American Sound AS-2000 Installations- Far East (Tango)

Tango

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Tang,
What cartridges do you have on each arm?
I have a MS 5R, a Gran Cru, an Opus1 and a ZYX Universe. But the ZYX sound only comes out one channel. The tone arm wire of my SME at head shell joint is broken I think. I want to put MS Mono Replay on after the wire is fixed.
 

Tango

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Tang, I have a sense you are very careful about the staging and context of your photos. Most photos of 'working turntables' invevitably show bits of turntable usage accessories - a stylus brush, a magnifier, a digital scale, etc. This shot says 'turntable nerd'. :)
No staging really Tima. Everything is on there because I am messy and like to have everything near my hands. Here is a pic of different angle. I have Walker Talisman magic demagintizer, a spare Techdas carbon belt, two Ortofon scales one with two digit the other three digit, a MoFi stylus cleaner liquid, a Audio Technica and Audioquest record brush, a thread that David sent me long ago to use replacing the carbon belt, a few sets of allen key or hex key, SME 3012R paper protractor, the db systems protractor, playing cards that I cut in strip, the very old Ortofon SPU that David sent me to try long ago, etc. Oh, I still can't find my magnifier. It could be on my working table.

3B1D09D1-F710-4E0A-A530-38CF92318783.jpeg
 
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abeidrov

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I have a MS 5R, a Gran Cru, an Opus1 and a ZYX Universe. But the ZYX sound only comes out one channel. The tone arm wire of my SME at head shell joint is broken I think. I want to put MS Mono Replay on after the wire is fixed.
Dear Tang, how would you rate Opus1 in comparison to the ZYX Universe? I have Universe II and thinking of getting another cart. If you had to live with just one cart, would you choose Opus1?
 

Tango

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Dear Tang, how would you rate Opus1 in comparison to the ZYX Universe? I have Universe II and thinking of getting another cart. If you had to live with just one cart, would you choose Opus1?
The Opus1 presentation is less upfront than the ZYX Univ (doesn't mean the ZYX has a very upfront presentation.) The dimensionality of Opus1 is better making the ZYX flatter in comparison. The tone is pretty much the same to me. You might have thought they are the same brand but different model. Both cart are very quiet in term of surface noise. The ZYX is obviously livelier and seem more dynamic. I choose Opus1. But I would choose the ZYX over MSL Platinum. No one would be disappoint getting the Opus1. I also experienced quality control problem with ZYX but the owner of SolarSound has been very responsive to me.
 
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Lagonda

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DasguteOhr

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The Opus1 presentation is less upfront than the ZYX Univ (doesn't mean the ZYX has a very upfront presentation.) The dimensionality of Opus1 is better making the ZYX flatter in comparison. The tone is pretty much the same to me. You might have thought they are the same brand but different model. Both cart are very quiet in term of surface noise. The ZYX is obviously livelier and seem more dynamic. I choose Opus1. But I would choose the ZYX over MSL Platinum. No would be disappoint getting the Opus1. I also experienced quality control problem with ZYX but the owner of SolarSound has been very responsive to me.
Have you ever tried to increase the tonearm mass, Zyx love heavy arms.
Increase my Tip 5--6 grams, VTF is 1.96 sounds more organic, holographic broader and deeper and bass goes deeper.
Congratulations on the good turntable.Looks good.
P.S
Add a bit of lead, thats it like Silent metal from Zyx 115826-bfece3f6-large.jpg
 

spiritofmusic

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@ddk. I guess you did not expect to see this in me. :) But you probably like seeing how I "live" with your tt.

View attachment 74783
With all those sliced playing cards, Tang looks like one angry loser at Poker.
Brings new meaning to "cutting the deck".
 

adyc

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Tang, Have you deflated the Stacore platform? Based on what I saw at David’s place, the stand for the AS 2000 must be very substantial and well built to support such a heavy turntable. I’m just curious if you prefer the sound with air isolation or without.
It seems that his AS2000 sits on slate. No air isolation. His phono sits on Stacore platform which has air isolatio.
 

MadFloyd

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I have a MS 5R, a Gran Cru, an Opus1 and a ZYX Universe. But the ZYX sound only comes out one channel. The tone arm wire of my SME at head shell joint is broken I think. I want to put MS Mono Replay on after the wire is fixed.
Ahh, a mono Zyx. Nice.
 

Tango

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It seems that his AS2000 sits on slate. No air isolation. His phono sits on Stacore platform which has air isolatio.
The AS2000 actually sits on 2 cm thick steel plate painted black. Yes no air isolation. My turn table platform was made by Stacore. Pretty much a prototype of Stacore current table. Anything made by Stacore is super heavy and stable. My phono sits on Stacore Platform that I deflated the air suspension.

@PeterA When the air is on, the sound is leading toward a more articulate, more precise, more clean image outline. The more air pressure the more so. Audiophile tend to like more more more more more even when there could already be enough of it in a system. When I start to understand the equation of "believable" sound I try my best to strike a balance. Too much of "More" sometime is not believable. I hope I answer your question.

ps. I use the term "believable" (taken from Tima) simply to avoid the word "natural" that many people annoy these days. ;)
 

Tango

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Tango

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I feel you. I have tools, cart stuff, everywhere around my TT and even on the shelf below it.
David recommended me spec for size of tt platform for the reason I only now realize. Boy like us need space to play. :)
 
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PeterA

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Even when you can't get all the way there, the experience can still be incredibly amazing - a reason many of us continue to try.

I still have problems with the 'resolution' word. If it is either a bucket for multiple attributes or a way of saying "more of" those attributes, then let's talk about them instead It's either too broad or too amorphous to have real commication value. Perhaps it would be simpler if it just meant 'more detail.' The whole 'jargon' issue is a constant for me as a reviewer. Threads like Peter's 'attribute priorities' and this portion of this thread are very healthy and interesting, and we seem to be comporting ourselves quite well. :)

When I was a younger audiophlle, there were a couple times I went to concert with the purpose of gauging the natural performace against reproduction. At that time what I came away with was the absolute criticality to stereo reproduction of the lower mids on down where the ground, the foundation of support was laid for all else. And secondly the importance of tone, pitch differentiation, and dynamics to grasping that foundation. Sure its a treat to hear from our stereo a rosiny bow on a cello, the resonance of its sounding chamber or a tight pizzicato arpeggio from a section of basses along with the style and nuances of individual musicians - and such hearings help believability or suspension of disbellief. Who are the performers and what are they playing influences how I react to my stereo; at times I'll stop thinking and simply listen in awe to Horowitz. At the end of a side I find myself blinking and looking around the room as my mind comes back to me.

I probably will never get to hear an AS2000, but having been enlightened by my Monaco, I will raise my glass with you to say: Transducers, yeah baby!

Tim, you and I have now had the pleasure of hearing the AS 2000 together out in Utah. I am revisiting some of these old threads the enjoying the added insights into the similar experience we shared together. Having now heard David‘s system twice, I have a new perspective on what people are describing from these systems that present resolution in a natural way.
 
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tima

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Tim, you and I have now had the pleasure of hearing the AS 2000 together out in Utah. I am revisiting some of these old threads the enjoying the added insights into the similar experience we shared together. Having now heard David‘s system twice, I have a new perspective on what people are describing from these systems that present resolution in a natural way.


Yes - several of these threads in @ddk 's forum are a joy to read. Like looking through a family photo album and remembering. And yes, I understand - finally I understand better what is being said and described. I gained confidence in my own beliefs by attending concerts - something like I described in the text you quoted. I sat there nodding my head as I read it. I had some idea from several of the posted videos, but our trip to David's was a road to damascus event. I am happy to have you as a fellow traveler (no, definitely the wrong words) - as a brother in arms, so to speak, on this journey.

To repeat part of that quote:
When I was a younger audiophlle, there were a couple times I went to concert with the purpose of gauging the natural performace against reproduction. At that time what I came away with was the absolute criticality to stereo reproduction of the lower mids on down where the ground, the foundation of support was laid for all else.

Without intending to cause a stir -- I was reading Harry Pearson the other day and ran across this: "any disruption in the first several octaves -- from 20 Hertz to about 160 -- actually destroys realism of the orchestral foundation, and thus subconsciously cueing our brains saying, 'This ain't real'". (The Essay, issue 91, pp 87-95.)

Whether one agrees with HP or not, here is someone attempting to come to grips with at least one explanation for or cause of realism in reproduction. My analytic side would like to hear/learn more, to unlock why some gear leads to natural sound. This should be in its own thread.
 

PeterA

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What is fascinating to me Tim, is just how much David, Tango, and Rockitman credit the AS 2000 for its role in revealing these aspects of realism and information retrieval from reproduce music. David would likely say something similar about the role of Lamm electronics in a system. In these cases, hearing is believing.
 
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ddk

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What is fascinating to me Tim, is just how much David, Tango, and Rockitman credit the AS 2000 for its role in revealing these aspects of realism and information retrieval from reproduce music. David would likely say something similar about the role of Lamm electronics in a system. In these cases, hearing is believing.
What I learnt from Vladimir and his creation is at the heart and soul of the system, everything is built around his vision. It’s his electronics that allow one to hear the AS2000’s incredible naturalness without editorializing and at the other end one really gets how incredible some speakers are when mated to a Lamm amplifier. Living with basically the same system for more than two decades and gradually perfecting setup provides a very comprehensive insight!

david
 

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