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. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    Well this thread says Technics turntables and I've been posting in it so I posted here.
     
  2. Dubmart

    Dubmart Senior Member

    Location:
    Bristol, England
    I think the speakers they were using retail at £1700 so I doubt many people will couple them with £16,000 decks, even the Technics rep said the speakers were letting the side down, the power amp with very large vu meters was probably a more appropriate match.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  3. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    They charge five figures for Class D amps.
     
    displayname likes this.
  4. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    went and picked up my GR today. the owner of the store is so excited about the sound of these tables he insisted that I hear the demo model on the floor.
    a new MoFi Ultratracker MM cartridge (which they really like) was fitted and played through the new 50 watt technics network audio amplifier and some dynaudio speakers. holy schmokes did it sound great! the sound was so clear, open, energetic, smooth and transparent. absoultely blows away the demo i had of the rega P6 with ania catridge. not even in the same ball park.
    congrats technics! now to finish dinner and setup the table!
     
  5. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    Can you tell us who the dealer is? He sounds pretty awesome. I'm Chicagoland area and always on the look for quality audio dealers.
     
    displayname likes this.
  6. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    yes, glen poor audio in champaign. a 2-1/2 hr drive for me but well worth it!
    geoff poor is a first class gentlemen and audiophile. a five star buying experience.
     
  7. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    here are some pics! sound is incredible right out of the box(es) !!! it is a great feeling not having to worry about speed or speed stability when listening to records! such clarity and upper end extension, sweet and colorful.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    one minor issue, the headshell wiring must be reversed because left and right channels are reversed. i'll trouble shoot later.
     
  8. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Are you able to get the tonearm level when using the Ortofon headshell? I had to shim my cart (same family as your Blue) about 3 mm with my Ortofon HS on my 1200G with the height ring at zero.

    What auxiliary counter weight do you use to get the SH4 HS to balance? I had to drill holes in the tops of mine to lessen the weight. I use the 10gm aux weight.
     
  9. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    barely. i'm in the process of ordering a thicker mat and / or trying another headshell.
     
  10. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Yeah, I could get things level using my MK2 1/4" mat but then the spindle was so short I had trouble with my Michell Rega clamp. The Technics HS works fine though. I just don't like using them with the Cadenza carts since the azimuth "nub" goes into the recess and defeats its purpose.
     
  11. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    exactly, thanks for the tip BTW. i have an LP gear headshell i am going to compare to the ortofon for height offset.
     
  12. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I have an SH-4 head shell, too. It definitely sits higher than the stock head shell.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  13. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    @avanti1960 glenn poors looks fantastic! Need to make my way there sometime. Seems like they are well curated and only carry the good stuff.

    Also, is there a particular reason you're not using the stock headshell? Kevin at KAB believes it to be of pretty good quality.
     
  14. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    Beautiful
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  15. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    I realized that with respect to the azimuth nub on the Cadenza carts and the recess in the underside of the Technics HS, the new HS has an azimuth adjustment built in so this may no longer be an issue.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  16. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    I bought the Ortofon headshell because it has a flat mounting surface that I thought I needed for the Cadenza cartridge. The cartridge has a small raised ridge on the top to let you tilt the cartridge a few degrees left or right for azimuth adjustment.
    The stock headshell has a recess in that area which would swallow the ridge and cause a slight tail down VTA condition.
    I decided to try the stock headshell and compensate for the VTA by raising the tonearm a little higher.
    I'm glad I did because the azimuth is perfect without using the pivot ridge on top of the cartridge and for some reason it sounds better with the stock headshell too.

    I spent the day listening to this thing yesterday and it is just beyond good. I'm going to post a full review. This table (and of course the G and GAE) are so much better sounding than most turntables on the market.
     
    LarryP, FashionBoy, Robert C and 7 others like this.
  17. JackG

    JackG Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    Good stuff. Have you heard an older SL-1200, by chance, with which you could compare? Been running a KAB 1200 Mk2 for the last decade and am curious what an upgrade might bring.
     
  18. missan

    missan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Stockholm
    And then it doesn´t even have a fluid damper, yet.
     
    snorker likes this.
  19. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    Yes, many times over the years but not recently or in my own system. I always liked what I heard from the 1200s in comparison to the sound of other turntables which definitely influenced my decision on the GR. They seem to work miracles with inexpensive cartridges. My rough impressions are that the GR is more open and transparent sounding without losing any of the 1200s muscle.
     
    JackG likes this.
  20. gov

    gov Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC Metro
    Nice work Avanti! Sounds like you found your winnner!

    As others have noted I had no luck with that sh4 headshell as I was never able to get vta right.

    Without doing calculations, Ortofon makes some nice up market shells that I think you’d be pleased with and are fitting for your table and cart.
     
    avanti1960 likes this.
  21. Joe Spivey

    Joe Spivey Forum Resident

    Congrats Avanti, great looking table! It's quite a bit different in every regards than the VPI Traveler. Looking forward to your overall impressions and comparison too. I'd have to say direct drive is something that interest me most when thinking of a new 'table. I bet you are having some serious fun!
     
  22. ranch 22b

    ranch 22b Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    Congrats!! Thanks for the pics and early impressions. The blue headshell + black cartridge + blue lights look great.

    (Happy owner of a SL-1210 M3D here).
     
    PhilBiker and Wngnt90 like this.
  23. HiFi Guy

    HiFi Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Lakeland, FL
    Try the Jelco HS-20. That'll give you azimuth adjustment as well.
     
    PhilBiker likes this.
  24. recstar24

    recstar24 Senior Member

    Location:
    Glen Ellyn, IL
    The stock headshell for the G and GR I believe also has an azimuth adjustment.
     
  25. Drewan77

    Drewan77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK/USA
    I have owned an SL-1200G since January & find that there is sufficient 'play' in the tightening collar to adjust azimuth slightly whilst fitting (placing a small bubble level on the headshell & make sure it is centred side-side during tightening). No need for me to use the azimuth screw mentioned.
    None of the carts I own require any more than a slight twist before locking the headshell & I guess any properly manufactured cartridge should be perfect or +/- a fraction anyway. Out of 6 cartridges I have used so far, none have shown any signs of distortion and channel balance seems spot on. After playing what must be hundreds of hours to date, I still cannot fault these latest SL1200s.
     
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