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

Hmmm...When I bought my SL-1200G in July all three dealers I talked to had at least one. Not sure what the supply is like now.

 

Plus you got a pretty substantial discount, if I recall correctly?

 

Yes. Two dealers offered me 20% without much haggling at all. Just had to ask.

 

My 1200GR is on its way! Feeling pumped.

 

Congrats Gabe! What cart are you going with?

 

I'm also curious on cart selection, and if you are making any other changes. Also, did you demo any other tables in that price point, and if so can you give us the details on why the SL-1200 won out?

 

I'm keeping my Ortofon 2M Blue, which is less than a year old, and will install it on the 1200GR.

My local selection is pretty sparse, so I haven't been able to hear others in that price range. My dealer tried to sell me on a Clearaudio Concept, which is a great table, but failed to capture my imagination. I don't know how to explain it, but it just didn't really appeal to me for entirely subjective reasons.

I haven't had any chance to compare the 1200MK2/M5G/GR/G, so won't be able to add much, if anything, to that debate. I haven't even been able to demo the GR, because there is no local Technics dealer.

Everything I've read about the table screams utter class in mechanical engineering, and after years with a Pro-Ject Debut III, that is what I'm looking for. Speed accuracy, speed stability, damping, silent backgrounds. I upgraded the Debut III to the point where I could hear everything that table does wrong. After years of throwing money at it, I'm finally ready to upgrade to the next level and get a lot of machine that will last me a lifetime. I'm also looking forward to hearing what the 2M Blue can do without all the mechanical vibration and motor hum from the Debut III.

The GAE/G looked like an extraordinary table, but there is no way I'm going to be able to afford $4000 for a turntable. The GR looks like it inherited much of the tech from the G, and seems a good compromise.

There seem to be lots of good choices in this price range. My dealer warned me that the Technics wouldn't be the last word in detail retrieval, but that was before he'd done much looking at it. He had a lot of religion about "DJ tables" and direct drive, and I largely reject those views as merely subjective opinion without much basis in observable fact. He also hates S-shaped tonearms, but he told me the incorrect length for the Technics arm, thinking it was 7" rather than 9". He also had a lot to say about motor isolation and belt driven tables. Not that I want to debate these points. The 1200GR ticks all my boxes and I expect it to make me happy for a long time to come.

 

I'll add that the Clearaudio Concept, being $1400, made it easy to think, "Maybe I can just stretch the budget to get the Technics." If the Concept were $900, I might have stopped there. The Rega Planar 3 was interesting, but the Planar 6 had the same effect on me. You can get the machined subplatter, the speed control, and the foam core plinth for less than the price of upgrading a Planar 3? OK, then I need to avoid the $900 price point and stretch to the Planar 6. But once you're there, why not go to the Technics? It really just becomes a matter of personal choice at that point, and the Technics looks like an incredible value to me.

I get that people think it shouldn't cost anything more than the 1200M5G did in 2010, but I've read enough about the product at hand to see that's not true. Technics shut down the division. They closed factories, laid off knowledgeable workers, and lost or destroyed tooling. The table has been completely redesigned, starting with the motor, and the only existing part from the previous models is the dust cover. They've rehired the SP10 engineers to design the 1200G and 1200GR motors. The arms are hand built and the whole table inspected and tested. In Japan, in 2017, largely from scratch. That's gonna cost ya.

 

I'm living vicariously through the good folks in this thread that have bought the new Technics...LOL. I have 3 older Technics (use 2 daily, sound like they were new, to me), lov'em to death and can't wait until I can afford a GR or maybe even a G.

Just a quick email to thank all that post here with their thoughts and/or experiences with the new Technics.

 

Just bide your time, LarryP. It's possible that when the new SP-10 is released some owners of SL-1200G/GAE decks might make the jump up and sell off their current tables to pay for the upgrade.

 

Coming from the Debut III that is a BIG upgrade. The Concept being $1400 is absolutely in the same class, especially if you also consider purchasing a dust cover with it. I also completely understand the debate with the Technics vs the P6. If I'm able to make a move at that price point the P6, 1200GR, and UltraDeck are all on my radar. From everything I read it really comes down to taste at this price point more than one being clearly better than any other. Great for consumers!

I appreciate your detailed feedback, and hopefully now you can focus on other equipment upgrades to really let the 1200GR shine

 

I recently pulled my vinyl system out of storage where it's been kept for almost 2 decades. My SL-1200mk2 was in great physical shape (bought new in 1987), but there was a new hum. I replaced the RCA cables/connectors, the PCB, swapped for internal ground PCB, swapped back to external, did tone arm wires. Still had a hum. I threw caution to the wind before throwing any more money at it when I saw a SL-1200GR show up on eBay for about 35% off retail. I made a lower offer and it was accepted. Crazy. Regardless, that's how I got in to the GR and I can't believe how happy it makes me. I spend most of my waking hours listening and even my wife is involved. I'm currently running a Nagaoka MP-110 and know things can be far better down the road, but for now I'm so happy. Being a 1200 guy most of my adult life, I really didn't even look at other tables. When I saw the news that Technics was back, and in a big way, I knew I had to have one. Would I like a G? Sure, but I also want to eat.

 

Amp and speakers will be next for sure, but it’s going to take a while to get there. In the meantime, I’m very happy with my phono/head amp/headphone setup and can’t wait to hear how it sounds with the GR.

 

Very odd to me for a dealer to sell these as if he doesn't want to, almost talking like he doesn't want you to buy one.

 

My dealer doesn’t sell these. I had to order from a non local dealer.

 

Reading so many positive things about the GR. Really tempted, but need to justify why the P5 should go! AO rewired RB700, tecnoweight, tangospinner sub, Rega PSU.....Haven't known anything else, really. How's the GR going to stack up?

 

I had the Concept and switched to the SL-1200G. Trust me, you made the right move. The Concept is good, but I couldnt stand the pitch variation. The Technics has better detail retrieval, more bass, quieter motor, perfect speed stability, better isolation in the feet, ability to easily adjust all the setup parameters, including repeatable VTA (which can be done while a record is playing). Your dealer is just wrong about the Technics. My regular dealer (that doesn’t sell Technics) gave me the same BS. I’ve learned to just ignore it. I still bought a nice Benz Micro Wood SL from him despite it all.

 

I'm still not really seeing these in stock at us retailers

 

Nice. FYI, for anybody considering the G model, some dealers will offer up to 20% off, making it $3,200. No discounts to this point on the GR I understand.

 

I'm not sure what the going price for a GR is at other places, but I got mine for $1699 delivered from the only dealer I contacted; and quickly delivered I might add.

 

That's MSRP and the same that I paid. Since no local dealers could get their hands on one at the time I had to order elsewhere. While they weren't discounting the table due to low supply and high demand we did negotiate free shipping and a discount on the cartridge.

As for the Concept vs Technics - both are very nice decks. I lived with a Concept Wood very shortly. It had the Satisfy arm and the Concept MM cart. The cart seemed to be the weak spot. Most find the sweet spot for the Concept table is to match it with the Concept MC which puts it in a completely different price class, especially when you add the $250 dust cover.

As I live with the Technics I find one of the things I like best about it is that I don't obsess over the "what-if" - is the pitch right, is the belt slipping, is there motor hum, how fragile are the tonearm cables. I find that it really is like a set-it-and-forget-it type table - initial setup is easy-peasy thanks to all of the adjustments at your finger tips. It simply leaves you to think about what album you'll want to play next.

That's become my tell as to whether I like a piece of gear - how much time I spend thinking about what the gear is up to vs just focusing on the music.

 

this is whats got me looking into technics again, my modded AR is great but my ADD just gets the better of me with exact setup and belt alignment etc. I need to get something simple that i can set it and forget it

 

You've pretty much nailed everything I'm looking for in a table. Thanks for the validation!

 

Has anyone tried a Grado Prestige series/type cartridge in the new 1200 (GAE, G or GR)? If so, does it hum?

 

IMHO all the arguments against direct drive were BS created by the audiophile press to sell “audiophile” belt drive turntables as opposed to “consumer” direct drive and idler wheel models.