Basis Superarm 9 arrived

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
Today,luckily with some change i took Basis Superarm 9

I listen it on Basis Work of Art today,and i like his natural sound and i am very impressed for how is made.
Very beautiful
I will use on AF3 Premium that will arrive end of may
I hope is a winner match

IMG_2552.jpg
IMG_2553.jpg
IMG_2554.jpg
IMG_2556.jpg
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Gian, the Super Arm 9 is indeed a SUPER arm. I have also heard it on the best Basis turntables...and it is just incredible. Unfortunately, I believe that the Work of Art is in a completely different league than the AF3 Premium. Perhaps, replace the AF3 with a Work of Art?? Although, I'm not sure if Basis is still supplying these, after poor AJ's death. OTOH, the new Transcendence is right up there and would be my second choice.
 

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
Ciao Davey,
you have right but AF3 Premium price list is 29.000 euro while WOART 170.000 and Transcendence little more than 100.000
I believe in AF3 Premium,for his target price is good also because the weight of platter of Premium is 29 kg,has 2 air pump like AF1 Premium,plus other improvement,so i think is no bad.

Some months ago i spoke with Marc Gomes to ask info for his SAT arm and he has SAT on AF3 and told sound is very good because he believe that tonearm is more important than TT and cartridge,sure he sell arm,but could be also true,
so i think the result will be good,for this target price
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
WOW! WOW! WOW! I had no idea you had ordered one! That is fantastic! Congratulations!

While A.J. never published the effective mass specification of the Super Arm 9 I have a feeing it could be a great match with cartridges which are happiest riding on a fairly high effective mass arm (e.g., Koetsu, Benz LP S).

I am curious if you considered the Super Arm 12 (12.5?), and decided that the 9" is better for your purpose?

Who is assembling the tonearm and installing it for you on the AF3?
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
Davey, A.J. considered the Transcendence to sound closer to the master tape than the Work of Art, and, therefore, A.J. considered the Transcendence to be superior to the Work of Art.

What I find very interesting is that the Transcendence looks kind of like a less massive American Sound.
 

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
I am friend with Italian Basis distributor since 30 years.
He has at home Work of Art with Superarm 9 and he had one new in stock,so he did special price to me.
In the 9 user,s guide pages there is no written the effective mass,only that the material has been changed from Vector 4 to make every part more rigid,lowering the tonearm internal resonant frequency to below 2 hz and the tonearm/cartridge resonant frequency to below 4 hz to enjoy cleaner,deeper and more powerful bass and the pivot bearing tolerances have been decreased to level so small giving more precise tracking ability.
I will try this tonearm with Atlas sl,Goldfinger Statement,Opus 1 and Coralstone Diamond,i think will be very good with all this cartridges.

Distributor ask in Basis Audio about the Superarm 12,but they told the 9 is better,they will do the 12 because is in fashion and some customers ask.

I will put on AF3 Premium that with improvement of weight of platter of 29 kg,2 air pump like AF1 P,i think is very good,for his target price.
Sure AF1,Work of ART,AS 2000 will be better,but i cannot buy

Regards
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
I am friend with Italian Basis distributor since 30 years.
He has at home Work of Art with Superarm 9 and he had one new in stock,so he did special price to me.
In the 9 user,s guide pages there is no written the effective mass,only that the material has been changed from Vector 4 to make every part more rigid,lowering the tonearm internal resonant frequency to below 2 hz and the tonearm/cartridge resonant frequency to below 4 hz to enjoy cleaner,deeper and more powerful bass and the pivot bearing tolerances have been decreased to level so small giving more precise tracking ability.
I will try this tonearm with Atlas sl,Goldfinger Statement,Opus 1 and Coralstone Diamond,i think will be very good with all this cartridges.

Distributor ask in Basis Audio about the Superarm 12,but they told the 9 is better,they will do the 12 because is in fashion and some customers ask.

I will put on AF3 Premium that with improvement of weight of platter of 29 kg,2 air pump like AF1 P,i think is very good,for his target price.
Sure AF1,Work of ART,AS 2000 will be better,but i cannot buy

Regards

That is all very nice! (Unless we have all turntables lined up side-by-side with same tonearm and same cartridge we cannot be "sure" of what is better. :))
 

Tango

VIP/Donor
Mar 12, 2017
4,938
6,268
950
Bangkok
Distributor ask in Basis Audio about the Superarm 12,but they told the 9 is better,they will do the 12 because is in fashion and some customers ask.
Regards

This sounds familair with what I heard from an arm designer. More of market driven and efficient manufacturing, but less of sonic driven.

Regards,
Tang
 

byrdparis

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2015
427
478
295
Israel
That is all very nice! (Unless we have all turntables lined up side-by-side with same tonearm and same cartridge we cannot be "sure" of what is better. :))

+1

Gian, Congrats. this is a beautiful arm! enjoy.
and congrats on your upcoming AF3P! you will LOVE it, im sure.
i am very happy with my AF3! its a wonderful TT and with care, great tone arms and cart's you can go a long way.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Davey, A.J. considered the Transcendence to sound closer to the master tape than the Work of Art, and, therefore, A.J. considered the Transcendence to be superior to the Work of Art.

What I find very interesting is that the Transcendence looks kind of like a less massive American Sound.

Ron, I didn't know that. If AJ felt the Transcendence was more like the master tape, I'm sure he was right. I have heard both tables, but not in the same system or at the same time. I was actually more impressed with the WOA, but then the eye candy of that thing is over the top!! OTOH, I do remember thinking when I heard the Transcendence that this was really a stupendous sounding table and system. I think the Transcendence is also less expensive than the WOA.
BTW, I would place the Inspiration up there with all of these guys and would suggest to anyone looking for a table on the second hand market, that this is the one to keep an eye out for.
 

Sammy T

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2012
241
26
933
Talked to AJ on the phone all most everyday. He shared this bit of information with me: Work Of Art with the Vector 4 tone arm , verse the Inspiration turntable and Super arm 9 tonearm . He found that the tone arm is more critical in most cases than the turntable. The Super Arm 9 was the clear winner! I too own a Super Arm 9 on a Basis Debut table with a modified arm-board.
 

Tango

VIP/Donor
Mar 12, 2017
4,938
6,268
950
Bangkok
He found that the tone arm is more critical in most cases than the turntable. The Super Arm 9 was the clear winner! I too own a Super Arm 9 on a Basis Debut table with a modified arm-board.

+1.

Upgrading arm pay back more and cost less than upgrading a tt...especially when we talk about Techdas.

But ofcourse, if no financial constraint, upgrading both ;).

Kind regards,
Tang
 

byrdparis

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2015
427
478
295
Israel
+1.

Upgrading arm pay back more and cost less than upgrading a tt...especially when we talk about Techdas.

Kind regards,
Tang

so, you saying, i better to get a SAT tone arm on my AF3 instead of getting an AF1? (basically)
 

Tango

VIP/Donor
Mar 12, 2017
4,938
6,268
950
Bangkok
so, you saying, i better to get a SAT tone arm on my AF3 instead of getting an AF1? (basically)

I dont mean just SAT Avaid. It could also be this Basis, the Thales Statement, Acoustical System, or may be 3012R., etc.

Best,
Tang
 
  • Like
Reactions: Geddy

byrdparis

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2015
427
478
295
Israel
I have some great tone arms, a lot of ppl will glad to have one of them.. not to mentioned all five.
I reached to the SAT cause of its price point and level of performance according What everybody said and I heard a couple of times...
So its a tose between pull the plug for one or saving for a couple Of years to get maybe the AF1...
I heard once that the AF3 with a great platform and stand with a top arm and cart will get you pretty close.
But I guess like always if you will flip under that exact set up the AF3 for a AF1... you’ll start all over again.
So, everything matter and if the budget permit one should buy the best gear he want/can.
Don’t he?
You got two SAT, I guess it’s no acciden. You know what you doing ;)
 

PeterA

Well-Known Member
Dec 6, 2011
12,522
10,688
3,515
USA
Distributor ask in Basis Audio about the Superarm 12,but they told the 9 is better,they will do the 12 because is in fashion and some customers ask.

I have heard this too. However, in the case of SME, I think people generally agree that the 12" 3012R sounds better than the 9" 3009 and that the 12" V-12 sounds better than the 9" V. SME even published tracking distortion figures for the comparison. The longer modern arms certainly present the music differently that the shorter arms, and to my ears in direct comparisons, I prefer the longer arms. Now, one could make the argument that SME developed the bigger turntables to support the longer arms, or visa versa, so that they could increase their model range and get more people to upgrade etc., etc. and sell more units to make more money. One could make that argument, but I don't know of anyone who has.

I have not directly compared arms of different lengths from other manufacturers, so I do not really know. Soon people will be able compare the sound of the longer and shorter versions of the new SAT arm.
 

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
I tested some years ago that Ikea 407 is better than Ikea 345 9",also FR 66 seems better than FR 64,
could be the kind of arm
 

gian60

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2016
2,503
1,943
343
@ byrdparis

I will buy in future AF1 Premium at very good price from Tang when he will buy AF0
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,347
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
I agree on the Inspiration; I think it is fantastic.

But I do have to say that it is interesting that A.J. dropped the acrylic design for an all steel design (something for which Michael Fremer, with reasonable justification as he criticized for years the Basis Audio acrylic approach, now claims some credit).
 

jeff1225

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2012
3,007
3,249
1,410
51
I agree on the Inspiration; I think it is fantastic.

But I do have to say that it is interesting that A.J. dropped the acrylic design for an all steel design (something for which Michael Fremer, with reasonable justification as he criticized for years the Basis Audio acrylic approach, now claims some credit).

In the end, AJ remade his tables to be more like the AF3. I think it will be a very fine match up with this new arm.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing