The Technics SL-1200mk2.......

Following my thread from a while back(see link), i got the mk2 and am very happy. It sounds great, very smooth and balanced with a Goldring Elan & Elektra.

The build is something else, it weighs a ton!.

I previously would not have considered this deck because of the negative comments i had read, instead opting for the Rega/Pro-ject decks , but i'm now very glad i did.

Recommended.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=33844

 

One of the finest turntables(dare I say it, the finest) ever made by Technics. To me personally this is one that they have never been able to improve upon, despite their efforts to do just that. Treat it well and it will last you a lifetime. Even if you beat on it, it wont stay down!!! A fine piece of audio equipment. Take it from a 20 year veteran of this "instrument".

 

Yeah, i considered the latest MK5 version(it was the same price), but i stuck with the mk2. The dealer tried to convince me that the mk2 was no longer available, but a phone call to Panasonic UK revealed it was.

 

"Psychicanimal" is the champion of the modded SL-1200 over in the Audio Circles. Too bad most audio snobs are so quick to slam this table.

 

Yes, this is an excellent deck from Technics. I have used many Shure, Ortofon, Denon and AT cart's with very good results on the Technics SL1200 MK2. It is a very reliable turntable and NOT overpriced like many others. ENJOY!!!

 

OH NO! I think I may have listened to those audio snobs a little too much!

I may have made a big mistake.

I have a Technics 1200 MkIII with an Ortofon Nite Club S Cartridge. I started getting into high end equipment about a year ago. I now have a Rotel RCD-02 CD Player, a Rotel RX-1050, and B&W 602 S3 speakers. Everything was sounding amazing....except for the 1200. I started asking around, and listened to people who said that it's a table made for DJ'ing, and that you can never get great sound from it.

SO...I bought a Pro-Ject 1.2 table w/ Sumiko Oyster cartridge. Of course, the sound has absolutely blown away the Technics......but NOW I'm starting to think that I may have been able to obtain results just as good if I would have simply upgraded the cartridge on the 1200.

I love the sound of the Pro-Ject (and have never heard vinyl sound this good). BUT I miss the rock solid build of the 1200, and ease of speed change (for 45's). The pitch on the Pro-Ject is dead on, so no complaints there....but the fact of the matter is this: If I could get my 1200 sounding as good as the Pro-Ject with the right cartridge, then I made a HUGE mistake.

PLEASE HELP!

 

Looks like the joke's on me again. Was it something I said?

Sorry if my comment offended any "audio snobs" passing through.

 

You misunderstood me, Moby. I wasn't joking. I really need to figure out if I made a mistake or not. If I can get sound out of my 1200 with the right cartridge that will be as good as my Pro-Ject 1.2, then I want to try and return the 1.2......

 

The Rega P2 has a brighter sound, more exciting and probably has better resolution/detail than the SL1200. My initial impressions are that the Technics sounds warmer and is probably more forgiving of poorer sounding recordings or records. Not a bad thing IMO.

I had a Pro-ject 1.2 which also had a bright sound(the UK press commented, for example 'the treble bites back' ). However, this was the original UK model from around '97/98, fitted with an Ortofon 510 mkII and so is maybe a different animal.

I suppose a good cartridge that has a very lively/exciting character could yield similar results on the SL1200, i don't know.

These are just my impressions.

 

I'll jump in here. I own a Technics SL1100A and it's been running strong since 1976 built like like a tank, and heavy as hell and I curse every time I have to move it.
I guess you could say that the three turntables that put Technics on the map so to speak were the 1200 1100 and SP10.

That's my 2 cents.

Nad

 

So, Tetrack, I'm curious: What made you want to switch from the Pro-Ject to a Technics 1200?

 

I have a Technics SL-1200M3D that seems to be a pretty good match for a Shure V15VxMR.

Paul

 

Well, i have tried a number of different decks. I had the Pro-ject before getting a Rega, then a few others along the way too.
I mainly came to the Technics for the solid pitch, but i am not disappointed by its performance at all. This is a keeper.

 

Unfortunately, this cartridge has been discontinued. Any other suggestions? Again, I want it to match well with a Rotel/B&W system.

 

The V15VxMR has been discontinued, but it is still available at probably higher prices. It's listed in the 2005 musicdirect catalog (I received the catalog today), albeit at $350, more than $100 higher than it had been through discounters (I got mine for about $230 at J&R Music World in NYC two years ago).

Many on this forum report that Shure's M97XE is almost as good. It's available from musicdirect for $93.99.

Paul

 

Try a search or post at VinylAsylum(no need to register), for recommends/suitability with the SL1200, what you are looking for etc.,......AudioAsylum

Some basic info here, if it's any use...http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/hfw/bgcartridges.html

 

Too bad the SL-1200 champion is so obnoxious that he turns people off to whatever merits the Technics may have. The same ideas can be found on www.kabusa.com if one's interested.

 

Sorry Tonto, but there's plenty of obnoxious people cruising the audio forums. I'm not the referee over at AC. Those guys have to find some way to amuse themselves.

SH already posted info about the KABUSA deck, as was duly noted by the original poster.

 

Well...I talked to my hifi shop tonight, and found out that they still have quite a few in stock. I'm going to bring in my 1200 and see about getting it fitted.

Thanks for the link, Tetrack....it's a good place to get info...

So who has great experience with that cartridge+1200 match? Could you describe how/why you like the sound? Any idea how it would sound in my Rotel/B&W system? I'm real excited about the thought of still getting to use my rugged 1200 while maintaining outstanding sound....hope it can happen....

 

.

 

Mr. X, I use a Shure V15VxMR on a Technics SL-1200M3D (I think that's the immediate successor to the 1200mk2). The records just sound "right" to me.

Here's how the somewhat roundabout story of how I came to that combination. I had been using a twenty-or-so-year-old Philips AF-777 turntable with an Ortofon X5-MC with good results. However, I was not getting sufficient volume to record needle-drops with a standalone CD recorder. A salesman at a hi-fi shop suggested I replace the Ortofon with the higher-output Grado Reference Platinum (Grado's entry-level wood-body model). Good enough. However, the Philips started acting up, and attempts at repair were unsuccessful. I wanted a turntable with pitch control, and the Technics SL-1200M3D seemed to be the best of the by-then (2002) few turntables with pitch control, and the price was in my budget. I bought the Technics and put the Grado on it. Bad sound! Previously unheard distortion midway through sides of records that had played properly before. I started doing research and read that the Grado was a poor tracker that the Shure would track anything with flat response. I bought the Shure and installed it, and my records sounded good again.

Three further indications that Technics SL-1200 and the Shure V15 are a good match (although they may be entirely trivial):

1. Shure's website's knowledge base includes (or included) a question and answer about setting tracking force and anti-skating with the Technics and whether Shure's stabilizer brush should be up or down.

2. The Technics manual states that the minimum catridge weight required to avoid the need to add weight to the headshell is 6.6 grams. The Shure's stated weight is 6.6 grams.

3. The Shure cartridge height as measured (top of cartridge to tip of stylus) corresponds to the Technics VTA setting of 0.

Good luck!

Paul

 

I thought that the V15 measured roughly 16mm top to bottom. For this reason, I set my VTA to 1. Of course, with the 1200 changing the VTA is simple, so if i'm wrong it's an easy fix!

Mr X -
I was using an Audio Technica AT440ML with my 1200 before I got the Shure. The AT was a nice cartridge, but the Shure brings out more detail and the sound is smoother. I know that's a little vague, but that's the best way I can describe it.

- joe s

 

"0" sounds too low. I don't have the 1200, but I've played around with the setup on a friend's who has the V15VxMR on it, and while I can't remember exactly where I left it (it's been a while), I know it wasn't set at the lowest point. It would have sounded like mud IMO. Maybe he had a different mat on his influencing the height, I can't remember, but "0" sounds too low. I agree with bonjo above - it is very easy to adjust the VTA on a 1200, since it can be done on the fly.

 

I measure the Shure V15VxMR at 17 mm in height from top to stylus tip. The SL-1200M3D operating instructions include a table for setting VTA ("tone arm height"). For a 17-mm cartridge, the table recommends that the height control position be set to 0. The instructions also state, "If you do not know the height of your cartridge, rest the stylus on a record and adjust the height control until the tone arm is parallel with the record." Setting the height control position to 0 indeed causes the tone arm to be parallel to the record with the Shure. Maybe the mk2's height control is calibrated differently from the M3D's.

A further indication that this is a good turntable-cartridge match is that Shure's knowledge base includes the following question and answer:

"What is the suitable tonearm effective mass range for this cartridge's compliance?

"A. 11-12 grams"

The SL-1200M3D's effective tone arm mass is stated as 12 grams.

Paul

 

My friend's 1200 is a MK2, so maybe the height on the arms compared to the M3D is a little different?