Tonearm Options for Basis 2800

I own a synchrowave and it makes a difference, but whether or not that difference is substantial is hard to say. The sound, particularly with piano, becomes clearer without being lean or edgy.

There are some minor quirks with operating the synchrowave. When it is plugged in, it is on some level "on." On several occasions, I have come home to find the table has turned itself on fully (meaning the table is rotating). I believe this can happen after a momentary power outage. To prevent this, one has to either disconnect the synchrowave, or do what I do, which is to always turn the motor itself off after use.

If you are looking at a older table, an even bigger change in sound is wrought by buying a new belt. The new belts are machined to a higher degree of precision. This is a relatively cheap upgrade that should be done regardless of the condition of an older belt.

I own Basis power cords and I have heard Basis loudspeaker cables and interconnects. For my system, the interconnects were good, but not as good a match as other interconnects--they are extremely detailed and dynamic sounding, but, again, in my system, just a bit too hard sounding. The same can be said of their speaker cables.

In my friend's system, the Basis speaker cables were VERY surprising. The very lively and dynamic sound was a big plus. The subjective impression when using their speaker cable was that the system was substantially louder--at the same volume setting the speakers sounded louder. I have never heard this kind of pronounced difference in subjective loudness with cables before hearing the Basis cables (compared with XLO Limited cables). I cannot recall what electronics were being used in this system--the preamp was probably a Hovland HP200 and the amps were solid state, but, I cannot recall what they were; the speakers were Spendor S8 and Sonus Faber Anniversario.

I don't know if the vacuum clamp is retrofittable to any table, but, it is the other great option on Basis tables. The vacuum holds the record very firmly to the platter which dampens/drains vibrational energy from the stylus tracking the groove and prevents that energy from feeding back into the cartridge. This improves the clarity of the sound. The most obvious difference that the clamp makes is with how much it supresses the effect of clicks and pops. Clicks and pops are very momentary events, but, with some tables/arms, the sonic effect is more obvious because of ringing (resonance) that is not quickly dissipated. Basis tables, particularly with the vacuum clamp, substantially minimize such ringing from clicks and pops.

Perhaps, the downside of such good resonance control is that Basis systems tend to sound "darker" and not as lively as tables that ring more. I can see why some listeners would prefer tables that sing a little more --this really is a matter of taste and system tuning. I heard a Linn table with the Naim ARO arm in a system that normally featured a Basis 2500/Vector 3 setup. The Linn/Naim system did sound livelier and more exciting in a system that needed a bit of perking up. But, I am not sure that, even in this system, I would like the extra liveliness in the long run. In some respect that liveliness was artificial and clangorous.

The point I am making is that choices still come down to matters of taste and system matching and that there is no absolute "best."

Omsed,

Is AJ Conti working on the design of speakers that Basis may put on the market in the future? Can you disclose anything more about the nature of these speakers?

Moryoga,

There can be a number of reasons why Basis used someone else's cables at a show and not all of the reasons involve sonics. For example, exhibitors often team up to defray cost. I've been at shows where the horse trading and last minute arrangements/deals are made because certain equipment fails to arrive on time or is not working when it arrives. You can find really strange bedfellows resulting from such happenstance. Some manufacturers show up with a lot of extra gear for big shows, like CES, hoping to get as many rooms as possible to have their stuff. Cables are the sort of gear that is easy to pack a lot of extras for this purpose.