Petition launched to reintroduce Technics turntables (Update: The SL-1200 is Back!)*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by englishbob, May 27, 2014.

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  1. TommyTunes

    TommyTunes Senior Member

    While I agree that you don't need to own an expensive turntable to enjoy playing records, calling expensive turntables completely unnecessary, can only be said by someone who has never experienced of hearing one.

    Over the last forty five years I've owned a load of tables starting with an early Garrard changer all the way up through an Avid Acutus Reference and can firmly tell you that there are significant differences between them. Yes they all play records and most even sound good, but to judge what is necessary well it all depends on what level of reproduction you want to achieve.
     
    TLMusic, MMM, eddiel and 2 others like this.
  2. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    True, and there are a lot of variables, including one's audio preferences, ability to pay and how important good sound is to them. I recall sitting at a family dinner a few years back and mentioning a $500 CD player and seeing everyone gasp with shock that anyone would need to pay more than whatever Walmart or Best Buy are charging for typical consumer CD players now! I really got a rise out of them when I talked about players in the >$5000 range! Same goes for vinyl playback. A lot of folks think any old turntable will do.
     
  3. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    Well, "enjoy" is one thing -- you can enjoy anything: MP3s over earbuds, cassettes in a car, whatever. I enjoyed top 40 hits on my Panasonic Toot a Loop AM radio hung around my bicycle handles in the '70s, I enjoy streaming music from Grooveshark on my computer in the office. But good sound, and more to the point with vinyl, sound that's competitive with today's even relatively inexpensive digital, is another matter entirely. A turntable is just such a cockamamie mechanical contraption, and making one that actually eliminates or damps all the spurious resonances that get in the way of the stylus moving solely in response to groove wall modulations winds up costing a lot of money to build relative to, say, what it costs to build a good CD player or DAC. And the differences in sound quality between that sort of device and some of these budget and vintage tables today is, in my experience, profound.
     
  4. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Yes, and there is a difference between light home use, and a turntable and tonearm which gets heavy use every day too. And which reliability and fuss free high performance is demanded from first to last record of the day.
     
  5. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Years ago, my boss was interested in buying a turntable. I gave him my Music Direct catalog to look over. He came back to me the next day, annoyed, and said he didn't have that kind of money. He was especially annoyed by the $3,000 v.p.i..

    My music buddy wants to buy a turntable. I told him he could find a pretty decent table for around $350, maybe with the cart installed. He balked and was thinking more like $100. I hope to God he's not thinking about a Crossley. He has money, even though he's still paying off his student loans.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2014
  6. englishbob

    englishbob has left the SH Forums...19/05/2023 Thread Starter

    Location:
    Kent, England
  7. colinu

    colinu I'm not lazy, I'm energy saving!

    Grant likes this.
  8. MMM

    MMM Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    Lodi, New Jersey
    Another 1200 ripoff. Measurements aren't everything, though an 8 db higher rumble figure vs a 1200 mk2+ gives me the sense this won't be its equal considering it seems to be a product meant to fill the void left by the absence of the 1200.

    When I lived with a friend's 1200GLD while setting it up, etc., I was pretty impressed how much quieter it seemed vs. my Rega Planar 3. This was using the same cartridge model and swapping out the same stylus. There were sonic advantages in one vs the other, but I ended up kinda jealous of the 1200's quieter playback, with "blacker" backgrounds.
     
    motorcitydave likes this.
  9. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    Signed.....

    Anyone know how much the new PLX-1000 is going to list for?
     
  10. US$700.
     
    rockclassics likes this.
  11. Wngnt90

    Wngnt90 Forum Resident

  12. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Looks impressive, but i'd wait for the reviews.
     
  13. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA


    There you go...:cool:
     
  14. motorcitydave

    motorcitydave Enlightened Rogue In Memoriam

    Location:
    Las Vegas, NV, USA
    A very wise choice...I agree.
     
    MikeJedi likes this.
  15. magoo6

    magoo6 Forum Resident

    And so do I. So much so that my current TT is indeed my old Technics, purchased in 1989 and used as a dj deck for some years, then stored in the attic. After 13 or so years unattended, it powered up and span at the correct speeds without fuss.

    First job was swapping the feet, the popular choice being Isone footers. I went with a Polish company, Pro Audio Bono (best name in hi-fi imho), who make sensibly priced but excellent isolation. Stood on four anti-vibration footers, the deck took a big step up in sq.

    Next up, the arm was swapped for a Jelco 750D with Furutech ag-12 phono cable, and this mod really lifted the deck. I hear great things about KAB's rewired stock arm, and they seem a great resource all round for spares etc.

    Rock solid pitch stability, a superb open detailed sound that easily betters (to these ears) my previous belt drive...A Notts Analogue Space Deck/ Origin Live arm combo. Add in the ease of swapping carts with a detachable headshell, the battleship build quality, & the joy of rediscovering an old friend is still perfectly up to the job, and the result is one very happy camper :) It sounds fantastic & its about as "green" as hi-fi gets!

    I'd honestly recommend anyone to give one a try, especially new comers to the black stuff.
     
    Shak Cohen and eyeCalypso like this.
  16. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    There must be a demand for 'DJ' tables as several companies have introduced them. Just hope the latest aren't more based on that Chinese OEM design (suspect that applies to the latest AT). Uvinyl are selling turntables under the revived Lenco brand but I'm not expecting them to threaten an old GL75. I believe an important tool broke for manufacturing part of the SL1200 so for them to reintroduce what would be a superior bespoke design rather than Chinese built clone would require some investment. I would expect any new version to sell for over £1000 which would likely limit sales. Most people want something cheap that looks the part and don't realise the difference in SQ and durability. It does beat me why if you are paying £20 for a record people think it is wise to play it on some piece of junk costing £100.
     
    56GoldTop and Nielsoe like this.
  17. Nielsoe

    Nielsoe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Aalborg, Denmark
    I really do think the 1200/1210 is an amazing turntable. I've had Rega P3 and Project RPM5 (among others) but my 1210 (upgraded in all fairness) blows them all away. The basic construction is great and that remains the strenght of this table. I would love to see it back in production for future generations. It would be great if Technics launched their own upgrade path. However, I don't think it will be back in production. Did sign the petition.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2014
  18. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    Thanks. Seems like a fair price if it is near the build quality of the original 1200 series.
     
  19. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    Wait, is vinyl big again? New Technics SL-1200GAE coming this Summer.

    http://gizmodo.com/the-technics-1200-turntable-is-back-1751157898


    From the Technics website:


    Due to the widespread use of CDs, turntable systems disappeared briefly from the market, but their warm sound quality is bringing them back. The direct-drive turntable invented by Technics is still highly acclaimed by audiophiles and DJs in the form of the SL-1200 Series, and there have been many requests to revive the turntable system. As such, we decided to develop a new system for Hi-Fi use. Here we provide an outline of our intent in this development.

    Direct-drive is generally considered to be for DJ use, and belt drive is for Hi-Fi use. In the 1970s, when Technics invented direct-drive turntables, their performance and reliability were first recognised by broadcast stations. High acclaim was then received by audiophiles. The high-precision rotation and absence of S/N ratio degradation were particularly attractive to these users. The high torque and reliability of direct-drive were recognised by DJs, and direct-drive turntables became the standard in the club scene.

    When developing a direct-drive motor, considerable capital investment is required for large-scale production equipment. In contrast, belt drives can be made with a little cost. Also, compared with direct-drive, belt drive was designed with the latest technology. The view remains that direct-drive is for DJ use and belt drive is for Hi-Fi use. Originally, direct-drive offered superior sound quality. If we redesign the direct-drive motor and control circuitry, we will be able to create a turntable that is superior to other systems.

    Technics was also a leader in incorporating innovations, such as vibration-damping materials, cabinet construction, and insulators. Having inherited the DNA of Technics, we do not wish to merely make a replica of the SL-1200.

    In other words, our intent in this development is to redefine the direct-drive turntable reference.​
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2016
  20. rischa

    rischa Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Horeb, WI
    I wonder if it's the real deal or just an AT with a better arm. They sure look identical in the pics at the link.
     
    Dennis0675 likes this.
  21. Erik Tracy

    Erik Tracy Meet me at the Green Dragon for an ale

    Location:
    San Diego, CA, USA
    Definitely real deal.

    There was a Youtube tradeshow video posted w/ a Technics rep saying they are building upon the 1200 tradition, but its a redesign.
     
    Grant, 2xUeL, Licorice pizza and 2 others like this.
  22. Francisx

    Francisx Forum Resident

    Looks like my Audio-Technica PL-120....what the dilly dally?
     
    Dennis0675 likes this.
  23. Francisx

    Francisx Forum Resident

    So what's the difference between the old Technics 1200 and new version?
     
  24. PearlJamNoCode

    PearlJamNoCode Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    The Audio-Technica 120s were designed to look like Technics tables, NOT the other way around
     
    Grant, Shak Cohen, 56GoldTop and 8 others like this.
  25. Ghostworld

    Ghostworld Senior Member

    Location:
    US
    All that whining paid off with Panasonic! Now I can look forward to a sale on those Pioneer PLX-1000s and the price gouging on 1200s to drop. No estimated price on the 1200? My guess is about $1,150 list and about $800 street to start. This is pretty amazing news.
     
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