Basis Audio 1400 Signature Brochure

1400 SIGNATURE

THE 1400 PEDIGREE

Before considering any details of the 1400 the prospective purchaser should realize the benefit he will receive
from the fact that his 1400 was designed and manufactured by the same company that has designed and
produced the incredible Basis Work of Art turntable and the legendary Debut series, which has been in
production for 20 years. The 1400 platters and bearings are machined by the same precision machinists,
on the same tooling, as the similar parts of the Debut and Work of Art! The 1400 uses the same motor as the
Debut. It would be impossible for the 1400 to be produced at its price without the simultaneous production of
Debut parts. As for the design pedigree, it is undeniable: the same designer of the Work of Art and Debut
designed the 1400.

1400 OVERVIEW

The 1400 Signature represents the refinement of the original 1400, which has been in production since 1998.
The 1400 is based on the compact Basis 2000 series of turntables, where the subchassis is reduced in size,
gaining an advantageous “thickness-to-length ratio” for improved resonant behavior. The result is quite
uncolored sound for a relatively unisolated turntable. As no turntable in this price range is truly isolated, we at
Basis decided to forego suspension in order to allocate resources on all other turntable components (motor,
platter, bearing) to give the 1400 owner the finest available sound, longevity, and overall quality.

The 1400 turntable is the result of the same “Basis Systems Approach” of product development as other
Basis products, where each individual subsystem contributing to the performance of the product is identified.
Specific goals for the performance of each subsystem are developed based on the function of that system.
Each system is designed, based on fundamental principles of physics, and then tested and optimized to
perform its function to the highest level. Only after each system has demonstrated superior performance at its
defined function is it approved for use in the final product. The result is a totally engineered product. When
looking at other products it can be obvious that the designer has “fallen in love” with a certain aspect of a
product. This may be a novel shape, a supposed isolator made of many layers of materials, or an unusual
material. Such shortsighted, incomplete designs are all too common in the record player field and result in
one-dimensional performance. With the Basis Systems Approach the buyer is assured of a complete
design, a truly refined final product that will withstand the test of time by performing at a state of the art level
for decades.

THE SUBCHASSIS

The subchassis forms the base that holds all of the systems (drive, bearing/platter, tonearm mount) together.
Ideally the subchassis should provide a rigid, non-resonant support for the turntable system components. The
stress-relieved acrylic 1400 subchassis indeed provides such an ideal support. As stated above, the compact
length and width of the 1400 provides an advantageous “thickness-to-length ratio” for great resonant control.

The acrylic material is cast as a solid block and stress-relieved for stability. The material itself exhibits superb
low-resonance characteristics without the need for problematic damping with elastomer materials. One needs
only to cue the stylus directly onto the subchassis on 1400, turn the volume up, and tap the subchassis with
various light objects such as toothpicks, small hex keys, small screwdrivers, and the like. You will note that the
sound from the speakers is different for each object and “sounds” like the material of that object striking acrylic.
Further, the sound is immediate and short without echoes, “overhang”, or ringing. Such a simple test,
performed with other subchassis materials, will show the benefits of solid cast acrylic as used for a properly
designed turntable subchassis.

THE MOTOR

The 1400 Signature utilizes the most speed-stable type of motor available, the AC synchronous instrument
motor. Basis modifies this motor with a custom magnet assembly (see our Signature Series technical paper
for more details) to further smooth the power delivery and to assure a totally balanced rotating system.

The custom motor is mounted in its own housing, separated from the turntable by elastomer isolators, which
are themselves isolated from the critical tonearm/platter systems by another set of elastomer isolators in the
turntable foot supports.

The result of these measures, along with the best drive belt in the business (See our Superbelt technical
paper for more information on belts) is a totally speed stable, quiet, cog-free drive system. Musical
notes are unwaveringly solid, as expected; additionally, such exceptional levels of speed stability lend levels of
coherence to the music and the recording soundfield that must be heard to be believed.

THE BEARING AND PLATTER SYSTEM

The 1400 bearing is a high-precision oil-well design, the smoothest, quietest turntable bearing type. The final
machining of the platter locating surfaces is performed after the bearing has been assembled. The bearing
therefore provides a perfectly centered support for the platter, contributing to the unwavering speed stability
and the clarity of background and low-level detail of the 1400. With the Signature Series, Basis took this
advanced bearing to higher levels. The fit of the new Signature oil-well bearings is of such high precision that
the exact clearance is held to a precision of one ten-thousandth of an inch. (One ten-thousandth of an inch is
.0001 inch, 40 times thinner than a piece of paper!) You can spend five times more on other turntables yet
you will not receive a bearing of this silence or smoothness.

Matched thrust surfaces identical to those of the Basis Debut result in a virtually infinite life. Moreover, the
bushings of the 1400 bearing are identical to the bushings in the original Debut model, guaranteeing that the
bushings also will last forever.

Contrasted to the inexpensive inverted bearings that most new turntable designs incorporate the 1400 bearing
is a great example of the Basis philosophy: quality is never compromised.

The 1400 platter is machined from a solid block of stress-relieved acrylic. The surfaces that mate to the
bearing are derived from the Debut platter/bearing mating system. A large horizontal diameter forms the
vertical mating surface. The result is undetectable vertical motion of the 1400 Signature platter as it rotates,
meaning less woofer pumping and less amplifier strain. The vertical motion of the rotating 1400 platter is
equivalent to the thickness of a human hair or less. The radial location is provided by a pair of concentric
cylindrical surfaces, which provide superior accuracy to the ubiquitous tapered shaft so often seen in lesser
products. The superior radial precision of this fit forces the outer belt-driven surface of the platter to be
perfectly centered, again guaranteeing the great speed stability of the 1400 Signature.

SPECIFICATIONS

Overall dimensions: 16.7" wide x 15" deep (including motor) x 5.5" tall (424mm x 381mm x 140mm).
Overall weight: 21 pounds (9.5 kilograms).
Shipping weight: 28 pounds (13 kilograms).
Color: Clear acrylic, silver trim.