Audiophilepure

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“But if you’re looking to put together a top-flight system at a budget that doesn’t approach astronomical levels, then the Air Force III is surely a potent contender. Once upon a time, in my early youth, “made in Japan” constituted a warning sign. Those days, however, are long over. The fit ’n’ finish of the Air Force III are simply dynamite and the performance is, as well. Here’s the bottom line: If you really want to soar into the vinyl stratosphere, then call in the Air Force!”

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But as clever and precise as the simplicity II is, the one thing it lacks is incremental adjustment of VTA on the fly. A steady hand will allow you to adjust VTA while a record plays, but it’s not the sort of repeatable adjustment with manual lock and release featured by ‘arms like VPI’s JMW or the various Kuzmas. Given the remarkable precision engineering of the rest of the ‘arm, this is both one mechanism that I would have thought is well within the company’s compass to execute and one I’d love to see them turn their attention to.”

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“The Osiris MkII’s arm tube is made of Ebony Makassar wood with a brass housing. This wood tonearm is not the same as the choices of material on similarly priced competitive arms, such as light and rigid alloys or even carbon fiber. However, the arm tube is designed to accommodate the two brass counterweights included and both are to be used even with the 11.9 grams of the Apollo. Tom’s customary reluctance in divulging technical details means all is in the listening. The tonearm’s specified cartridge range of 6 to 18g means care should be taken in selecting cartridges within that range; speaking for myself, I’d love to have the freedom to use some uber expensive and heavy cartridges on the Master Reference turntable, given its price class. Maybe Tom will create a linear-tracking arm with no practical cartridge range limitation. Lastly, the tonearm is wired with 99.9999 cryogenically treated silver wire and fitted with RCA connectors. At the opposite end, the cartridge connectors in the headshell are sturdier and more substantial than in all other headshells I’ve seen. With an effective mass of 35 grams at the highest, the Osiris MkII is a very high-mass offering.”

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“The Holbo turntable is difficult to set up and all other elements of the system have to be carefully selected – it plays like much more expensive turntables and does not tolerate lack of attention to detail. There is also a problematic noisy pump, which one has to find a way to deal with. Despite everything, it’s worth considering, because Mr. Bostjan’s record player copes well with communicating emotions contained in music. Its sound can be described as warm, but only if we understand it as natural. It offers excellent resolution, great differentiation, although at first glance, its sound is calm and unobtrusive.”

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“Tenor saxophonist Ike Quebec’s brilliant “Bossa Nova, Soul Samba” LP from 1962 was where the allure of analog sound really kicked in. Quebec’s rounded tone and fuller sound were the sort you rarely experience with digital files. I’ve said it before, but the best way to enjoy digital audio is never listen to a well recorded LP on a decent turntable. Digital may be clearer, but digital inevitably winds up sounding more two-dimensional, and less like real humans playing tunes.”

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“It’s worth noting that Gold Note offers an excellent instruction manual, something not all turntables offer. And the table comes well packed. Once removed, the Mediterraneo should take you about 10 minutes to assemble; install the platter on the spindle assembly, string the belt and then fine tune the tonearm for your cartridge. Tracking force is straightforward, and anti-skate is adjusted with a small weight on a string. This table is easy to work with, falling into place quickly. Even analog newcomers should have no problem setting it up quickly and easily.”