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. Erocka2000

    Erocka2000 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY, USA
    Cool. And the 3mm was a good height or would have liked to have gone with the 4mm?
     
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  2. schwaggy

    schwaggy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    I've had the Herbie's for about 3 weeks on my GR, moving from the stock mat that came with my original SL-1200mk2 (4mm) - basically, the Herbie's is WAY EXCELLENT. Really opens things up, reduces some bass issues I have as my speakers are pretty close to my table. I also love the tackiness of it, yet it doesn't seem to hold too much dust. I also notice I don't need to use my weight as much as I used to.
     
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  3. oregonalex

    oregonalex Forum Resident

    I've just ordered another 3mm thick, 292mm diameter, for my second table. Fits perfectly. I have never got a reply from Herbie's about this (asking specifically about SL-1200G) but this is what they state for their 4mm:
    "For turntables with mat 4mm thick and for VTA-adjustable turntables with semi-hollow cast platters prone to ringing." I think none of that applies to the G. Or GR for that matter.
     
  4. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I think you're right that the statement about the semi-hollow platter applies to the old 1200s, not the G or GR.

    Interesting that you went for the 292mm diameter. That's the size of the standard mat, isn't it? But Herbie's recommends the 285mm platter, because there is a slight raised edge around the 1200 platter (including on the GR; I don't know if this holds for the G).

    So, I ordered the 285mm diameter platter as recommended by Herbie's and it strikes me as a little small. There is about a mm or two between the raised edge of the outer platter and the side of the mat. Ah well, looks fine and sounds good.

    I also got the 3mm thickness, btw. The platter is damped well enough that I don't think this matters. And the standard mat is 3mm thick, too, I believe.
     
  5. oregonalex

    oregonalex Forum Resident

    There is no raised edge on the G. Perfectly flat all the way through. The edge is beveled, and the 292mm diameter mat (same as stock) follows the natural extension of that bevel. And yes, the stock mat is 3mm according to my digital caliper.

    I only wish they had an all black option. This mat makes me think I forgot a record on the platter every time I walk past.
     
  6. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    Oh, interesting. The GR has the black BMC (or whatever material it is) part of the platter, which is surrounded by an aluminum (or stainless steel?) beveled edge. There is a very small difference in height between the metal and black parts of the platter--probably insignificant, especially when covered by a mat and then a record, but I think this is what the Herbie's site refers to when it speaks of a raised edge. The stock mat, being greater in diameter, crosses the border between the two surfaces.
     
  7. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    A SL-1200GR showed up here for sale at a reasonable price and I'm itching and scratching like crazy. Only thing that is stopping me is the desire for a G.
     
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  8. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    The raised ridge raises the mat locally and creates a raised surface that the record rests on towards the outer grooves. The record is basically unsupported until further inward where the LP rests against the mat again, presumably because it flexes or dishes on its own weight.
    There is a fair amount of record surface that is unsupported. I prefer not to play records like this.
    The "Technics" diameter Herbies mat supports the entire surface of the record evenly.
     
  9. Drewan77

    Drewan77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK/USA
    ...on the G, the top (brass) platter plate is completely flat.
     
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  10. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    I actually intentionally created this situation with my stock G mat by raising the platter edge a millimeter or two with a cork strip. Since I use a clamp I wanted to cause a dish to push the LP against since I figured that most LPs aren't flat. I got this idea from the Michell record clamp that uses a shim below the LP on the spindle and the clamp pushes the LP down onto the mat by slightly dishing the LP (for maximum surface contact). Since I had to use the Michell Rega clamp which doesn't use the shim due to the shorter G spindle, I just reversed the "dish." So, with the raised outer edge of the GR, I would think a weight or clamp would be essential.
     
  11. Drewan77

    Drewan77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK/USA
    Hmm - I once tried 'dishing' LPs like this but found it affected azimuth with the stylus no longer vertical to both groove walls. IMO flat is best whenever possible.
     
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  12. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    It's such an infinitesimal dish in my case. I can't get my azimuth set up to a tolerance where it matters.

    I agree that flat is best but I rarely find perfectly flat LPs -- well, enough that are not flat anyway.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2018
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  13. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    OK, couldn't resist and the SL-1210GR is playing now!

    Listening now to the first songs in a noisy World Cup afternoon with a Brazilian game about to begin: fireworks, dogs barking, people walking around. Impossible to have an accurate listening. Anyway, first overall impression is very good. I have a 7 day trial if I want to return it but so far it's a keeper.
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
  14. avanti1960

    avanti1960 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago metro, USA
    congrats!
     
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  15. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
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  16. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    I am experimenting with torque in a GR. It has three stages from higher to lower and comes factory adjusted to the higher. I lowered it to the minimum and I sensed that the music "flows" more from the speakers instead of "jumping". Don't know if that makes any sense but I guess it fits this decay and liquidity description. I think I have more bass too.
     
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2018
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  17. Deadly_Icy_Calm

    Deadly_Icy_Calm Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burke, VA
    GR owner here. For those that swap out headshells, do you rebalance the tonearm each time, or just the VTA & VTF?
     
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  18. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    I find that I can go to the needed settings (which I have written on a card) for my different HSs. The Technics weights and VTA seem completely repeatable.
     
  19. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    I rebalance every time
     
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  20. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    I was doing this too, until I finally put the same type of head shell on both my carts. But when I was using different head shell makes, I was confident in the markings on the counterweight and height adjustment ring and didn't bother to rebalance each time.
     
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  21. Drewan77

    Drewan77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK/USA
    Adjust arm height for each cartridge/headshell, VTF using digi scales, anti skate based on previous settings (..fast & accurate using settings for each from a notes file).
     
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  22. AArchie

    AArchie Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    How do you find the weight calibrations as compared to the digital scale? Good correspondance? I hope.
     
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  23. Deadly_Icy_Calm

    Deadly_Icy_Calm Forum Resident

    Location:
    Burke, VA
    I have found the markings on the stylus pressure control to correspond almost exactly with a digital scale reading
     
  24. punkmusick

    punkmusick Amateur drummer

    Location:
    Brazil
    G or GR?
     
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  25. Drewan77

    Drewan77 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK/USA
    I think you may have misunderstood what I am saying - all cartridges have a recommended VTF (sometimes my preferred variance from that). I have these recorded on a file & use the digital scale to rebalance the arm correctly each time I change cartridge.
     
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