Natural Sound
- Thread starter PeterA
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Thank you for the kind comments. I heard this table in two different systems and in direct comparisons to the TechDAS AF1 and to the Thorens Reference, but there is nothing like hearing a component in one's own familiar system. I directly compared my Micro Seiki SX 8000 II to the original American Sound AS1000 on loan using the same SME 3012R tonearm and cable and a vdH Colibri Elite cartridge. Those tables are now packed up and ready to be shipped back to Utah. Having just finished setting up the new table, I can say that David Karmeli's American Sound AS 2000 is the best turntable I have ever heard.
This turntable is about the absence of sound. Noise is vanishingly low. The simplest way to describe what I hear is this: The Micro Seiki is natural sounding. The AS1000 is more natural sounding. The AS2000 is the most natural sounding turntable I have heard. Or rather, the music captured on my LPs sounds more natural in my system when played on this turntable than I have ever heard it. These three turntables are a perfect illustration of what David means by different degrees of natural sound.
It is very difficult to describe what I am hearing, but I knew that this is at the Beyond level as soon as I played the first track. This table just goes further than do the other two. The energy launched into the the room is immense. And there is mass to the instruments. I feel the music, physically, and more emotionally. When something sounds this natural, you know it as soon as you hear it. It just sounds right.
I hear more information presented effortlessly. The stuff is all in the grooves and it is now being extracted. There is a degree of clarity and immediacy that the other tables just do not quite have, as incredibly good as they are. I think this comes from the lower noise and the incredibly stable speed and mass of the table. The bass is so articulate. I missed nothing with the Micro Seiki until I heard the AS1000, and this increased when I replaced the belt with thread. The gap between those tables is roughly the same as the gap between the AS1000 and AS2000, as hard as it is to think of that. I went straight to thread drive with the new table. I am simply astonished.
Over time I will share some set up photos and more listening impressions as they develop.
This turntable is about the absence of sound. Noise is vanishingly low. The simplest way to describe what I hear is this: The Micro Seiki is natural sounding. The AS1000 is more natural sounding. The AS2000 is the most natural sounding turntable I have heard. Or rather, the music captured on my LPs sounds more natural in my system when played on this turntable than I have ever heard it. These three turntables are a perfect illustration of what David means by different degrees of natural sound.
It is very difficult to describe what I am hearing, but I knew that this is at the Beyond level as soon as I played the first track. This table just goes further than do the other two. The energy launched into the the room is immense. And there is mass to the instruments. I feel the music, physically, and more emotionally. When something sounds this natural, you know it as soon as you hear it. It just sounds right.
I hear more information presented effortlessly. The stuff is all in the grooves and it is now being extracted. There is a degree of clarity and immediacy that the other tables just do not quite have, as incredibly good as they are. I think this comes from the lower noise and the incredibly stable speed and mass of the table. The bass is so articulate. I missed nothing with the Micro Seiki until I heard the AS1000, and this increased when I replaced the belt with thread. The gap between those tables is roughly the same as the gap between the AS1000 and AS2000, as hard as it is to think of that. I went straight to thread drive with the new table. I am simply astonished.
Over time I will share some set up photos and more listening impressions as they develop.
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At first big and shiny, it is a tank of a table. Slender tonearms like construction cranes perched at the corners. The more I looked the more I saw. It dawned on me - no seams, no joints, no gaps, but a pair almost un-noticeable on the controller. The chamfered corners, the carved in steel logo. The textural differences of the tops, sides, feet, platforms and platters are subtle in the photographs on the page, but enlarge them to see their beauty. The AS2000 quietly speaks of solidity, precision and competance -- for as massive as it is, there is elegance and style in its simplicity.
Pinch yourself Peter - it's in your living room.
Wow Peter. It looks incredible. Very pleased for you as well as super jealous lol. You must feel so happy walking into your room and seeing it there let alone turning it on.
I’m not normally a jealous guy but I’m having my moments on this one lol
You should be in charge of messaging for New England, save the last 6 words : ) Am I to understand that your beautiful Micro Seiki is now relinquished? And that you now have the final bits of the Natural Sound equation? I'll have to catch up on this thread.
Hello Fred,
As David promised a year and a half ago when he sold me my entire system, he gave me back the full value for the Micro Seiki. That entire system purchase came with zero risk. Most of what David sells I think just goes up in value, unlike so many other things. And there is a high demand for these rare coveted items.
Both that turntable and the original AS 1000 that I had the privilege of hearing for about a month in my living room are packed up and ready for shipment back to Utah. The new AS 2000 is here to stay.
As far as the final bits are concerned, I am very close.
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Congratulations!! One can't help but be curious regarding the levels of improvement from the Micro to the AS 2000, especially as it is a re-mounting of the same arm and cartridge.
Yes, the mat is leather. The top surface of the platter is very slightly concave sloping downward towards the spindle. With the record weight and the leather mat, record contact is extremely uniform resulting in zero record warp. It actually seems more effective than the vacuum whole town of the Micro Seiki it is a very clever solution. It is full proof and requires zero maintenance. Apparently many different leather mats were tried for getting just the right result in sound. And as expected, it fits like a glove.
Fred, you’re very welcome to come and hear it. What surprises me actually is that the AS 2000 is about the same improvement delta over the AS 1000 as the latter is over the Micro Seiki. I did not think that was possible until I heard all three in the same system with the same arm and cartridge.
One of the reasons I made the effort to set up the AS 1000 was to more fully understand how these three turntables differ in both performance, design, and execution. It has been a fascinating last four or five weeks. I’ve learned a lot about the impact of a turntable at this level on my system. A good friend of mine was here to help with the lifting and heard all the differences too.
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Peter, Did you reposition your speakers to optimize the Micro-Seiki, then again for the AS 1000, and reposition them once again to “optimize” for the AS 2000? …… Just kidding, I know that they are corner horns…. Just couldn’t help myself. You did it the proper way and arrived at valid comparative observations.
Nice turntable by the way.
Carlos, That is pretty funny. The whole Roy Gregory changing variables thread is kind of interesting. In my case, of course, the whole issue with speaker repositioning is moot. They are quite literally coupled to the room and are already properly positioned.
The new turntable has only been playing music for a few hours so I’m still in the process of optimizing or fine tuning it. But the rest of the system isn’t changing because of the addition of this turntable to the rack. I did have to slightly adjust the tonearm when I moved it from the other turntable to this new turntable.
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