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Let's just say I went into the TechDAS Air Force Zero's recent debut at The Audio Salon in Santa Monica with a great deal of skepticism. A big, lumbering turntable featuring an enormous and massive multi-layer platter system seemed like a prescription for over-damped, ill focused sound. What we heard those two evenings was anything but!By the way, what you see towards the bottom of the platter is not a reflection. That is the lower part of the platter!

Once the 40 or so assembled consumers, reviewers and guests were seated, the cover came off the top of the turntable to reveal a massive platter spinner that was far more attractive in person than in pictures.

Designer and industry veteran TechDAS's Hideaki Nishikawa then explained his ultimate 771 pound turntable, which is still in development. What we heard and saw was a prototype. Multiple stacked platters might seem like a sonic "no-no", but the various platters of stainless steel, gun metal and tungsten have machined into them air chambers so when the vacuum is applied to lock the record to the platter surface, the platters too are vacuum sealed to one another forming for all intents and purposes a single massive platter, floating on an air bearing.

The modified Pabst motor—originally designed for use in Studer professional tape decks—also features an air bearing. TechDAS has bought up the world's supply of 40 new old stock Pabst motors, which limits the Zero to 40 units total, world wide. At a cost of more than $400,000, you might think few would buy such a product but we were told that at least 10 have already been pre-sold.

The Audio Salon's Maier Shadi recently completed this new showroom in a space that formerly occupied his storage room and it's among the finest sounding retail display areas I've heard anywhere in the world. It's a room easily big enough show off the unlimited power and full range of Wilson Audio Specialties WAMM Master Chronosonic loudspeakers and subwoofers all driven by Dan D'Agostino Master Systems electronics including Momentum M400 monoblock amplifiers, an HD preamplifier and phono preamplifier.

From the first record Mr. Nishikawa played to the final record I played, the crowd was treated to what all in attendance agree was the finest vinyl playback any of us have ever heard and it wasn't even close. This turntable stomped all over every other turntable I've ever heard including TechDAS's superb Air Force One Premium, and my Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn. It wasn't even close—beginning with blacker backgrounds than I've ever heard from a turntable. It was so quiet that I often worried that the system was in "mute" when suddenly the music poured forth at high SPLs from the speakers.

Fitted with a Graham Elite/TechDAS cartridge and an Swedish Analog Technologies (SAT) CF-12/Lyra Atlas SL, listeners could choose between spaciousness and warmth (Graham/TechDAS) or master tape like transient speed and transparency (SAT/Lyra). All enjoyed equally both sounds, which were three-dimensional, tonally balanced, coherent and dynamically spectacular. The system's effortlessness was revelatory. Familiar records like Masterpieces by Ellington revealed heretofore hidden textural and tonal nuances, helping to produce a "you are there" experience that thrilled on both evenings all in attendance.

While I didn't dare ask if a review sample might be possible, at the end of the second evening Mr. Nishikawa asked if I'd like to hear the Zero in my home. I expect that to happen late summer or early fall. The massive turntable will have to go "around the corner" from my equipment rack but fitting it into the room will be possible and I'm expected months of sleepless nights!