There is only one thing that disappointed me, personally, about the all out, price no object, design assault on vinyl playback represented by the AF0. I have always loved both the design and the look of a turntable the feet of which sit on top of legs which visually and physically extend the turntable all the way to the floor on its own integrated stand. In other words with an integrated floor-standing stand designed for its own turntable, I like the way the feet of the turntable and the legs of the stand look like long continuous tubes, protruding from the bottom of the turntable and extending all the way to the floor. I find this a very elegant design which keeps the turntable and stand looking as of one piece. Examples of this include the Acoustic Signature Invictus and Ascona, the upper-end Transrotor tables, the Basis Audio Work of Art, the upper end Triangle Art turntables, and the Vyger.
For $400,000 I wish Nishijawa-san had designed a truly integrated and matching stand rather than adapting an Artesiana stand for this purpose. Because he is adapting an existing stand, the stand structure below the turntable looks quite complicated and “busy” and somewhat incongruous with the AF0 itself.
The large diameter stainless steel feet of the turntable should have matching legs extending down from right below them to achieve the continuous design look I am talking about. Instead, in the present design, there are thin, spindly little stainless steel stand legs that are right below the AF0 plinth. It doesn’t look right.
