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

My business is Advertising & Marketing and what it's all about is the search for appeal, bringing goods and services to market which are believed to have some sort of appeal and then delivering sales messages that spell out the appeal. That's it.

 

Also I think it was clear you meant they were marketing to people like you as of the time before you made the purchase... not you now, as an owner who has already made the purchase.

 

I was mainly referring to all the non-1200s out there -- for just playing vinyl. Things might be different if you're a DJ.

Example: i got my SL-23 for $40. My SL-1400 and 1500 were each $20. All these play vinyl practically as well as the MK7 or GR.

 

I am referring to playing vinyl and not DJ use, too. Of new, current-production turntables, I think the mk7 is likely the lowest-priced one I would expect to be “good”.

You will always find better deals on the used market, but that assumes you are finding used turntables up to performance standards and in good condition/serviced appropriately depending how old you’re going.

 

Hello! I just received my new UK Technics SL-1500C with the 3-prong adapter, and I live in the US. Did you resolve adapting your turntable's voltage so it works in the US? Thanks!

 

My MK7 showed up today. I'll have more comments later.



Running a Stanton 680 that I had retipped w/Ogura 8/70 line contact. Also had the suspension in the cartridge replaced. Sounds nice so far.

 

Looks nice!

 

Thanks, playing my second LP on it now. Sounding nice so far.

 

Had some time to use the 1200mk7 over the weekend. Here are my initial impressions and comments:

First off, I am not a DJ and use this deck for home listening only.

Out of the box, the turntable is fairly easy to set up but is packed very tightly in the factory box with styrofoam, so my advice is to be careful unpacking everything so you don't lose any of the accessories or tear up the packing foam. You'll probably want to save all the packaging in case you need it later for moving or something.

Inside the box you get the following:

• Technics slipmat + slipsheet
• dustcover
• 45 adaptor
• headshell
• screw set for cartridge
• RCA cable
• grounding cable
• power cord
• manual

Mine also came with a DJ breaks/scratch record called "Visual Vinyl" which appears to be a one sided picture disc with markings for the various tracks. I may end up giving this to a friend of mine who is a DJ as he'll get more use out of it than I will.

Since I am using the deck for home listening, I decided not to use the included slipmat. If you want to use it, I'm sure it's fine but I prefer a thick rubber mat. So, I bought an Oyaide BR-12 mat which is 5mm thick and made of mixed butyl rubber and tungsten. I should mention the mat has an intentional 1 degree tilt from center to outer edge by design, which some folks may not like. Supposedly this is meant to help with records that are slightly warped, especially when used in conjunction with a record clamp or weight. If you want the OEM 3mm rubber mat that Technics makes, you should be able to get one from an authorized Panasonic parts dealer or KABUSA.

To hook up the power cord, ground wire, and RCA cables you will need to turn the deck at least 90 degrees. Not a dealbreaker but a bit of a pain if you are not used to these types of recessed connections. I did not use the stock RCA cables but they appear to be decent quality.

I have some other headshells here but I decided to give the stock Technics headshell a try for mounting up my retipped Stanton 680. The headshell looks very similar to old Technics headshells (light, then metal, holes in the top) but there is a set screw underneath the connector to adjust azimuth. I recommend checking to make sure that's properly adjusted to be straight out of the box. Mine was not, so I loosened the screw and adjusted it. Now, I will say I don't particularly care for the Technics headshell mainly because the top is curved and not straight. Often I will put a bubble level on top of the headshell when installing or changing carts to make sure I am not tilting it one way or another before locking the arm connector down. You can't really do that with this headshell because it is curved.

Another thing to mention is that there is no overhang gauge included. If you want one you'll have to buy it separately. I have an old one here but it is basically unusable because it is warped. If you buy one and want to use it, make sure it is not warped. Instead I used a ruler to dial in overhang and double checked everything with an arc protractor. The gauge + a straight edge or razor blade is definitely an easier method for most people, so that is what I would recommend unless you really want to use an arc protractor.

Setting the VTA is very easy with the adjustable arm base. The mechanism is smooth and feels solid. Note that if you use an aftermarket mat, the recommendations based on cartridge height may not apply anymore. I have an acrylic VTA block that I used to set VTA.

For VTF, I will say that the counterweight is fairly accurate if you know how to use it properly. I checked mine against a digital scale. The anti-skate mechanism also appears to work very well and I have no complaints there.

The torque, braking, and LEDs are adjustable via tiny dip switches under the platter. I left all the adjustments stock except for the LED which I switched to blue. I'd imagine cranking up the torque is of primary interest to DJs, though I do have some questions about speed accuracy at the different torque settings. I emailed Panasonic about that and I am waiting to hear back.

Now, I've heard some complaints about the plastic buttons on this turntable. To me they are a non-issue. Yes I realize that metal buttons look prettier but I can't find any fault with the buttons on the turntable. They work fine and that is all I really care about.

Another common complaint is feedback resistance on this turntable. I should mention that I don't set my turntable on top of massive PA speakers, nor do I put it directly in front of studio monitors, nor do listen to records at ear-splitting volumes. I did crank the volume a bit but could not detect any feedback whatsoever. If feedback resistance is a concern, you may want to look at isolation solutions, whether DIY or commercial. I did consider getting a set of Isonoe feet for the turntable but I am not sure I really need them. For now the deck sits on cheap industrial anti-vibration pads.

Now let's talk about the cueing mechanism. If you've never used this type of Technics cueing mechanism, or haven't used one in a long time, you're going to have to get used to it. There is a narrow range of motion where the lever actually raises and lowers the tonearm, but the lever itself moves in a greater range. Once you get used to it the stylus lowers on the record very gently - just don't smack it down in one abrupt motion.

In terms of actually playing records, I can find no fault with the 1200mk7. It is a fully manual deck, which I'm adjusting to as I've mostly used semi-auto and full-auto decks the past several years.

Lastly, the dust cover is a set on style cover. I don't have a problem with this because I think turntables work better with the cover fully removed most of the time. If you have small children or cats you want to keep away from spinning records, then this is not the turntable for you. I simply remove the cover and set it aside until I am done with my listening session.

Here is a picture of the deck with the cover on:

 

Nice!
I am curious, is the headshell from Japan?
I'm sure you know to look underneath the shell for that info.

 

I didn't check, sorry. I'll try to do that at some point. As I said I prefer a flat headshell. Ideally, with both the top and bottom alignment pin, like my LPG Zupreme 10g.

 

Cool, I was just wondering how many Japan made parts made it on the table.

 

I don't think there is any easy way to determine that. There are no markings on the underside of the headshell, I just checked. As you know any product "made" anywhere is going to have parts imported from "elsewhere" even if it's something as simple as resistors, capacitors, washers, screws, etc.

 

Thanks for looking.

 

Update: I've had the MK7 a little over a month now and have no complaints. Noise floor is very low and the sound is excellent in a home stereo/hi-fi situation.

My take is you can ignore all the speculation and whining from a couple DJ-oriented videos on Youtube. They have nothing at all to do with my use case and I've experienced no problems whatsoever.

 

And it looks great judging by your Instagram

 

I like the look but it's not for everyone. I would suggest building a wood box using the plans on KAB's site if folks have a problem with the look. In terms of performance it is excellent.

I also really like the Oyaide mat when used in conjunction with J.A. Michell "R" clamp. It helps flatten down records with some warping pretty well.

 

I’m pretty sure you were one of the posters here that helped turning me onto full auto turntables in the past with the 1600 mk2, etc. BTW, thanks immensely, trippy road it’s taken me down.

How does this compare with those 80’s Japanese tables. Also what is your preferred headshell?

 

I always wondered how much a clamp helps with warped records. I have a few.

 

I have two old Japanese decks, one from the late 70s and one from the early 80s. Those are both different from each other in big ways but both sound good. Both are near the age where they need TLC and I cannot find a trusted tech in my area. If you have a good tech and an old turntable, pay the money to get preventative maintenance done if you cannot do it yourself. That will keep your old deck running tip top for a while.

Re: the MK7, the noise floor is lower than either of my old decks. As I said though, both of them are overdue for maintenance like new caps. They work fine for now but may not be quite tip top. The main reason for getting the new deck was long term reliability.

Getting accustomed to a manual TT after using one with automatic return has taken some getting used to. I can't walk away or ignore things when playing records anymore. This can be mitigated with using a device like an AT safety raiser or Q-UP, but if you use one of those, I don't think you can use a KAB damper. Since I may be installing the damper eventually, I have not tried one of those arm-lift devices yet. I may have to think it over and see if using the raiser would be a convenience feature I might value over the damper.

RE: headshells, my choice right now is the LP Gear Zupreme 10g. This is a Jelco OEM product but one that was not sold via Jelco or under other names, AFAIK. It is slightly lighter than a standard Jelco HS, which is more like 12g+ depending on the model. Jelco just went out of business so stocks are going to dry up eventually.

I have some other nice headshells also (Yamamoto, AT MG-10) but that one is my favorite. Korf is making some more ceramic headshells, and I'd like to try one, but they are expensive and go fast due to limited production.

 

It does help but there are limitations. I find the clamp in conjunction with the Oyaide mat (which is concave very slightly on purpose) works better than using the clamp on a flat mat. If you have a flat mat, you're going to want some rubber and felt washers to experiment with. A center clamp has limitations when it comes to nasty edge warps. An outer right clamp can help with that, but those tend to be very expensive.

 

The few records that really bother me have these nasty edge warps. The cartridge will almost jump in the first song and I have to use the upper limit of VTF. I think the movement and the weight put some dangerous pressure on the cantilever. I always wonder how much of a difference would a clamp make. Not much I suppose.

 

I have some records that were in storage with my brother for 15+ years and a couple are like that. The clamp does help but the nastier the edge warp the harder it is to deal with. So far nothing I have is unplayable or requires messing with TT settings.

Yet I have seen some examples here and on other forums that would have me searching for another copy of the record. Even if the edge warp is playable, if it occurs during the actual musical parts the notes are going to go out of pitch and distort.

I have seen people try to flatten edge warps by using a Vinyl Flat with felt pads and binder clips right where the edge warp is, but I'm not sure what the rate of success is or how severe something has to be in order to be unfix-able.

 

Give me a design from the 1500C without a phono stage and a cartridge, but with a heavy dish and a magnesium tonearm. I buy it.

 

Do not forget the buttons - metal and legs - shock absorbers. It's all!)