Basis Audio A.J. Conti Transcendence Turntable and SuperArm 12.5 Tonearm $127,000 Review
September 18, 2019 § Leave a comment
“If I had to sum up the sound of the Transcendence in a single word, that word would be “solidity.” Solidity of imaging, solidity of pitch and timbre, solidity of bass. Starting with imaging, the Transcendence’s portrayal of instrumental images, the space in which those instruments are playing, and the relationship between the sound source and the surrounding acoustic is absolutely stunning. It’s very different from any other turntable I’ve heard. Images have a tangibility, spatially and texturally, that is startling in its realism. Moreover, the Transcendence reveals, with exquisite precision and beauty, the sense of air around the image outlines and the way that the instrument’s dynamic envelope expands into space in three dimensions, lighting up the surrounding acoustic. Amplifying this impression, the Transcendence resolves the decays of notes, along with reverberation, with tremendous precision and finely detailed texture. Cymbals, for example, seem to hang in space for a very long time, and the decays are infused with rich detail. These sonic qualities go a long way toward creating the illusion of hearing real instruments in a real space, and consequently, allowing the system to disappear. ”
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