Technics SL-1200Mk7 Owners... Your Impressions So Far?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Cyclone Ranger, Jul 18, 2019.

  1. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    I've never done dj work, have owned a 1200 in many variations over the last 15 years, including the GLD.
    Got offered more than I could turn down for the GLD so searched for another black deck, the mk7 wasn't out yet. Bought... a gold reloop...oops. Sold it immediately.
    The mk7 came out. I realized it might not have the same build, but for home audio and my second table I figured that part would be fine. My primary deck is a Sota, Sapphire with SME 309 arm.
    My main concern, was the new motor. As yet, still not road tested. Time will tell. Dont know any other decks that use it, how reliable will it be is my concern.

    The deck came with a dust cover. Wouldnt have bought it otherwise.
    To my supprise and disappointment, not only no hinges, but NO HOLES on the back of the deck to mount the cover. WTF
    I will have to mod the chassis.
    Arm? I dont care. I will put an SME on it.
    Hopefully, the after market boards I used on my 1200mk2 will work.
    Guess these are just too new to have any real useful info about, so do cary on about the other decks. It's all made for a good read anyway.

    My cart is a Shure v15 type V
    Amps are 12 watt 300b tube mono.
    Preamp is a modified Ear 834p
    Speakers are modified Belle Klipsch

    As you were.
     
    bru87tr likes this.
  2. Timbo21

    Timbo21 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Seems strange to put an SME arm on a Mk7. I would have thought a GR if you were going down this route.
     
  3. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    I was going back and forth between the MK7 and GR, your post just makes me realize I made the right decision going with the GR.

    I also thought about the gold reloop, I an glad I didbt based on your opinion.
     
    rockin_since_58 likes this.
  4. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    I wish Rega would build a version of their Acos made original tonearm with SME type headshell capability. And make this the new RB low end offering (and available separately for those who want it).
     
    33na3rd and PhxJohn like this.
  5. oldergoat

    oldergoat Active Member

    Location:
    spain
    I've got a 1210GR and my platter looks flat and the dots seem very uniform so I guess there is variance on the castings, I wonder if they have more than one casting set up.

    Ronnie
     
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  6. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    Despite the t being lighter, the arm is still the weak link in the thing. Since I've got the parts, I figure may as well. It's still a great isolation deck. Given this motor is brushless and a new design, some of the weight may be the motor.
    While I agree the gr would be a better choice from zero, I am not at zero and just want to use what I've got. This is not my reference deck anyway, it's my auxiliary deck. Main deck is Sota. Not willing to incur additional cost any more.
     
  7. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    And still yet, 1200gr or mk7,
    No real information on the lonjevity of the new "coreless" motor.
    At 1,600 I wouldnt likely have bough the GR anyway. I dont see it being worth 800 more than the mk7 when its 1. Not my main deck
    2. Got the same arm I've always removed.
    For as decent as it is, it's always been the weakest link as far as my personal use in home audio.
     
  8. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    The gold rellop was a severe disappointment. For whatever the deficiency of the mk7, its isolation is still a lot better. One tap on the plinth and it vibrated through the cartridge. In all the hundreds of decks I've had, none worse. I took a loss in it just to get it out of here. The GR may be a nicer choice over the mk7, but at twice the cost. It's not my main rig, and I'm putting the sme on it anyway so the perch and arm being the weakest link will be gone. Looking back, given the cost difference and that the mk7 DOES offer, it's still the better choice for me with my intended use. A good price break for performance.
    My main rig being Sota

    I dont have an image hosting site so evidently cant attach a picture.
     
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  9. classicrocker

    classicrocker Life is good!

    Location:
    Worcester, MA, USA
    You don't need an image hosting site. Use postimage to post pictures from a folder on your computer. I use the "direct link" option and it works perfectly.

    Click on the mountain and sun icon, to the right of the smiley face on the post toolbar at the top of your post to insert the link into your post.

    Postimage.org — free image hosting / image upload

    You don't need to download or sign up for the app as you use it from there website. Very fast and easy to use.



    Sent from my Galaxy Tab® S2
     
  10. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    Thank you for taking the time to try and help me. It must be an android thing then, as that's what I've tried to do just as you describe. It's the same with AK. It works there, but here all I get is a bar that asks for an image URL, with a bar above that that looks like a link that says "image" which doesnt do anything.
    Now that I know it's possible, I will try a different browser on my phone. I have galaxy s9 plus with latest OS.
     
  11. Timbo21

    Timbo21 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    Reloop's are Hanpin, as are the Pioneer's. They do some slight changes to make their own, but Technics are the only ones who design from the ground up.
     
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  12. Allhartfidelity

    Allhartfidelity Active Member

    Location:
    Washington
    I would have thought (incorrectly evidently) since technics lost the patent and folks like pioneer were coping it, that they could get it right. Evidently they CAN do it as good, but choose not to. Sucked me into that one. I diddnt require exact performance of the 1200, but dang..that deck was so far off it wasnt even funny. So I dont mind that the Malaysia built mk7 isnt exact as the more expensive G, and for the same price as the reloop it (the mk7) was miles ahead. As least thevibration from the plinth doesnt travel down the arm. Went to a forum for it, and folks said I was dumb for taping on the plinth. Acted like it was no big deal and field the deck was ok. To each thier own I guess.
     
    bru87tr likes this.
  13. Yamahaha

    Yamahaha Sir Pepe of LePew

    Location:
    Alberta, Canada
    I cannot tolerate turntables where you can do this. I saw a video on the MK7 where the guy did just that. Tapped on the plinth and it came thru pretty loud. The goldnotes are really bad for that too. I can tap all day on my Orcale AC (first delphi) and my Yamaha PF1000. Cant hear a thing. Briefly had a goldnote and I think sneezing on the plinth would have been audible. Anyone who thinks the plinth test crazy, well I guess they think bass wont vibrate the plinth and create a feedback loop? Drives me nuts so ,,, must be crazy.
     
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  14. Night Version

    Night Version Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    The Exact is about as good as carts 1/4 it's price... a good AT VM95 would do the trick over the Exact.
     
  15. bru87tr

    bru87tr 80’s rule

    Location:
    MA
    The AT 1240 I have, the plinth was like a microphone. It is really bad, just a light tap made a very loud noise.
     
  16. Slick Willie

    Slick Willie Decisively Indecisive

    Location:
    sweet VA.
    I also believe in good plinth isolation. It, IMO, decreases chances of outside forces contaminating the presentation.
     
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  17. Cyclone Ranger

    Cyclone Ranger New old stock Thread Starter

    Location:
    Best Coast USA
    Again, many ppl would disagree with that, though I’d agree that the Exact is pricey in the US ($600) as opposed to the UK ($350 USD-equivalent).

    IOW, well worth it at the UK price. And I’d take a Naga MP110 over the AT, too.
    .
     
  18. brimuchmuze

    brimuchmuze Forum Resident

    Anyone have a needledrop comparison of the MK2 vs MK7?
     
    Nathan Z likes this.
  19. darwinrecords

    darwinrecords Member

    Location:
    ODESA
    I think better MK5, cuz new MK7 it's remake. All details was rebuilded.
    Now I looking for brand new or B-stock MK5.
     
  20. pressureworld

    pressureworld Forum Resident

    Location:
    ATL
    Overall would you prefer the older Technics 1200 series over the MK7? Do you think the differences are really that great?
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2020
  21. the_best_of_fools

    the_best_of_fools Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    I bought an Technics SL-1200MK7 about a month ago and I can happilly say so far so good. It's probably not the best new turntable for the price but I always wanted an SL-1200. It was either I got the new MK7 or shop for a second hand unit with all the cons that can come along buying a used turntable. I've seen many SL-1200s back in the day and a good friend of mine has an MK6 so I can say this: The MK7 is not as heavy as the older models. It does feel a little cheaper. But soundwise, you can't really tell the difference. It's a pretty solid turntable IMHO. Still, I wouldn't go DJing with itbut it's not really what these newer models are made for. It does have more of a "home" look and feel to it. But that's just fine with me. The only thing I dislike about it is that the cover has no hinges. The cover just sits on top of the base with nothing more than two rubber pads that keep the cover from sliding (not super great if you have a mad cat). I will say this though. The tonearm is real nice and very easy to set up. I put an Audio-Technica AT-120Eb cartridge on the original Technics headshell that came with the TT and I got an extra headshell on Amazon on which I mounted a fresh Audio-Technica AT-VM95E. The AT-VM95E is a really great match for the price. I actually like it a lot better than the more expensive AT-120Eb on this turntable. I'll probably upgrade with the VM-95ML when the 95E is done with. Right now I have it hooked to a 1975 Sansui AU-6600. Sounds nice and warm like it should. :)
     
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  22. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Ironically Technics brought this out for DJ work as the GR is mostly aimed at audiophiles. However they appear to have cheapened it up too much and there are some issues with DJs for scratching / mixing. There is a UK based guy on Youtube who has a business servicing and modding Technics decks and he greatly prefers the Reloop 7000 at half the price.
    For home use I would say stretch to a GR or 1500C.
     
  23. Andy Saunders

    Andy Saunders Always a pleasure never a chore

    Location:
    England
  24. RPM

    RPM Forum Resident

    Location:
    Easter Island
    That guy was angry at Technics and in result overpraised the Reloop. I recently took a listen of a live mix with the Reloops and it was possible to hear the click of the start/stop button due to poor isolation. I'd still go for MK7.
     
  25. Classicrock

    Classicrock Senior Member

    Location:
    South West, UK.
    Discovered my old OC9 Is not sounding right when comparing to Orbe so either it's worn or the higher compliance doesn't like the Sumiko headshell it's on. Have to try the lighter stock headshell. Meanwhile ordered an At 95SH so I at least have shibata tips on both turntables. More warmth and even less surface noise than ML tips. The 1200 isn't that far behind the Orbe / SME using a sub £100 elliptical MM but not really quite there. No great differences in speed stability and maybe clearer mids but bass surprisingly not quite there. Meanwhile Orbe remains main TT. May eventually use the Technics mainly for 10 and 7 inch plus mono records using dedicated cartridge.
     
    punkmusick and Sterling1 like this.

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