The airline is certainly going to be a bit more high maintenance to keep in optimal condition over time. Filters need changing, water discharged and keeping the whole thing clean is vital. It will also make the odd blurp. They are both great turntables. And both great arms.
What about keeping the triplaner and using it as a second ar? If you go for the XL you'll need a stronger wall shelf no question. |
The above comments are correct.The Airline will be well worth any efforts,should it be anywhere close to the advanced buzz about it's performance.My friend just got rid of his Air Tangent,in favor of a unipivot arm.There is a clear loss of performance,that he will come around to realizing,once he gets over the "joy of low maintenance"!
Best! |
And, what about bass 'thwack'? |
This business of lack of strong deep bass is absurd,based on my fifteen years of hearing the Air Tangent in a very full range set-up.I believe it is up to the hobbyist/owner to fully realize any potential,that the system may have.Some don't and that is where the problems arise.In the case of the Air Tangent's owner,he moved to a different,heavier duty pump,after initial purchase.It was GRAND!! |
Hi Whart,
well I do have the my first Airline for nearly 1 Year
now, and he is still working perfectly.
The compressor runs now also for 1 Year without turning
it off.
regards Karl-Heinz |
Thanks for the comments so far. Sorry to push a hot button on the bass issue SirSpeedy. No agenda here, just plain ignorance. :) |
Whart,no problem,and you did not push any bottons.You have every right to be inquisitive,and remember I'm certainly not the last word in audio stuff!
Best! |
One other issue I am facing with the bigger Kuzma table is physical isolation. The Kuzma Reference is pretty good on its own, given that it has a suspension. The XL does not, and unfortunately, my listening room, for now, is at the top of the house, and has a wooden floor. I could go the route of a heavy duty stand- eg Finite Elemente makes one perfect for the XL- but i'm still not sure if it is set up on a wooden floor -covered by wall to wall no less (yeah, I know, but the house has been an ongoing project and you'd be impressed with what we've done so far- the original rooms date to 1790).
So, what if I put a massive piece of granite on the floor, and then mounted a heavy duty stand with isolating stuff on top of that foundation? |
If its possible, really consider a wall shelf. As far as i'm concerned a shelf completely changes the whole analog picture. I'd much rather have a Kuzma Stabi S with a wall shelf (justlistening to one now - and its very good), than a Reference or an XL without (and the XL has to be one of my absolutely favourite turntables). The other alternative might be a vibraplane or Minus K isolation platform, but Simon Yorke recommends say a 1 ton block of granite. I cant help thinking that on a wooden floor the 1 ton granite thing is going to be an issue ;0 |
Something tells me Whart's 1790 home, a splendid one I'm sure, might not favor a 1 ton block of granite on the top floor, in which case me might find it in the basement. However, if the wood floor is a bit bouncy, an active air isolation platform or similar may be the way to go. While the Stabi S is suitable for a wall shelf, the much higher mass of the Stabi XL probably precludes that. The XL is deserving of the best support, and mass loading is recommended where feasible. |
My ftriend,a serious audiophile/music lover,collector,had a heavy table/Air Tangent arm,mounted to great effect on an active air isolation system.This sat on a heavy floor stand(300 lbs,when loaded with lead shot).He has a 75 year old home,with wooden flooring.The air platform was a BIG improvement!
Best! |
OK, here's my compromise right now, with the concerns some of you expressed clearly in the forefront of my mind. The folks at finite elemente were kind enough to credit me what I paid for the Master Reference wall shelf toward the heavy duty (rated 120 kg) set up that is a low floor stand with a bottom shelf for bracing and the top for the TT. I will spike it. It is pretty massive itself, and with the XL on top, will be quite heavy. Although the Stabi Ref is a suspended design, I have temporarily been using it on an old target floor stand (while awaiting delivery of the now aborted Elemente Wall Shelf) with nary a problem.
The floors in the room are relatively new- since the entire top floor of the house, including joists and flooring, was rebuilt by the prior owner about 5 years ago.
If there is a problem, I'm told that the HRS isolation platform could be used on top of the finite elemente stand- even though that sounds like it might be overkill. So, for now, I'm gonna try the finite elemente stand, straight up.
I am reconfiguring the room as well, in a way which will allow me to install the compressor for the Air Line arm in an adjacent closet, and run the hose through a small cut-out in the wall.
I have also found an old brass surgical lamp- like the ancestor of the thing you see at dentist's offices- which has been rewired and will be mounted above the turntable for light, and for drama. I am excited. I should receive the TT Saturday, the stand late next week, and in the meantime, my electrician has just installed a new subpanel, all the way 'upstream' with Square D breakers, and will route 3 dedicated lines to the new area in the room where the equipment will be installed. I should be in business in about a week to 10 days and will report then. You guys are great. Thanks for your feedback. |
One can specify wall shelves that will support 160kilo plus, but of course its vital they are built into brick/stone walls or structures which are load bearing. I'm not sure what type of mass loading you're referring to that would be suitable for suspended wooden floors. You can see a picture of a Kuzma XL on a wall shelf in the Living Voice/Definitive audio piece on 6moons.com. |
EBarker- I saw the pictures on the 6moons site of their visit to Definitive UK, and sent Definitive an email inquiring about the source of the wall rack, which looked like a simple affair. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I have a brick wall in the room to support such a rack.
Hey, if it doesn't work, one of you might want to buy an finite elemente floor stand, almost untouched by human hands? :) |
