Purchase price of a Technics platter mat and AT-VM95C cartridge is about $70, plus it has the auto-lift feature. You don’t get speed adjustment, and the VTA adjustment is less convenient. I could see those differences reasonably coming out to the same purchase price. They’re just for different buyers.
$1100 is "entry-level"? nope. this is entry-level: Audio-Technica Consumer AT-LP60X Stereo Turntable (Brown & Black) $119
The 'feature set' are things that many of us don't actually want, hence the appeal of the streamlined 100C (which also includes the cartridge).
A fair point although this could also work in favour of the 100C production quality since it's almost the same deck.
The 100C and 1500C seem so similar it's almost becoming overkill with the number of models in the line now. A cartridge swap and the loss of a preamp, that's the main difference worthy of two models?
Absolutely! I'm happy to save the $200 and lose the parts I never wanted (Ortofon 2M Red and preamp) in favour of no preamp and an AT cartridge that can be upgraded. You can find myself and others on these threads wishing for a deck like this prior to the announcement.
Maybe, but seems the 1500C has been a success and really aimed at a different buyer wanting 'plug and play' convenience.
I believe Technics ceased to exist in all but name until the current range of products was launched about 4 to 5 years ago. The SL1200 mk II was the last product until production stopped in 2010. My guess is Technics staff in Japan have moved to Malaysia or been redeployed on other Panasonic products. Also could be there was a lack of labour to meet production in Japan. Jelco packed it in due to an aging workforce.
That's an entry level turntable, but not an entry level HiFi turntable. The 1200MK6 was the last one produced. Yes, I think that's most likely the case. Lack of personnel or lack of room in their old Japanese factory.
I'm just saying that they went from not offering any of these to offering so many it's hard to even decide which to buy - too much variation. They could've also just found a price point at $1,000 for the 1500 and been done with it. To me, THAT'S entry level as it has a phono amp. But who knows what logic they are utilizing for these rollouts.
Right! 3 models (cartridge included or not) within $200 of each other. Was probably pretty easy to make the 100c. Just skip the preamp install on the assembly line.
MK2 was produced till the very end. Not sure about mk6, as there were rumors saying "it's the mk6 being discontinued only, not the mk2 and mk5".
AFAIK, the MK2, MK5 and M5G were made until the end of October 2010 and the MK6 (or the MK6-K) were discontinued shortly after (a matter of weeks?). However, the MK6 was Japan only and was never seen on the international market until long after, when those entered the grey market. But that’s from memories over 10 years ago, so don’t pin me down on that. Over 10 years already... time flies.
From my memory I remember the Mk2 being replaced by the Mk5 in Europe around 2006/7. The reason being that they used leaded solder in the manufacturing of the Mk2 which didn’t comply with the new EU RoHS rules so a new model was introduced using lead free solder. I thought Mk2 production stopped completely at this point but I could be wrong, maybe they continued for other parts of the world.
The MK5 has functional updates over the MK2, such as the pitch reset button and better tonearm wiring. The MK2 was definitely manufactured/sold alongside the MK5. At least over here in continental Europe. I wouldn’t be surprised if Britain is an exception, funny Brits, always a bit different
It was EU regs, this one specifically Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive - Wikipedia I’m trying to find an article from the time as I remember reading about it. I’m sure there would have been tons of Mk2 stock sitting around in the EU that they could still sell, but no longer import from Japan legally.
I know about lead soldering tin that got prohibited for use in most products (with exceptions like automotive, medical and military products) but I don’t remember that to be an issue for those decks. It’s simply a matter of switching to the different type of tin, adjust the temperature and a bit of time to get used to the crappy flow properties of led free soldering tin. Enough in storage to cover sales of multiple years? I think that’s unlikely. Sounds more like a rumor to me, which were even more common than now, especially in the DJ scene.
New to the thread. Yup, that's still a steep price. The construction is solid, but I can see beginners still opting for a Pioneer table that includes a pitch control.
From my recollection it became an issue as Technics got caught flat footed with the new rules. The Mk5 was a separate SKU that they could confirm complied with the regs, they didn’t bother changing the Mk2s to lead free as it would be difficult to know which ones comply and which ones don’t.
I think the average, non-audiophile customer likes plug-and-play products. It lets you start off playing records until you do upgrade. Also, adding a cart helps justify a higher price tag.
I think you’re probably right about that, even in 2012 many companies sneaked the lead solder into their products (I had two internship that year at companies who did that, because employees who soldered the stuff would otherwise complain a lot lol). Agreed, but if you can find the article you referred to, I would definitely be interested.
I found this little thing about the Mk6, which never materialised so I presume was written at the time! The SL-1200MK6 (2007) model (currently only available in the Japanese market). This turntable will ultimately replace the MK2, MK3, and MK5 models. There are no major improvements to the MK6 series, other than ROHS compliance with it's electronic circuitry and components. The only significant improvement over previous models is the Oxygen Free Copper wire used in the tonearm. Previous models utilized tin plated tonearm wires. In addition, a blue LED target light has been installed. In addition, it seems parts for the SL1200MK2series turntable are slowly being discontinued. It seems they are starting with the major electrical components such as the circuit boards and the IC's (Integrated Circuits), which are pretty much the brains of this turntable. There are 3 major IC's on the main board, and 1 of them has been discontinued with no alternative replacement. What does this mean for you? Well, if you have a Technics Turntable, model SL1200MK2 or SL1210MK2 and you need IC201, tough luck. It seems it is part of a global plan to slowly phase out the MK2 and MK5 turntables and get us to update to the M5G and possibly the newly released MK6 turntables. All of the PC Boards were discontinued a little over a year ago (ROHS compliance), and slowly more major components were being discontinued.
