro-Wave the regular Revolution precision ground belt is recommended.]
BASIS AJ CONTI Transcendence
B A S I S T U R N T A B L E S
BASIS HAS A COMPLETE LINE OF TURNTABLES TO CHOOSE FROM AS FOLLOWS:
2200 medium-mass turntable, fluid-damped suspension - optional Calibration Base
2500 Signature Series high-mass turntable (fluid-damped suspension)
2800 Signature high-mass turntable, vacuum (record hold-down) and fluid-damped suspension Debut Signature high-mass turntable, vacuum (record hold-down) and fluid-damped suspension
Inspiration - Note: Super Platter upgrade is available and very highly recommended!
Inspiration with Super Platter - optional Synchro-Wave & Vacuum record hold-down
AJ Conti Transcendence - includes Super Platter, Synchro-Wave power supply & Vacuum record hold-down Work of Art - includes Synchro-Wave power supply & Vacuum record hold-down
B A S I S T O N E A R M S
Vector Model 4 Tonearm Vector Model 4 Tonearm with VTA micrometer Superarm 9 Tonearm Superarm 12.5 Tonearm