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2024 Golden Ear: TechDAS S Air-Bearing Tonearm

TechDAS S Air-Bearing Tonearm

$45,000 (10″)/$49,000 (12″)

The Air Force 10 pivoted air-bearing tonearm is both an engineering marvel and a sonic delight. Created by the late Hideaki Nishikawa-san, the designer of the mighty Air Force Zero table, it traverses the grooves of an LP with an unusual degree of suavity, particularly in the treble region. Overall, there is a cashmere-like quality to the sound. Composed of exotic materials such as titanium and tungsten, the Air Force 10 employs an external air pump box to float a horizontal air bearing. This bearing, in turn, helps eliminate friction and drag as the arm tube glides across the record. It’s hard to argue with the outcome.

To a remarkable degree, this sophisticated tonearm seems to exercise a liberating effect upon the music, transforming the complex process of extracting sound from LPs into a seemingly effortless task, as guitars, clarinets, and brass instruments veritably shimmer in the air. Add in a massive soundstage and gobs of dynamic prowess, and you have a sophisticated piece of engineering that conveys everything from rock to classical with unequivocal authority and grace. After years of patient research and design, TechDAS deserves high praise for creating another analog reference product. (Forthcoming)

Tags: GOLDEN EAR AWARD ANALOG TONEARM

Jacob Heilbrunn

By Jacob Heilbrunn

The trumpet has influenced my approach to high-end audio. Like not a few audiophiles, I want it all—coherence, definition, transparency, dynamics, and fine detail.

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