Air Force Zero
Air Force Zero represents the absolute pinnacle of analog technology. It incorporates everything that has been associated with the TechDas brand to date, but each solution has been pushed to its absolute limit. Long-awaited, mentions of it appeared online from time to time, and TechDas and its chief designer, Mr. Hideaki Nishikwa, slowly built anticipation by unveiling pieces of the puzzle at successive exhibitions. In early 2019, the first photo of the still-unfinished turntable appeared online, along with a few basic specifications that made a colossal impression. In March 2019, the world premiere took place in Tokyo, and more details began to emerge, although information remained fairly sparse. At this point, we have much more information about this masterpiece of turntable art—because it’s hard to call this device simply a turntable. The way the “Zero” plays records is unbelievable. Here are a few impressions from the presentation in Santa Monica, as described by a reviewer from The Absolute Sound.
„….. I’ll be the first to admit that I approached the ’table with some skepticism. I expected excellent performance but nothing revolutionary. For one thing, I have not heard a turntable that was substantially superior to the Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn I’ve used for about a decade. Oops—the Zero creamed it. I also was underwhelmed by the photos that I had seen of the turntable. In “person,” however, it looked both impressive and attractive….
….. The sound—oh,the sound—that the Zero produced in this setup was truly captivating. The noise floor depths were subterranean and the octave-to-octave balance seamless. It was immediately apparent to me that the TechDAS Zero—here outfitted with the latest SAT (Swedish Analog Technologies) CF1-12 tonearm and Lyra Atlas SL cartrridge—was delivering a fundamentally different approach to vinyl playback. Never have I heard such 3-D presentation of musical notes. Never have I heard voices conveyed through a loudspeaker so convincingly—not only were they accurate in dynamic detail but also in their placement within the soundstage. Listening to a passage from Tosca I almost believed I was sitting ten feet away from the tenor, so realistic were the system’s sense of fidelity and lack of dynamic constraint. Chimes rang out with supreme delicacy and endlessly lingering decays.
Another notable moment came when Mr. Nishikawa played a Louis Armstrong LP. The pitch definition was so exact that it was something of a revelation for me to listen to Armstrong’s trumpet solo: There was a density to the burnished sound that I had not previously experienced…”
Jacob Heilbrunn
Its construction consists of several layers of different materials prepared in a strictly defined manner and precision-machined. Looking at the whole, one can conclude that nothing—not a single surface—is superfluous. The foundation—the 100-kg main frame—is made of stainless steel. The platter base is made of Extra Super Duraluminium and weighs 35 kg. The platter, whose structure consists of five separate components, weighs a whopping 118 kg in the version with a “tungsten” top platter. Starting from the bottom, the first component, weighing 30 kg and with a diameter of 400 mm, is made of forged SUS 316L stainless steel. The next “slice” is made of the same material, but its diameter has been reduced to 310 mm and its weight to 20 kg. The third piece of the puzzle is made of what is known as gunmetal. It weighs 20 kg and has a diameter of 310 mm. The fourth part is again made of forged SUS 316L steel. The final element is made of titanium in the standard version. Optionally, the top platter can be made of sintered tungsten powder. To drive this colossus, a belt made of non-stretch, polished polyurethane fiber is used, which transmits torque from a three-phase, 12-pole Papst motor. During startup and while stabilizing the rotational speed, the motor utilizes high torque and high RPM. Once “cruising speed” is reached, the motor switches to a different operating mode. The speed decreases, and the required torque is modulated to ensure stable platter rotation while generating as little vibration as possible. Like all TechDas turntables, the Air Force Zero also features an air bearing and a vacuum-assisted record clamping system. Here, however, the system has been further developed so that not only the disc but all parts of the rotor are suction-mounted. The active pneumatic suspension is powered by a separate compressor. The Air Force Zero also features pneumatic suspension for parts of the powertrain. The Air Force Zero is equipped with two tonearm bases. As standard, these are made of titanium. Optionally, these components can be ordered made of “tungsten.” The turntable, ready for operation, weighs 330 kg in the “titanium” version, not including the power supply units. There are three of them, with a combined weight of nearly 40 kg. As an option, two specially designed tables are available that can support this weight and accommodate all components.
The turntable will be available in a limited edition of forty units. Pre-orders can be placed now, with delivery scheduled to begin in September of this year.
Specifications:
| Main unit | |
| Base frame | 100kg stainless steel |
| Platter base | 35kg Extra Super Duralumin |
| Platters | 100kg in total (118kg with tungsten top platter – optional) |
| Bottom platter | 33kg Ø 400mm, forged, steinless steel SUS 316 L |
| Second platter | 20kg Ø 310mm, forged, steinless steel SUS 316 L |
| Third Platter | 20kg Ø 310mm, cast gunmetal |
| Fourth platter | 20kg Ø 310mm, forged, steinless steel SUS 316 L |
| Top platter | 7kg Ø 310mm, titanium with special surface hardening treatment 28kg Ø 310mm powder sintered tungsten – optional |
| Total moment of inertia | 16 000kg/cm square 18 720kg/cm square (tugsten top platter) |
| Drive system | Belt-drive, polished and nonflexible polyurethane fiber belt |
| Drive motor | 3-phase 12-pole AC synchronous motor manufactured by Papst, Germany (1000/5001) During a startup and adjustment of the rotation, high torque rotation. In a stead-state rotation, non servo, low torque, ultra low vibration |
| Rotation speed | 33,3 rpm / 45rpm, precise speed adjustment function |
| Wow & flutter | below 0,03% |
| Suspension | Air suspension, air charged by an electric air pump built-in in Power Supply Unit |
| Main unit dimension including motor | 902(W) x 677(D) x 335(H) mm |
| Total weight of main unit including motor (Power Supply Units ar not included) | 330 kg /350kg |
| Power Supply / Air pump units | Unit 1/3: 430 (W) x 365 (D) x 205 (H) mm, 15 kg Unit 2/3: 430 (W) x 365 (D) x 205 (H) mm, 13kg Unit 3/3: 430 (W) x 365 (D) x 205 (H) mm, 10kg |
| Accessories incuded | 2x Titanium Tonearm Bases (Tungsten Tonearm Base available as option), 1x TechDAS Disc Stabilizer, 1x Platter Cover |
| Air Force Zero rack system (optional) | Set of 2racks with turntable platform and shelves: Rack 1/2: 905 (W) x 675 (D) x 790 (H) mm Rack 2/2: 790 (W) x 610 (D) x 790 (H) mm |
