pace,timing,ease,transient response,bass,detail,timbres,tuneful basicaly neutral

Build Quality, Quite Rube like.

Related Equiptment:
Ven den Hul Grasshopper cartridge
Mark Levinson no.380 pre amp
Mark Levinson no.33 mono blocks
Transparant ref interconnects
Transparant ref 8ft wire
JMLab Utopias

I'll try to keep this brief! I've lived with my Forsell Air Force One Signature(to give it it's proper name) for several years now; it's mated with my Lyra Parnassus cartridge. I've used both with and without the optional air bearing flywheel.

Without the flywheel, the sound is pretty damn good! Good, deep, bass, airy highs, and great imaging. With the addition of the flywheel, the bass gets even better - the sound seems to be more solid. Positioning seems to be better defined, too. There doesn't seem to be much character I can identify, unlike my
previous turntable, a Roksan Xerxes, which has a rather distintive colouration.

So much for the pros: now on to the cons. Despite its wonderfull sound quality, the Air Force One's build quality leaves a little to be desired! It looks almost like a home made component: not the sort of engineering standards I would expect to see at this elevated price level! The flywheel, almost out of necessity is like a Rube Goldberg contraption, draw bemused smiles from people who I tell the drive belt is made from dental floss!

I don't know how they compare sonically (I've only heard them in isolation, not side-by-side), but in terms of construction and engineering quality, the Rockport Sirius III is a much better executed design.

Overall then, 4 stars - would've been 5 if it weren't for the questionable engineering.