TechDAS Air Force Zero

TURNTABLE

- MICHAEL FREMER

The Air Force Zero turntable is very large for a turntable, but it is not as large as a house. At $450,000 for the base model, it does, however, cost as much as many houses and more than many others.1

This observation will set off howling among some audio enthusiasts of a sort that never happens in the wine world, for instance, where well-heeled oenophiles routinely spend large sums for a short-lived thrill.

Yes, I know, some people are homeless. Others are hungry. Isn’t it wrong to spend the equivalent of a suburban home on a means of playing records? It’s a legitimate question, and I don’t dismiss it, but it’s not for me to say, except when it comes to my own choices. It’s a decision each of us must make for ourselves. Now, where was I?

Nishikawa’s ultimate analog statement?

I’m sure TechDAS founder Hideaki Nishikawa has heard more turntables than I have, and I’ve heard a lot of them.

He received his mechanical engineering degree in 1963, when I was still in high school. He then joined Stax Ltd., where he was instrumental in developing that company’s legendary electrostatic headphones. He was involved in other projects, too.

The finger snaps were slower— almost suspended in time and far fleshier than I expected from long familiarity.