Airtangent vs Kuzma airline

Hi Tubes!My mention of my pal feeling the Air Tangent was too much maintenance was not complete.The fact is that although I had always seen ease of use,when at his home,he is in his mid seventies.He was beginning to have a hard time navigating the "dessicant container",which he felt was hurting his wrists.Also,he had a mega modded outsourced pump,from a retired dentist,actually.This greatly(and I mean ALOT)improved upon the already wonderful sound he was able to get.This,in turn,required regular trips to the "closet floor",for him,after each listening session.
As he is lucky enough to be retired,he listens to his "LEGENDARY" LP collection daily.Hence--"The arm became a Pain in the tush,and back"!!Literally,for him!

When he told me of his decision to move to the newer version of his table/with it's dedicated arm,I mentioned he would most likely miss it(the A/T),after the joys of low maintenance washed away.I truly believe he now misses that combo,yet like most of us,he isn't about to admit it.
THE AIR TANGENT IS AN INCREDIBLE AND "CLASSIC" PIECE OF AUDIO HARDWARE!!
I don't even know if it is still made,as the website does not seem to exist anymore.I have heard it on scores of occassions.Playing some of the most wonderful LP's of the most "collectible,and sought after" titles we all read about.Oh yeah,the music was INCREDIBLE too!I had heard many upgrades to his system,and it was SO obvious as to how little the A/T made it's presence known.I've yet to hear any product(let alone an arm)that could disappear as well.We all keep reading threads of preferred products,that some of us(including me)like to go on talking about,seemingly forever.I doubt any of these will reach the "CLASSIC(for a good rerason) CLASS" of the Air Tangent!I hope I'm wrong,because some of this newer stuff really intrigues me.
Why you no longer own yours is a mystery to me,but I'm sure you are still a happy camper.Yet as happy as with your A/T??? -;)

Thanks for the great feedback. Keep it coming.
I have found the site that sell's the Airtangent. E-mailed http://www.dnaudio.com for a number of questions but has not yet responded. The Kuzma rep has responded to all of my queries and all with in 12 hrs. To me this is a BIG bonus.
The Airtangent seems to be very popular but if I cannot get a hold of the person that sells it then.......
Sir Speedy, you seem to very impressed to say the least with the Airtangent. What table was your friend using? I think that all good things come to those that work. Maybe this will be true for the tonearm as well. If I should get tired of all the work then I will play digital. But after listening to Mike Lavigne's analog set up I would say that the work will definitely be worth it.
BTW nice lambo. Did you buy your Airtangent from the same person?
Thanks for the help guys.

Speedy. Actually, once I heard the sonic performance of the Basis Vector, noted it tracked in some instances better than the AT, cost tons less, I sold my AT. Had lots of $$ left after the Vector purchase which I applied towards vinyl.

Not all ATs are created equal; there were a bunch of models over the years. The last one I owned may have been the best they made. Without question, it was a fantastic product, but I am happier sonically and have less maintenance overall with the Vector (the AT does require some very minor attention, which really is no biggie, but I'd rather do no maintenance than a little maintenance). Although I'd be happy to live with one of the better Airtangents I don't miss much about them except for 2 things: (1) The initial rush of the musical presentation heard after I installed my 1st AT that made LPs seem so alive, almost each LP heard seemed to contain the sweet presence of a live recording. I'd say the performance for the time period was way up there compared to any competitive product. (2) My 1st AT, the 2B, had electronic cueing and end of the record lift. I do miss that feature a lot.

Sorry you could not find the sweetspot with your A/T Tubes 108!Maybe it was the standard pump,which was a design weakness(compared to the "dentist special"),as I found out.

I would venture an educated guess that the Kuzma would be every bit as good,if not better,based on what I have read,and heard,in some corners!

My friend had a VPI TNT(custom modded),which sat on a vibraplane air suspension.It then was mounted atop a 300 lb stand.DAMN good,and no longer as magical.Sadly!!

BTW-though you can never convince me that the fine Vector can match a fully tricked out A/T,I do admit to understanding,and also using a simple unipivot myself.I sport the superb,yet imperfect Graham 2.2!I think I'm in love with the "maddening" endless voicing possibilities this arm allows me to experience.

Best regards!!

I've owned the Versa Dynamics with it's air bearing linear track arm, two ET air bearing linear track arms (upgraded pumps), a Triplanar, 2 Graham's, an Air Tangent 10B, two Breuer Dynamic and multiple popular pivot arms such as the Decca, Dynavector, Thorens, SME, Ortofon, and a dozen others.

The Air Tangent was a total disappointment for me, in spite of trying it with a Dynavector cartridge, two Benz Ruby cartridges and a Koetsu Rosewood Platinum. In my opinion, the Graham beats it and so does the Basis Vector, particularly in the bass and dynamics region.

The Kuzma is likely in the same class with the Walker arm and certainly above the Air Tangent. If you can wait a few weeks, we have a Kuzma arm and turntable (very top of the line) coming to a guy in my music group. We plan on comparing it to a Basis Debut Gold with Graham 2.2 and against the Walker Proscenium.