TechDAS Air Force V Premium Turntable

We’ve nonetheless bought a lot to report about what we noticed and heard at High End Munich 2024, so let’s proceed on that tract. My esteemed colleague Ken Micallef was charged with taking pictures video footage of as many new and fascinating turntables as he might discover on the present, and as soon as he returns from his different present task throughout the Pond, we’ll see the fruit of his video labors right here on AP.

In the meantime, one thing Ken noticed and heard in motion in Munich is what we’re going to delve additional into at this time — and it’s the TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable. Ken bought a demo of this spectacular desk whereas he was visiting Swedish amplifier designer Engstrom. The Air Force V Premium desk was deployed in a demo system that additionally included an Engstrom M-Phono MM/MC phono preamp, varied Engstrom amps and preamps, and Marten Coltrane Quintet loudspeakers. The Air Force V Premium turntable was additionally fitted with an Acoustical Systems Aquilar Anniversary tonearm that had been mated with a TechDAS TDC01 Ti MC cartridge.

Now let’s see what this desk is all about. The Air Force V Premium was designed by Hideaki Nishikawa. Its chassis is as compact in dimension as certainly one of its predecessors, the Air Force III Premium. According to TechDAS — the home model of Stella Inc., distributor of high-end audio gear in Japan — by “elaborately decreasing motor vibration, we’ve got achieved a profitable integration of the motor within the plinth,” leading to an “much more compact” turntable and not using a separate motor unit that may be fitted with as much as 4 tonearms.

The desk’s 2-phase 4-pole AC synchronous motor is built-in into the primary unit with an anti-vibration mechanism, and it additionally sports activities a cultured, polyurethane rubber drive belt. The chassis sits on 4 toes which are primarily based on the air-damping strategy that’s additionally used within the Air Force III desk.

The Air Force V Premium desk has been precision-machined from stable aluminum. Instead of an assembled chassis consisting of aluminum panels — as was performed within the unique Air Force V — the Air Force V Premium as a substitute employs a large chassis CNC-machined from stable aluminum alloy, which is alleged to lead to a “considerably improved dynamic vary delivered with the a lot heavier weight chassis.”

The Air Force V Premium employs a sub-platter system consisting of an inner-sub and an outer platter each precision-machined from stable aluminum alloy A5056, with a complete weight of 7kg. The outer platter floor is black anodized with a gloss hairline end that matches with the silver aluminum plinth. It contains a tapered spindle and a “very skinny” pad of anti-vibration materials utilized on high.

The desk additionally presents a 2-channel torque switching circuit that adjusts torque till the rated velocity has been achieved. Once the rotation velocity is achieved, torque is decreased in an effort to cut back vibration. A DDS (Direct Digital Synthesizer) serves to digitally synthesize any waveform or any worth of frequencies based on the output from the crystal oscillator.

Additional options and specs for the Air Force V Premium desk embody playback speeds of 33⅓ and 45rpm; an influence provide unit that comprises circuits for the motor, air pump and air condenser; wow and flutter under 0.03%; dimensions of 312 x 168 x 368mm (w/h/d); and whole weight of 26.0kg.

Finally, the SRP for the TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable is €20,000.

For extra about TechDAS, go right here.

To discover a licensed TechDAS distributor, go right here.

The TechDAS Air Force V Premium turntable, as seen within the Engstrom demo system at High End Munich 2024. Photo by Ken Micallef.