Technics SL 1200 Mk2

Just bought a Technics SL 1200 Mk2 as a temporary replacement for my Linn Sondek which will be undergoing a little maintenance over the next few weeks.
Took off the 'starter cartridge' and headshell that it was sold with and replaced it with a lightweight Rotel headshell that I have had for years and a Denon DL-110 m/c cartridge with just a few hours playing time [ the cartridge was pre aligned and checked again with an alignment tool once onboard] , set it all up and put on the first record.....................
............................Charles Mingus / Mingus Ah Um., 'Better git it in your soul' ............Knepper's trombone sounds separated and instantly identifiable within the sound stage.....The testifying shouts from Mingus sound like they are coming from the back of the soundstage [ on a really good system they sound like they are coming from beyond the soundstage].
Would really appreciate some feedback on setting up this turntable and any tweaks that you may want to share.
I am running the frontend into an Arcam Alpha 6 with Rogers Studio 1a speakers.

 

Enjoy it!

KAB sells a tonearm dampening mod that has high praise, though I never tried it on my own 1200.

 

As far as tweaks go, the KAB tonearm dampener is a must-have (elevated my 1210M5G, that's for sure). I would think a tonearm cable re-wire would be money well spent, too.

 

The SL-1200 series really benefits with a decent mat. I've been using a Herbie's 5mm mat on mine, and recently put in on my LP12. Both decks sound really good with this mat.

Other than the already mentioned tonearm damping mod, there isn't too much you can do without taking the deck apart. There are some fancy feet available, but your deck may not benefit with these.

jeff

 

Congrats!

BTW, the stock headshell for the 1200 is only 7.5g - I'm not sure there's any reason to go any lighter then that on that tonearm. People generally add weight to that arm to match with lower compliance carts, not vice-versa.

 

A cheap tweak that fixes a measurable problem is the KAB tonearm resonance cap. If you are not using the auxiliary counterweight, use the resonance cap instead. Otherwise, the spring flange that holds the aux weight will resonate. The cap is only $5.

Another cheap tweak that makes a measurable difference is to use KAB Sonic Domes feet in place of the stock feet. A set of 4 are $30.

The Ortofon SH-4 headshell sounds better than the stock headshell (IMO) and is a perfect match for the Denon DL-110 on the Technics tonearm. Don't be misled by the compliance spec that Denon publishes. They measure at 100Hz, instead of 10Hz. Actual compliance for the DL-110 is a little over 14. With the Ortofon headshell, the Denon should resonate just about at 10Hz.

 

+1 on the Ortofon SH-4. I became a fan as prices of stock headshells fluctuates wildly, while the SH-4 was always readily available from my good friend Amazon Prime. I never did comparisons of the sound, but I can attest to the lead wires being 10x easier to work with then the stock Technics.

 

Can anyone help me with the settings on this turntable that I acquired years back from a cousin of mine. It's an early 80's model. My cartridge is red with the number 185 E on it. The anti skating is set at 2.5 and the dial on the end of the arm is at 1.7. Are these the correct settings? I really have no idea. All I know is that the records I play sound fine to me. Your help with my particular cartridge and the settings would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Sounds like the Nagatron 185E, which does indeed track at 1.8 (you're close enough, don't mess with it).

The bigger issue is that's a very old cartridge, you might want to replace the stylus: http://www.lpgear.com/product/NAGATRS185.html

 

Agree with Rolltide's recommendation to replace the stylus if you don't know how old it is. Also - it's very easy to balance your tonearm. You should balance it and set it to 1.8.


Usually I set anti-skate to be equal to the tracking force.