‘I’d sell a kidney to buy it – though its vacuum squeeze might harvest it for me’: this elite record player is both edgy and impressive in equal measure

TechDas has just unveiled its Air Force IV elite turntable
The technique involved? It vacuum-clamps your vinyl to make it float in the air
…and it has nothing to do with Nike shoes or the US President’s plane

Some labels just know how to time a turntable release for maximum exposure with Record Store Day, right?

TechDa’s Air Force IV (it has nothing to do with the US President’s transportation or Nike shoes) is a demanding deck for the seriously committed audiophile – I’d even go so far as to say it requires the act of spinning records to surgical levels of precision.

Why? Because alongside the ability to install up to three tonearms and cartridges on it at any given time (the audiophile knows that tracking weights, the arc of the arm and the thickness of the small diamond-tipped stylus all make a difference) this turntable harnesses the power of air to enhance sound quality.

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The Air Force IV uses a silent electric pump to float its high mass in one piece on a high-pressure “air bearing”. That’s right: with the Air Force IV, your vinyl is actually vacuum-pressed completely flat. Thought playing a record was as simple as placing it on the platter and gently lowering the needle? Think again…

So demanding, it’s almost scary

(Image credit: TechDas)

The Japanese turntable specialist tells me that the new Air Force IV is positioned directly above the “entry-level” Air Force V Premium in the current TechDas turntable hierarchy.

Okay, but at £19,998 (it’s officially landed in the UK now, having been revealed at last year’s High End Munich show), which is around $27,000 or AU$38,000, it’s about as far from entry-level as my poor gray matter can handle.

But just for clarity in TechDas’ turntable catalogue, in ascending order, next would be the Air Force III Premium, Air Force III Premium S, Air Force One, Air Force One Premium and mighty Air Force Zero, the latter costing just $500,000 or £400,000 depending on which tonearm you choose.

The Air Force IV (if the price suddenly seems relatively reasonable) incorporates key features from the company’s top-tier turntables, the top of which is TechDas’ business card air-borne system. As well as vacuum clamping your vinyl to ensure it stays exactly horizontal as it spins, this isolates the 9kg turntable and boasts an “exceptionally low noise floor”.

Elsewhere, the Air Force IV’s 21.5kg one-piece aluminum alloy chassis sits on four sprung feet with the same “specialised damping materials” used in the company’s far more expensive Air Force III Premium S.

See, the idea of a record player with such formidable capabilities (and aesthetics, frankly) sits comfortably in my home without harvesting my kidneys while I sleep is hard for my imagination to ignore. But for this level of sonic performance, you better believe I’d try.