Technics new SL-1200MK7 and SL-1500C*

I would be shocked if there wasn't an autolift adjustment somewhere. All their tables of the past had a screw to adjust the lift. Maybe they didn't put it in the manual but it's there somewhere. If not, I agree with @Big Blue: this would be a huge disappointment.

 

Right, I think most users who don't need the phono stage or 2M red would be better served by the Mk7, and spending the extra cash on the AT lifter or the upcoming Little Fwend for 1200s. A delay at the end of a record is a minor inconvenience, but if the feature interrupts the music it's useless to me.

Agree with @Dr. J. that there should be some way to adjust it, but all the behavior I have seen of this feature is completely alien to the older Technics auto mechanisms I'm familiar with. Perhaps it is controlled by an electronic sensor vs a physical trigger? I would love to see a teardown of this deck.

 

The adjustable auto lift is one thing I love about my old JVC, it really needs to be adjustable because with some records it will lift and with others it will keep on spinning depending on the lead out groove. The physical adjustment (with a screw on the jvc) is a fine line between working correctly most of the time and working incorrectly.

 

Adjustment would be ideal, but really I don’t see any reason it needs to be set up to lift prior to the runout groove, anyway. Label size and runout groove diameter are pretty standard, right? Does anyone really mind a couple of seconds of dead wax?

 

On the other hand we also had previously in this thread a video in which the needle stays in the runout groove for about 30 seconds before lifting.

 

I’d take that over early lifting. To me, the auto-lift is a safety feature, so that if I’m distracted or unable to get to the turntable quickly, I don’t have several minutes or more of dead wax playing. 30 seconds is a lot, though, for something that’s supposed to be automatic...

 

What bothers me is neither issue exists on their legacy decks, or any vintage semi-auto I've ever used. In fact the delay doesn't exist on contemporary crap like the LP160 or auto-return Crosleys. Just seems like a major miss for what looks to be a good deck otherwise.

 

The auto-stop on my Fluance RT-80 took about 10 seconds or less once the stylus reached the runout groove. I would have expected Technics to have no trouble at least matching the precision of Ya Horng and Hanpin for such a seemingly simple feature.

 

Don’t buy it and his brother mk7. Like during an Election Day you can say something to technics and their attempt to sell something evoking something else.

 

there is always some amount of quality control once a product is rolled out. I hope (& assume) Technics will fix it.

 

Wow! Check this out. KAB Special Edition SL-1500c:

KAB Electro Acoustics http://www.kabusa.com

 

Pretty cool. This link should take you right to it:

KAB Electro Acoustics http://www.kabusa.com

Kind of funny that he uses the term "non-cogging".

 

In fact, it just put me off the 1500, as the auto-lift was its main attraction to me, knowing I'm prone to dosing off when listening in my bedroom in, well, the prone position. Back to the original intention - the GR.

 

Do we know the mechanics behind the auto-lift function for the SL-1500C? Is it just a set of gears or is it done electronically?

 

I don't think we know yet but electronic seems like a good guess. Judging from Kevin's description, it sounds like it was designed to take 12-20 seconds to kick in so listeners could get a sample of intentional runout music. I don't think you could do that mechanically.

 

I have it from Kevin at KAB that it is an optical sensor and software based, so theoretically it could be changed by a firmware update. Incidentally, Kevin reports he has already disassembled one and is working on selling them with upgrades like fluid damper, tonearm re-wire, etc.

EDIT: I see @JackG and @Dr. J. beat me to it!

 

That's exactly what I figured as well — that it was sensor based. The MK2 autos used optical LED sensors as well, although they did have a full mechanism connected to the tonearm. I think this is preferable because it causes less interference with the tonearm and is more easily defeat-able.

A KAB upgraded 1500c sounds interesting for sure. It's too bad this has the issues with the lifter, as this could be a good deck for those who want both a fluid damper and auto lift. I think his damper does fit the 1700MK2s and 1600Mk2s though.

 

I’d rather see him do a modded MK7.

I don’t want that preamp in the 1500. Don’t trust any internal preamp.

 

Maybe that could be one of the available mods?

 

It's bypass-able. Two outputs it has - one from the phono, one straight from the cart.

 

True, but I could see a case being made for taking the switch out of the path and having the tonearm wiring go straight to the output.

 

I know it can be bypassed, of course.

But I still don’t want it. There are already reports that it has slight sonic impact even when off. I personally just don’t want a preamp in my turntable. I don’t know that it has been proved yet that is not 100% bypass able, but it serves no purpose for me to have it there anyway.

 

That already appears to be the case from what I can tell in the pics. The phono stage has its own output with an on/off switch.

 

Link?

 

Yes curious as well. They would need to have pulled the phono stage out to hear an impact vs just assuming there is one, which seems like an unlikely thing to do to a brand new $1200 deck.

I would think those ordering from KAB would be more interested in the MK7, just based on his clientele most likely having phono stages. I’d be curious to see measurements of the 1500c’s stage though. Perhaps it really isn’t so bad for newbies.