SL-1200G - Talk me out of buying this used one. (time sensitive :-))

That's the story of my life... a day late and a dollar short.

 

This time it was me that ended up a dollar short! 2400 of them actually.

My friends here did a terrible job at talking me out of it. Where were you on Page 1?

 

Fantastic.
Even before I had it dialed in a bit better it was awe inspiring, I'm only at about 4 or 5 hours and it sings, amazing depth of soundstage and detail, very quiet in the groove and excellent tight bass.
Zero complaints.

 

I own the OC9iii and OC9mlii --- and it looks like when examining the specs the xsl is the successor to the 9iii --- with minor differences it appears in stylus profile / dimensions. If so, you'll enjoy it immensely when paired well --- I've enjoyed both OC9's immensely. They're very different animals though.

Enjoy!

 

@SamS @snorker @The Dragon and other 1200G owners - I'm going to try the AT33PTGii on the 1200g when it arrives (should be here on Tue or Wed of next week) - in prep I've been doing some reading of the on the At33 series on the 1200G.

It appears from others that the 17mm VTA range of the 1200g results in the AT33 series needing a spacer / shim with the stock mat to be able to make the tonearm parallel? In other words, there's not enough adjustment range in the stock G platform for the AT33? I'll probably using an LP Gear Zupreme headshell (10g), or maybe the stock Technics headshell (8gr). Note I also have a 6g Denon PCL-5 headshell if the AT33 is on the heavy side.

Have any of you tried an AT33 cartridge on the 1200G?

 

Yes, please report back. I’ve got a Technics 6mm mat for those situations. IME, the Technics headshell is the best for shorter cartridges because all the aftermarket ones I’ve tried raise the cartridge higher. One can also use a delrin spacer between the headshell and cartridge. Someone posted a link to those a few days ago, but I can’t find it right now.

 

Surely you mean a mat! For one thing SME do not sell arms without decks any more and I doubt it would improve much on the stock arm. Case of using right headshell and cartridge. The arm is better than people get told by people with money in the upgrade business. BTW I have a G and a Michell Orbe with SME 309 arm. Different flavours. I suggest if your friend can't get it to his satisfaction he tries a high end belt drive and sell it on rather than devalue it with butchery. Has he changed the stock cables? There isn't any proven 'if you believe seller claims' arm upgrades available (with Jelco ending production) other than the Funk Firm arms.

 

I am using an Origin Live ' Cartridge Enabler' to get VTA right. Not sure if it actually improves sound however.

 

I'm not big on spacers / shims, we'll see what transpires........ plus other reports say even the Technics headshell doesn't compensate.

Like you, I've typically used taller mats in those situations. But again, not preferred, but it does work.

 

i barely got my art9 to fit on the gr with the stock headshell and mat, i mean the vta dial reached the end of its travel. it is 1.3mm taller than the at33ptgii, 17.3mm vs 16mm. stock headshell and 6mm mat should get it done for you.

 

Mike Ness' story as well

 

I have not.

 

Well, the 1200G arrived a few hours ago. Packaging, condition was impeccable as always from HiFiDo - quickly got it set up and mounted an AT33PTGii.

I will start another thread with pictures, thoughts - but initial impressions now on playing my fourth LP are very good. The best way to describe the 1200G is "if it's in the groove, it's going to play it." And play it well. Your LPs better be clean . It is very resolving.

Bottom line --- It's a very, very nice table. Very. As good or better as anything I've ever owned or own currently. Currently running it through the Accuphase C27 phono pre --> Accuphase C-2410 preamp--> Parasound A21 amp --> Yamaha NS-2000 speakers and listening to Miles "Kind of Blue" as I type and it's sublime. Listened to some Floyd, Phish and Coltrane before this, and haven't moved from the listening room since I got it hooked up. It is really bringing my system to life and doing justice to the gear.

More to come. Wonderful table. Great purchase, happy camper.

 

Technics 1200G is sensational. Make sure you take Michael Fremer’s advice and use the Baerwald Technics cartridge alignment, not the Technics Stevenson alignment/ setup. Download the guide from Vinyl Engine. Using a Van Den Hul Frog Gold with a Rega Aria phono stage, and she’s singing like a diva.

 

I picked up a Dual 701 in nice shape at a thrift store a couple of years ago that had an amazing sounding AT 140lc mounted to it, I think part of the magic there was the two brass spacer/washers used to mount it.
I've tried various spacer setups over time and they always seem to introduce a dullness to the sound especially plastic based, but the brass spacer/washer (maybe 2mm tall cylinder shaped washers) made that cart. sound the best I've heard it sound.

 

Nah, been there (Baerwald and others) over the years on the SL-1200 platform..... no new tricks required for this old dog, I'll stick with Stevenson.

 

What is 'Technics" Baerwald or Stevenson anyway?
Wouldn't they be those measurements period no matter what deck you use them on?
On my old Sony PS X-6 a tech named Wally from Ava Hifi in Minneapolis did a cart. mod for me and said to use a specific overhang number and align to Lofgren B.
I still use those measurements because I don't have any other source of info as far as alignment for that deck goes, it does seem to work just fine (he said he had the same deck).
I was going to try and use the Technics overhang tool, but it looks like the arm is longer than a GR tonearm:

Oh well.

 

They are cartridge / tonearm alignment methods. I recommend looking them up online and reading about them for your own edification, lots of resources. There are both Stevenson and Baewald templates / overhang tools out there for your turntable.

For the Technics, the manufacturer / engineers recommend Stevenson alignment, in fact that cheap plastic overhang gauge that comes with many Technics turntable (52mm), and referenced in the set up manual, is all you need to bring your table to a Stevenson alignment. Fast, easy, cheap and what the engineers who designed the table recommend.

Better yet, I've used that simple method for years on many, many Technics tables, and compared it to other methods....... it is every bit as good if not better than any alternative. It works.

There may be a similar overhang gauge that came with your turntable that already gets you to a certain alignment method, and can save you a lot of extra, and at times unneeded, work.

 

You would be referencing the Sony?
I suppose there is something out there helpful for that deck. I learned how to properly set the lateral weight on that deck from research.
Before I bother I think that deck needs a tonearm bearing refresh and new cabling from tip to tip and maybe some re-capping.
I am going to take it to a guy who does some nice restorations on high end stuff, he's not expensive usually and certainly not a snob as I have brought him some cheap repair work before.
It's just that from what I gleaned online this arm may not be serviceable, or so some sources seemed to hint at when I last looked into it, so this guy Roman will assess and we'll see what happens.
It's a great deck, if you ask me Technics would sell A LOT more decks if they introduced a model that had zero pitch control doodads and visually had more of the minimal audiophile look, that little periscope light is cool and all but as I play mostly during the day I could live without that too.

 

Yes, many turntables come new with an cheap plastic (sometimes better) overhang gauge. There are aftermarket ones that are easy to find too...... first you have to find what your stylus overhang spec is from the back of the headshell to the tip --- search on it and you may find it. I've found the number for most turntables I've ever owned.... for Technics turntables (many of them, but probably not all) the number is 52mm.

Here is the cheap overhang gauge that comes with the Technics tables on the left, and on the right is a different one that came with a Denon cartridge I bought (I think it was the DL-110?). Note the one on the right has different markings for different length overhang. If you know you're overhang for a certain alignment method, these can be huge time / hassle savers especially if you frequently swap cartridges on different headshells, etc. Note I have other similar gauges too.

 

Waiting for the G thread!

 

Remember the one that came as part of the Shure V15 Type 5 package? Talk about a well designed system, just remove the stylus, loosen the cartridge screws, slip the tool over the spindle, lower cartridge body into receptacle, and tighten screws. Then check at other point. Very cool! Still have one but no cartridge to use with it ...

 

Yes, I've seen that and your post made memories come flooding back in!!

 

I remember now that I used to have one for a Dual.
I have a super comprehensive and accurate alignment template that I got from Ava Hifi that had extensive overhang measurement grids as well as all of the alignment schemes for doing the inner and outer line up to Baerwald, Stevenson and the two Lofgrens, sadly the ink has faded pretty drastically though even though it's sealed in a laminate and has not seen any sun to speak of.
It's still usable I guess but so dim that it makes it even harder to see.

 

Yeah, yeah I'll get to it.... because all we need is another Technics thread!

Seriously, I want to spend some time with it first, try a few cartridges, make sure it passes the initial stress tests, etc. I want to make sure I have a 100% stable TT since it was a used one. Don't want to jump the gun and share my thoughts with incomplete data, I want to get a good feel for it for some time first.

I'll share pics of the unboxing, set up, etc when I do, and share my thoughts on listening and comparing to other tables I have. As mentioned though, initial impressions are very good, it is a fine platform.