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VINYL HEAVEN 6
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6
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Comments
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Hello again Mike, Just thought I'd drop you a line to say that after quite a long lay off I fired up the Technics last night and I have to say that even now I am no less impressed. That speed of response and tight base and melody hmmm! I can vouch for those Sorbothane feet thingies too. I've added some 50mm to replace the standard 4 feet to the deck and it does make a considerable difference through isolation - worth doing I think. I have also added some smaller ones to my Kairn pro pre amp. Doing up an old LR Defender 90 and it'll be some time before she's on the road. Hope at some time to install a CB in her so I'll have to read your section on CB in your site thoroughly soon - so thanks in advance!! Anyway hope you are all well and enjoying your Easter break. Regards, Paul Norris. (April 2010) Hello Mike, I am in the process of putting the finishing touches to a website, related to a new microproccessor-based plug-and-play reversing module, developed and designed to be fitted to TECHNICS SL-1200 and SL-1210 turntables and their many variants. http://4thstateaudio.co.uk/ Best regards, Richard Warwick, Timetec Electronics (April 2010) Hi Mike, My KAB EV-1 cleared customs last Thursday and has now been in use for a day or so. I am really pleased with it; my vinyl sounds very, very different, and the KAB is very simple and easy to use. No mess. Excellent. I have now invested in some isopropyl alcohol and distilled water to mix my own record cleaner. Customs Info: The customs end is now handled by Parcelforce, who will send out an invoice once the package clears customs. You can track your package right the way through to delivery. You can pay the customs duty and VAT fee (mine was £29.62) online and obtain next day delivery. Good service too. I will be emailing Kevin with my 100% praise of this miraculous little machine. Who needs a built in motor or vacuum when this little thing works so well? http://www.kabusa.com Regards to you and yours and thank you for your friendly advice and support and for publicising KABUSA. David (March 2010) Hello, I was reading some stories about the troubles some people have had in obtaining a decent turntable. It made me realize that I was very fortunate that back in the year of 1976, my neighbor friend who accompanied me to a store called Highland Appliance recommended that I purchase the Marantz 6300 turntable along with the Sansui 8080 receiver I bought. I've been involved in audio gear all of my life and I was even fitting old style turntables with magnetic cartridges back around the year of 1970. I discovered how much better a MM cartridge sounded verses a ceramic type which was the usual type found on nearly all systems available to most (unaware) consumers. I eventually received an Ampex Micro 87R receiver in 1973 along with a Garrard TT and this, I thought, was the cat's ass at my young age. But, the reason I am mainly writing was to share the fact that I was fortunate to have hooked onto the Marantz 6300 deck which kept me from falling victim to all of the hyped up turntables mentioned in your story section. And now, I've gone through the ownership of a Dual 1229, which has caused me quite a bit of grief and no longer being used. I also have a few other decks, one an older Pioneer that I finagled to run at 78 RPM and fitted with a Shure cart/stylus for that purpose. I got back into vinyl three years ago after talking to a fellow co-worker so the Marantz came back out and it needed a few tweaks. It's a peculiar table in regards to the electronics inside. It's given me its share of issues too but it is again running well. I am using a Shure M97xE cart in it. I also purchased a used Technics SL1200 from Guitar Center and it plays extremely well. Just like it's stated on your web site. What a gem of a machine. I am using an Audio Technica 440mL cart on that machine. I just bought an Audio Technica PL120 last week and I fitted a Stanton cart for 78's onto it and I am currently using a Stanton 681EEE cart but I just ordered an Audio Technica 120 E/T cartridge today for it. Not because I read about it here, but I heard about it on an audio forum once. And being the AT 440mL sounds so sweet, I thought the 120 would too. I once purchased a Thorens TD-190 deck and it was shockingly cheaply made and it howled so bad at minimal volume, I didn't get past the first track on a Neil Young reissue Lp without putting it back in the box and sending it back. That ordeal cost me 45 dollars just in shipping and return charges. I tried a Gemini DJ type of TT once too with the same isolation issues. It went back to Guitar Center the same day. I also have a Satnton straigh-arm deck fitted with a Shure Hi-Track. I don't use it though due to the arm. It also has isolation issues. I packed it with foam and that helped some. The Technic's SL1200 is a great deck though and I really just wanted to add my opinion to the list of others who are using it. For those heading into vinyl, I recommend it highly. It's a solid machine and very well isolated. It's a joy to use too. It's too easy to waste a lot of time and money on other machines so I thought I would add my story in hopes of helping others out. Gary Pichini (Feb 2010) Hi, Terrific article! I had given up hope that I'd ever again read a proper review of any piece of hi-fi gear again. Good, objective writing on the subject of 2-channel audio seems to be a lost art. Not lost, really. Abandoned is a better way to put it. I'm not an engineer and have little scientific education but I cut my audio teeth on the work of the great audio reviewers of the past and their real-world experience with electronic theory and design. I grow increasingly impatient with people that accept without discrimination the various undisciplined ramblings that issue forth from the "high-end" publications ,especially the ones in my own land (U.S). I especially appreciated the author's having taken on the modern British manufacturers, that took courage. It's the same here, really. You want to take pride in the domestic producers but when you're asked to pay substantially more money for something that's not competitive you tend to dig your heels in. Just for comparison, I own a Revolver Red turntable and an old Garrard (there's no other kind now, sadly) Zero 2000B that has two decades on the Music Hall product and even this relic is light-years ahead of the Revolver in terms of engineering finesse and sophistication. As a non-audiophile friend once quipped about my Revolver, "it looks like a cheese board with a tone arm attached". As much as I love the thing, I had to concur. By some twisted logic, the high-end press and it's followers seem to be of the opinion that a product designed a major manufacturer with a large R&D budget somehow cannot be "musical" , a bit of absurdity that I cannot wrap my brain around. I hope that the SL-1200 and all other solidly-engineered and sensibly priced audio products remain in production long enough to see out these dark ages we're through living now. One can only hope. I thoroughly enjoyed the humorous products page [link]. The fact that there are far less plausible products actually being manufactured and sold will be lost on many, I'm certain :-) P.S. I hear now that certain high-end TT manufacturers are re-inventing the wheel in the form of devices that use idler puck drive. Now I've heard everything. I think it's time leave high-fidelity behind and find a sensible hobby..like swatting hornet's nests with table tennis bats or bungee jumping over dry river beds. For this relief from all the silliness out there, many thanks. Ray (June 2009) Hi Mike, An update on the redoubtable SL-1200 Mk IIl. I like it better the more I use it. I seldom ever buy Compact Discs anymore in fact. My second hand example I paid US$ 50 for is giving yeoman service daily. I am a broadcast engineer and vinyl mastering engineer (have been for some years). The only thing better in playback is listening to that disc played back on the lathe turntable with a SME 3009. Very little better as a matter of fact and that combo costs many times more money. SL-1200, why not? It's reliable and accurate day in and day out. What you hear is what you get! Can't say that about most other options, some of which cost many times more investment. And it don't need endless tweaks every month or so. A sound investment. Kent Teffeteller (June 2009) Hi Mike, Just letting you know that the new SL-1210 is all up and running here - and it's great! (But then you said it would be!). Thanks to my friend who came over with his protractor 'suite' we did take very special care in setting up cartridge. As far as the sound is concerned the deck is - well, nothing short of fabulous. What an impact and such a controlled sound with an extension of the inter-instrumental depth. The sound stage and individual soundings appear wider and longer. There is another dimension to the musicality from my own old source vinyls and there are also additional sounds on some of my recordings that I have never heard before. My friend has gone away seriously impressed. He's pretty clever so I hope he doesn't end up feeling too bad (Rega!). Thank you for keeping me on the straight and narrow - there are soooo many distractions. Thought you may like to know that I have settled on 1.7 grammes for the cartridge weight as it sounded more complete - there must be a reason for this. Something that has made a remarkable difference, and for the better, is to have (sadly because they looked quite good) removed the feet that came on the deck and to have replaced them with some 'Sorbothane' ones that fit in the cups that remain. I did the old sceptical with and without several times and the sound is much clearer and much more wholesome with them. Do you realise that I have not used the Linn CD player for a long while now!!!! Best wishes, Paul Norris (May 2009) Mike, It is refreshing to hear an honest perspective concerning vinyl playback. Most Rega and Pro-Ject turntables I have heard are completely unable to pass basic requirements for build quality and speed stability. They are afraid to post meaningful specifications concerning their performance. The Technics SL-1200 is a music maker and makes me smile hearing it play my cherished vinyl. It sounds wonderful with all music. Nothing has as black of a background and is so devoid of rumble. If Rega built it, it would be sold for 80,000 GBP! Kent Teffeteller (April 2009) Thanks Kent - All so true! Mike, Thank you for your thorough and well written review of the SL-1200MK2. My experience is somewhat parallel to yours, in that I grew up with vinyl, hopped on the CD bandwagon, yet always knew there was something missing from CD playback (although the last 5-7 years major improvements have been made). Due in no small part to your excellent review, I have purchased a SL-1200MK2 at the low, low price of $395.00 delivered to my door. As a matter of fact, I got it yesterday and am still waiting for the cartridge to arrive, so I have not yet heard it. For the past few years,always knowing that "someday" I would get back to my vinyl roots, I have dispatched a small army of vinyl finders scouring used book shops and estate sales for the best albums they could find. Armed with info on the best record labels, best vinyl condition and my preferences, they (and I) have amassed about ten lineal feet (about 9 meters) of some of the best wax we could find from the late '50's, the 1960's and early 1970's. My cartridge cannot arrive soon enough, as I am "chomping at the bit" to start spinning these albums. I tell you this simply to let you know that your review precipitated my SL-1200MK2 purchase and will soon open my ears up again to the vivid pleasures of vinyl playback. Thanks so much, Rick Falgione (February 2009) Mike, I was overjoyed to read your "SL1200 / Rega" ramblings... After 1000 years of pro audio (originally as a recording engineer & partly responsible for "Save your kisses for me" !!! ) I've just "re born" my vinyl cutting gear and service. .... I started replaying cuts, on the lathes own platter (incidentally driven by a huge Quartz locked Technics motor) and a Rega RB300 arm, fitted with a Stanton AL500 cartridge. The idea being, it should represent a DJ deck, and the most important bits of that being : A hi track weight cartridge with spherical stylus, &, a bulk standard arm of not too good or "tweaky" quality. That's all fine of course, until you get a "direct to disc" classical music job! All of a sudden, you need a somewhat better replay facilities. So, I do the decent thing, and look around at "Hi-Fi" decks. Sure enough...... all your ramblings and even "accusations" are 100% correct. Regas and Pro-Jects run fast. Not only that, but they're awful! Don't sound at all healthy, naff standards of engineering, and, well, just awful. For a laugh, I tried a Project Genie - now that you would have loved to have experienced .... Straight out of the box, the factory set up arm (fitted with a discontinued heap of rubbish from Ortofon) was trying to drag the stylus off the record, back towards it's flimsy arm rest. So, out came the test disc. The point when I noticed the distinct lack of "anti skate" or "bias" device ! Having re-set the arm's VTA (previously factory set remember) the lack of "anti skate" proved it completely impossible to track any of the 4 bias test tones without distortion, and refused to even sit in the groove on 2 ! It was only when putting it back in it's box I noticed you could both see and feel (by eye/hand) the join in the drive belt ! This, while cheap, IS marketed as an "audiophile" unit, AND, got wonderful things said about it by the likes of "What Hi-Fi". Seems to me we are in need of a revolution against "stupidism" and vested interestism !! I was, in the death, so appalled by the "Hi-Fi" industry's current record deck nonsense, I dug out an old Technics SL1500 (now that IS old!) to use as a playback machine for "DJ" work, and am fitting a SME3009 to the lathe, to become a "better quality" playback. The SL is fitted with the Stanton "disco" cartridge, while the SME on the lathe has a Grado - and, after all that, the ability to run 2 types of cartridge (one spherical, one elliptical) is all I really want. It does help if it's at the right speed, and the arm can actually support the cartridge though; Two very fundamental requirements of a record deck I would say! I've lived and worked with the SL1200's for many years. So much so, I've kind of taken them for granted, but, after this recent hoohah, I'm with you - long live the SL1200. Regards, Karl. (December 2008) Hi Karl, Thanks for your email. Unfortunately, as you have found out, we still seem to be in the grip of utter stupidity as far as the Hi-Fi press is concerned and as you have found out, junk is junk - something not recognized or admitted by What Hi-Fi. Bizzare! Mike, Just a quick note to thank you for putting up your site. I have been toying with the idea of replacing my old 30+ year old and rather sick Mitsubishi LT-20 turntable. I had spotted the Technics SL-1200 MK II early in my search for replacement, but continued looking for other candidates. I was rather balking at the $700 CDN plus price tag for a Technics turntable that had no cartridge. Well, that was until I read your review of it. I ordered a black SL-1200 MkII yesterday and will shop for a suitable cartridge on Boxing Day. Thanks so much for your site, it provided some interesting reading on subjects, other than vinyl. Thanks again and I will drop you a line when I have put the machine through its paces. Regards Cornell Cochrane, Alberta, Canada (December 2008) Hi Cornell, Thanks for your email. I am sure that you will be thoroughly delighted with the SL-1200. It's true that it is a little expensive in comparison to more ordinary (and inferior) turntables , but its real value is far exceeds its price tag. Take care with installing the cartridge. I found that it is worth taking plenty of time carefully fine tuning the cartridge geometry using a good protractor such as one from VinylEngine. This minimizes any possible tracing errors and so maximises your musical enjoyment. I use an Audio Technica AT120 which is excellent. Our local BBC Radio station, BBC WM, uses a pair of SL-1200's fitted with Ortofon OM cartridges and they always sound excellent when they are playing vinyl. Cheers, Mike Hi Mike , I'm john from Canada. Stumbled on your website, love it . I've been into vinyl for years, have had new cheapie tuntables, or yard-sale finds, with mixed results. Getting ready to indulge in something better, so started researching ,and then found you... My brand new technics SLl1200 mk2 just arrived today; beautifull!! I'm waiting for a new Audio Technica cartridge to arrive, then i'm on my way. Just want to say thanks, for your enthusiasm and all the great info !!! Johnny (October 2008) Hi Mike, Your experiences are very close to mine. I purchased a Rotel RP850 back in 1987 and I still have it. I also find the CDs better to listen to but hanker for decent vinyl reproduction. I went and auditioned a very expensive Project and a Rega P3-24 and I found their sound about the same as my old Rotel... I was also unconvinced. I also had a listen to a Michel Gyrodec and that was impressive... but it also very expensive. I had decided that it was better to keep my old turntable. Your views on the Technics SL1200, have me intrigued. If what you say is correct this turntable should sound better than mid range Regas and even quite expensive Projects. I have seen Rega arm conversions for the SL1200 but I'm a bit doubtful that this will have a sonic benefit given the inferior bearings that a most probably used in something like a Rega RB250 arm, the stock arm should work fine I think. My plan is as follows: 1. Buy an SL1210 (I like the black too). 2. Put on some isolation feet (Isonoes or similar) 3. Get the KAB fluid damper and strobe disabler 4. Get an Audio Technica AT440MLa MM cartridge 5. Get a good quality headshell like a Sumiko HS-12 6. Find an alternative to the slipmat that comes with the Technics... any suggestions on the mat or should I leave it stock? I am betting that this combo should give better sound than a Rega P3-24, Project or similar turntables and for less money. I'm betting that it won't be much different to the Gyrodec either. As for the other KAB mods like Cardas tonearm re-wires, external PSU, etc I think these mods are probably expensive given their incremental sonic benefits... still nice to know you can take things further. Thank you for posting this information on the web, as I would have overlooked the Technics thinking that it is a cheap plastic DJ turntable. Nicholas Koulbanis. (October 2008) Hi Nicholas, Thanks very much for your detailed email. I am glad that you found my pages interesting. While I have not compared an SL-1200 with turntables in the price range of the Michel Gyrodec, I feel certain that anyone who has experienced other belt drive turntables of a similar or lower price will find the SL-1200 a revelation. I cannot comment on the tweaks and upgrades that you mention as, personally, I am entirely satisfied with my SL-1210 and AT-120 combination. That's not to say that such tweaks would not make a difference, but I would imagine them to be extremely small differences. I would think that the most significant differences would come from spending time setting up the arm and cartridge - well that's what I found. I would not dismiss the standard arm - it seems very good indeed to me and there is no attractiob whatsoever in removing it and replacing it with anything else. I think that it is a fine piece of engineering. A cheap plastic DJ turntable it is NOT!! Thanks again. In May 2009 Nicholas updated us: Hi, I have taken the plunge and purchased an SL1210 M5G. Wow!!! I am blown away with the sound quality I am getting from this turntable, I'm listening to my vinyl as if it was the first time again. I have taken your advice and have ensured that the cartridge has been aligned correctly (I used a MINT Protractor) and purchased a KAB EV1 to clean my records. These 2 simple things have had a very noticeable impact on the quality of playback. In fact I went a bit crazy spening some $$$ on it. I ended up with the following Vinyl fromt end: KAB Fluid Damper; KAB Strobe Disabler; KAB Thick Rubber Mat; Zupreme Heashell; Audio Techica OC9II Moving Coil Cartridge; A Bob's Devices Cinemag Setup transformer; Project PhonoBox II SE feed with 15V DC power; I use the Disc Doctor record cleaning solution, the KAB EV1, a carbon fibre brush and a Milty Zero Stat gun to keep the records clean and quiet. I get virually no surface noise and the sound is dynamic, impactful and very realistic... I was going to dispose of my vinyl and now I'm glad I did not. Thanks again for bring this great turntable to our attention. Nicholas Koulbanis - Melbourne, Australia (May 2009) Hi mike I just thought i would drop you a line to say having looked at your site, 3 days later i have a brand new SL1210 mk2 with a AT120e. And i love it the build and finnish are gobsmakingly good i have only had a quick listen but i know a good deck when i hear it, you see i have owned a couple of the finest turntables that money can buy in the past ' a LINN LP12 cirkus/lingo/ekos/troika, then a VOYD .5 reference SME 310/gregory music maker cart this was £6,000 front end ,alas i had to sell that as i took out a mortgage , then lastly a roksan radius 5 /goldring 1006 which was very good but fiddly and annoying to use. But for just £320 + the cart i am staggered by this deck i think it betters the roksan and comes close if not beating the linn, certainly the valhalla one. Anyway thankyou for your site its got me loving vinyl again. Chris Evans. (September 2008) An excellent story. Thanks!! Servicing A Technics SL-1200 Hi Mike, I thought I'd drop you a quick note after reading your page on the 1200 turntable. I stumbled across your site while googling for "IBA map" I have spent a considerable number of years servicing these turntables and other "DJ" turntables. I can tell you with some authority that they are built like no other turntable on the market. They are a joy to service and every component is available via spare right down to the tiny ball bearings in the arm gimbal. The brake and quartz timing occasionally need tweaking (easily done with the aid of an oscilloscope) however the speed control linear pot can fail in a number of ways over time, including not being able to "lock on" at centre position. The only solution is to replace which is a 30 minute job at worst. The cause of most damage (after beer and smoke fluid) is the forceful removal of the platter. If you don't need to remove the platter, then don't. It wont need removing unless you want access to the service panel beneath, under which there are no user serviceable parts. Congrats on the [amateur radio] license, Stuart. (August 2008) From Charles Horton... What a terrific website you have! As a new Technics SL-1200Mk2 owner I was thrilled to read about your adventures with it and about what a great unit it is. I'd always been vaguely intrigued by vinyl but took a long time to get into it. I had an old (1950s) tube set with a very finicky turntable that required a lot of coaxing to work -- the technology was quite backwards but the glorious old tubes gave it a wonderful sound nonetheless. Telefunken 12AX7!! Thick and rich. A few years back I was given one of those cheesy USB turntables as a present. Opened the box, found that it was packed such that the cheesy plastic platter had warped on the way across the Pacific, exchanged it for a fresh one which promptly went on a certain internet auction site. Went on Craigslist (local online classifieds) and bought an old Sony turntable for 20 bucks. Nothing fancy, but it worked. A year or so after that, I found a local audio hobbyist who was selling a bunch of his excess gear. For $120 I got a Thorens TD115Mk2 with a hum problem, a NAD of some flavor or other, a Technics SL-1700 with a bad needle, 4 tape decks, and 2 used cartridges. Installed the Stanton in the Technics, thought it was super... Along came a real blessing, about a week ago. There was an ad on the same site for a "Technics record player." The picture was not very good but one could clearly see it was an SL-1200Mk2, and the price was excellent. The seller even threw in a bunch of sweet cartridges and styli, and since then I feel like I have a little slice of heaven connected to my system. CD's? Who needs CD's? What a fantastic bit of kit. Thanks again for your Technics site -- it was very informative and fun to read! Charles (August 2008) Hi Mike, You want to hear something crazy... When I first got back into vinyl several years ago, the table I bought was a Rotel RP-955 that looks exactly like the 855 you had. I don't buy into all the Rega / Pro-ject "buzz" either unless you're looking in the $1000.00 price-range. You're absolutely right. How good is a turntable that won't even spin at the right speed? So... after awhile of noticing there was some speed drift... and stylus drag seemed to have an effect at times due to the Rotel's wimpy DC servo motor... Also wasn't crazy about the arm... I looked further into what was out there and ended up with a SL-1200MKII. Actually, I tried a used Sony PS-X5 for awhile that made me appreciate direct-drive and decided to go all the way and buy a new Technics 1200 when the Sony developed some problems. I've tried just about every cartridge in my price-range on it.. AT440ML (too thin), Shure M97xE (too thick, lowish output)... I used a Denon DL-103 for a long time, but after awhile realized the imaging was pretty poor, even though it was reasonably easy on the ears. What ended up on the tonearm of my Technics? That's right... the AT120E. Sounds quite a bit like the Denon that cost more than 2 times as much, but the imaging is better and the soundstage doesn't fall apart. Still slightly warm and easy to listen to, with just a little more "air" and frequency extension than the Denon had. So basically... We sort of started out at the same place and ended up at the same place... Pretty wild!!! Great site. Keep 'em spinnin'!!! Roy (April 2008) Hi Mike,
Just a quick "Hello" to let you know folk do
stop by
and
read! Funny thing though i was looking for record cleaning
bits
well over an hour ago and ended up on you site till now :-)
so you must have something right ;), Read about
your
vinyl
persuasions( ooerr) and the info on cartridges too along with
the
off shoot for the phono amp project - reminded me of an old 741 based
jobby i built when i was about 14!! for use with headphones -
fab
it was too.
Briefly before i do shut up, your about
me
page is scarily
familiar, no i don't have one but we do share quite a few habits/hobbies
and near as dammit age - 1964 for me.
Thanks for keeping me occupied, in a good way
unlike
the E.U & Blair.
Cheers, Steve from Norfolk
Dear Mike, Someone should give you an award for the Technics SL-1200 page. I had already bought one second hand and was delighted with it and came upon your pages on a search and was delighted to see someone had already put into words everything I felt about it. If only more people 'duped' by all those hi-fi magazines came upon your pages they'd be saved a lot of trouble and heartache (and indigestion!) Cheers, George (February 2008) Buying A Second Hand Technics SL-1200 I mentioned elsewhere on these pages that I would not recommend buying a second hand Technics SL-1200 on ebay, or indeed, any other turntable. Then I received an e-mail from Graham. I have edited the ensuing correspondence as it was quite lengthy, but all the salient points are here: Hi Mike, Thanks for the amazing website and sharing your expertise. I just bid on 2 SL1210 MK2's and won. Then I looked at one reply to a letter you wrote where you said you would never buy these units 2nd hand from a DJ. That is exactly what I have done and I feel a little sick now. Is there any quick way to tell if these units are damaged when I get them? I'm receiving them in 2 days time... I'm using the turntables as playback units in my vinyl record shop that I am opening here in Simon's Town, South Africa. The shop overlooks the little harbour, so that's nice. Kind regards, Derek. (February 2008) Hi Derek, Thanks for your email. I would look for obvious signs of knocks, bashes, bumps, scrapes and drops that would demonstrate serious abuse. If they have been used for heavy DJ use they will very probably show signs of normal wear and tear, e.g. worn markings worn and scuff marks etc. It is the real damage from knocks and bumps that you need to be careful of. Check for anything that is cracked or broken. I would think that the really critical parts that you need to pay particular attention to are the main bearing and, of course, the arm. Both of these items can be bought as spares. The arm and particularly the arm bearings are extremely sensitive and fragile, as you will appreciate it is a high precision device. You need to ensure that there are no visual signs of damage or mis-use. Also ensure that there is no 'play' in the arm and that it works smoothly and balances properly. A new arm (without weight, head-shell, or arm-rest) would probably cost about £60.00 - £70.00 I imagine. The main bearing needs to be lubricated with the proper Technics bearing oil every 2000 hours of use. Use Technics SFW-010 spindle oil. I would do this before I used the turntables. If required, a new spindle assembly would probably cost about £30.00 - £40.00 I imagine. It probably goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: If the turntables came with cartridges and styli fitted, don't even think about using the fitted styli! Get new styli to match the cartridge before you play ANY records! A worn or damaged stylus, or an out of specification arm, could irreparably ruin all your precious records - one by one by one! I hope all is ok with your new turntables, but if not, it is fortunate that most of the main parts can be bought as spares and replaced. Remember that your record collection is is easily damaged and likely to be worth a lot more than turntables in this price range. Technics spares should be available from good Technics dealers or services centres, or directly from the Technics head office in your country. If in difficulty Kevin Barrett of KAB USA stocks all main parts as spares (Spindle/bearing; arm and arm parts; lid/dust cover; hinges etc) and will despatch to many parts of the world. (As it turned out the turntables were to be sold without cartridges and Derek enquired as to whether the Audio Technica AT-95 would be a good choice. I thought that the AT-110E would be a far better alternative since this tracks at a nice light 1.5 grams, whereas the AT-95 would have to be set to track at a rather heavy 2.0 to 2.5 grams. The AT110E is also not much more expensive and considering it's excellent sound quality is a real bargain. However Derek could not obtain an AT110E locally but did find a Grado Prestige Green, which should also be a very good choice.) Then I got this email from Derek: Hi Mike, The turntables arrived yesterday in a shocking state. The sender had packed them loosely in boxes much too big and scattered some newspaper around the units. The boxes were thin cardboard. When they arrived and saw the crushed boxes, I feared the worst. I was right. The one dust cover is smashed. The tonearm is broken, the arm rest has snapped off. The platter was out of the socket and rolling about. I am concerned due to the "please be careful when you remove the platter for the sake of the magnet" warning. Neither unit came with headshells so I'll have to order one from Kabusa. Anyway, Just thought I'd let you know. I am kicking myself for not buying a new one. Cheers, Derek This is of course bad news and is the risk that you run when buying from an auction site. I would have to say that wherever you bought them from, you must surely have a right to send them back. A turntable is a high precision electro-mechanical device and must be treated with the utmost care, which is not the case here. Before you consider throwing any more money at this - please try to send them back for a refund. This is completely unacceptable. ....... Then after some deliberation, Derek decided to grasp the nettle and buy a brand new Technics SL-1200. A very wise choice. The second hand turntables that arrived in thin cardboard boxes were quite obviously trashed. The only course of action would be to pursue the seller for a refund or sell them on as spares or repair. I certainly wouldn't want any of my records to come anywhere near one of these wrecks! In conclusion, we can all learn a very important lesson from Derek's terrible experiences. While I have bought and sold various hi-fi components on ebay such as loudspeakers and electronic components very successfully, I would never ever risk buying a turntable. It is impossible to be absolutely certain that the turntable has been treated with the necessary respect during its previous ownership. Additionally you just cannot be sure that it will be packaged properly so that it will not be trashed in the post. (February 2008) A FURTHER UPDATE: Derek's brand new SL1200 arrived.... Hi
Mike,
I
am so happy to tell you that I received my new SL1210 this morning. I
carefully set it up ...... then I thoroughly cleaned Crisis What Crisis
and put it on.
It
sounds so good I am so happy! I haven't listened to that record on
vinyl for 30 years. I have frequently listened to the CD version
though. Well, It's like a different record completely. The bass.... so
clear and funky (I was a pro bass player for 20 years). It
really
sounds
so
good
I
can't
tell you. Cheers
Mike, Derek.
Digitizing Vinyl Records using your PC Hi, I followed a link to your site from the KAB USA site. Excellent page about the 1200 and vinyl! Might I just suggest that you list FLAC as an option for people wanting to compress WAV files without loss of detail? FLAC typically gets WAV files down to 50% or less of their size, and can be played back in most music player software (though not all portable devices support it). It is mainly useful for archiving, as it un-compresses back to the original WAV with no loss of information. http://flac.sf.net Declan Kelly (February 2008) Thanks for that advice Declan. For those requiring some compression but with the highest possible digital quality then FLAC would certainly be a very good choice. Moving Coil Cartridges A Query from reader Anton from Tallin: "Hi! You have GREAT website. Appreciate your efforts. I am music lover from Estonia, former Soviet republic, now EU member. I am considering buying me Technics 1210MK2 as my first T/T. My amp (Exposure XV Super) has built in MC phono stage. So I wonder if it is possible to use MC type cartridge (like Denon 160) with Technics 1210MK2. And what it takes to use MC head - just "plug & play" or some complicated work (arm change, soldering etc) is required? This question can sound silly, but I have zero experience with T/Ts so far. I plan to order the T/T from a local online dj store and I asked them the question. But seems DJs are using only MM cartridges, so they did not know about MC. You help will be appreciated. Best regards, Anton" (January 2008) Hi Anton, Thanks for your email. While I don't pretend to be a total expert as far as MC's go, I may be able to offer a few clues. I have never tried an MC cart in the SL-1200 to I cannot relate any direct experiences. I will say that as a platform for spinning vinyl at a constant, stable and un-erring speed without unnecessary resonances the SL-1200 cannot be beaten at the price. Hi-Fi nerds seem to largely ignore this amazing hi fi gem, which I think is very unfair indeed. I say "baahh" to their stupid blind ignorance! If a weak point could be identified with the SL-1200 system it might be the arm. Not because it's an S shaped arm, but that it is made of several components, rather than a one piece unit like some other turntables employ. Although I don't think it is a real issue, I imagine that it may not be as mechanically rigid as a one piece arm or carbon fibre arm. Also the SL-1200's arm would be of slightly higher mass than the low mass arms that can be found on some other turntables. Personally I love the arm! However, having said all that, I don't think that any of this would be a disadvantage as far as fitting a moving coil cartridge is concerned. The reason I say this is that MC cart's are often better partnered with medium mass arms. Low mass arms would be classified as being less than 10 grams, medium mass arms would be classified as being between 11 and 25 grams, high mass arms would be classified as being over 25 grams. The SL-1200 arm is a nice low-medium mass of 12 grams, precision made with extremely low bearing friction. Given a good MC cart and a top quality RIAA pre-amp I think that it could be a good combo. Short of changing the arm on the SL-1200 (which can certainly be done, although I am uncertain as to whether this would really be huge advantage), the only reasonably cost effective upgrades that you might consider is an arm and phono cable inter-connect re-wire with higher quality OFC wire and gold connectors and the addition of the KAB KL-1200 Fluid Damper system; http://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/index.htm Oh, I nearly forgot, no soldering is necessary when fitting a cartridge. In fact the heat from soldering would likely damage the cartridge. The most important thing is getting the geometry correct, as I describe on my web pages. It's fairly straightforward, but can be a bit fiddly and time consuming, but it does make all the difference! Hope that helps. Regards, Mike Many thanks, Mike! You answered my questions completely. I will start saving for an SL-1210. I was pleasantly surprised to receive such long reply from you. It is getting rare nowadays that people bother to waste their time on helping total strangers, but you took the time! Best Regards, Anton If you
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comments we'd love to hear from you!
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Reader
Comments
Hi Mike An excellent website if I may say! I'm looking to buy an SL1200 and having got fed up with overpriced under cared for examples on Ebay I'm looking further afield.....namely America. What do you know about the power supplies in these? Is it external or internal? if it's internal is it possible to switch to UK voltage? if it's external can you buy a replacement really enough? Thanks in advance! Kind regards, Graham Hi Graham,
Unfortunately many DJ's turntables get thrown about, dropped and battered with heavy deejay use. It is a testament to the strength and build quality of the SL1200 that they continue to work - but for home hi-fi use I would never buy one second hand! The power supply is internal and fixed for local voltage as I understand it. If you bought one from the USA it would be 110 volts 60Hz and would be unsuitable for UK use. You would most likely have to buy a UK 230 volt, 50 Hz power supply locally, strip out the North American power supply and replace it with the UK spare. I don't think that this process would be economically viable due to the cost of buying a new power supply and having it fitted. Also you'd lose all your warranty by dismantling the SL1200 to retro-fit a UK power supply - not that you would have any warranty anyway if you import from the States - that would go out of the window! I know it's quite expensive, but the only safe way to get one is from an *authorised* UK dealer. As a second line, you could look to buying one in from Europe since they also use 230 volts. Compared to the Dollar exchange rate the Euro isn't as favourable, but it may give a slight edge over UK prices. You'd have to carefully look into delivery costs, duties and warranty implications though. Personally I would not take the risk. I'd save up a few more quid and get the real deal in the UK. Just my own thoughts. Mike. Hi Mike, Wise advice I feel, thanks very much. I'll get saving! Very best wishes Graham Hi Mike,
(December 2007)Came across your site whilst reading the Transmission1 forum on which I'm a member (Beakster). Ended up skipping past all the CB stuff when I saw your section on the Technics SL1200mk2. You certainly have written a lot about it!!! =) I too am a big fan of this turntable, but from a DJing point of view, and was interested on hearing your views from a audiophile perspective. I don't do much DJing now, but I still love vinyl! So I only usually have one deck set up for listening. I have been toying with the idea of "upgrading" to a belt drive turntable. I have seen those really expensive ones, mounted on spikes with glass platters and assumed they were they way to go. Your site is the first one I've seen that says different, so made interesting reading. The turntables I have are: *Technics SL1200mk2. I bought this second hand for £300 in 2000. I was a student and sold my 2 very cheap crappy Stageline turntables and bought this. It's in perfect condition and it was amazing how much stronger the motor was on it compared with my old decks. I had to completely relearn my beat matching techniques as a result, but this was essential as all the clubs used Technics. I soon customised my turntable by changing the store and 33/45 lights to ultrabright blue, which looks really cool! *Technics SL1200M3D. When I had the cash for a second deck, I opted to import my next one. After reading the Japanese and American Technics sites, I was upset that I couldn't get the M3D in the UK, so imported one. It was cheaper to buy the deck in the US, but I got hit with ridiculous fees for postage, import duty and VAT!!! Still though, its a very nice turntable, and having the pitch reset on a button rather than at 0 is very useful for mixing. So I've had these decks for about 7 years now, and they have been used loads! They have been moved around the country lots of times, been taken to parties, but always looked after. They have never given me a single problem. Money well spent and I will never sell them! I have them sat next to a Technics SU-Z22 amplifier which looks really cool and matches the turntables nicely. From an audiophile point of view though, I am interested to know what you think of this: The phono cables for the Technics are hard wired into the back. The plugs are not gold plated, and I imagine the cable is not as high quality as what you see for sales these says for £100 per meter. Do you think this affects the sound quality some what. I may at some point, when I have a better amp and speakers, buy some high quality cables, and hard wire them in with gold solder, replacing the old ones. Cheers -Chris Hi Mike, Technics SL1200 a legend. I amazed they still make them, long may it last. Moreover, a stand-alone RIAA pre-amp. This reminds me of a London pirate radio station I had the pleasure to build an on-air studio for in 1983 called Horizon FM. SL1200's were de-rigeur and we used Stanton 650s (? memory fading) cartridges, I built the RIAA pre-amps using a chip designed for nothing else, as a kit, it was supplied either by Ambit or Maplin, the chips were SIL not DIL and I recall had very high dc + and - rails, could have been ± 24v, as they were differential amps. I mounted them directly beneath the decks. The combination was awesome. I actually built the mixer by cannibalising an old one using the PCBs but replacing the op-amps with those JFET NE5532 you talk about, adding P+G conductive plastic faders, they were old BBC ones and ran back to front and I added PPMs, I used mic transformers, but I'm drifting off here. The DJs wanted fader start, so as the faders had the switches, I got inside the SL1200 and found a pin on the control chip which latched logic low/high after the momentary start/stop, I used this with an op-amp set up as a high impedance gate to ensure that the fader start was a one-shot option, as the DJs would often waggle the faders back over the switch. Ah. Nostalgia, it's lost on the young. Ian. (December 2007) If you
have any
comments we'd love to hear from you!
Do get in touch HERE >>  Record
Cleaning
Once you have a
great
turntable,
such as the Technics SL-1200 MK2, a great phono cartridge and a superb
quality RIAA phono pre-amplifier - Don't forget to keep your records
clean with a KAB EV-1 Record Cleaning Machine!
Read more about Record Care and Cleaning HERE.... .  The KAB EV-1 Record Cleaning Machine http://www.kabusa.com LINKS If you fancy
building the P06 phono preamp here are all the links that
you'll need:
ESP (Elliott Sound Products) RIAA Preamp: http://sound.westhost.com/project06.htm ESP SubSonic Filter: http://sound.westhost.com/project99.htm ESP +/- 15V Power Supply: http://sound.westhost.com/project05b.htm Cricklewood Electronics: http://www.cricklewoodelectronics.com Jaycar Electronics: http://www.jaycarelectronics.co.uk Maplin Electronics: http://maplin.co.uk Rapid Electronics: http://www.rapidonline.com JAB Electronics: http://www.jabdog.com/ Henrys Electronics: http://www.henrys.co.uk Model Fixings: http://www.modelfixings.co.uk Bowood Electronics: http://www.bowood-electronics.co.uk/ http://www.thesimpsons.com Top Of Page ^  Visit my Amateur Radio Pages > |
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