Technics SL 1500 C

My point is that these products are at a higher price point than the plug and play crowd usually purchase. I do see the problem with some purchasers of an entry level Project for instance. For the well healed Macintosh are now doing a combined TT and amplifier unit. In this case you probably aren't compromising on quality so much. The person who buys this Technics is going to expect performance to match a £1K DAC and they are likely to be a little underwhelmed. Check out the Darko review on YouTube.

 

You are spot on. The more affluent purchaser (like the OP on this thread), who has a nice classical collection etc..without the fuss. Great marketing by Technics.

 

I did check out the Darko review. Did you? He expressed pleasure with the unit's built in preamp.

 

I guess I'd sooner have a built-in pre-amp than DJ features that I'd never use.

Best would be a SL1500GR

 

Yes "absolutely superb" and "super impressed" were his words to describe the sound quality.

 

SL-1500C review roundup:

Technics SL-1500C review | What Hi-Fi?

Technics SL-1500C Turntable review | TechRadar

Technics SL-1500C review: a return to epic form | WIRED UK

Technics SL-1500C Turntable Review

A 5-minute film about the Technics SL-1500C | Darko.Audio

Technics SL-1500C Review | 7Review

So many reviews of this one compared with the SL1200MK7 (putting aside the DJ-focused pieces).

 

New and very positive review from Michael Fremer on Analog Planet.

 

The GR with your existing Nagaoka MP110 will be much better than a 1500 C with the 2M Red.

 

I saw the 1500C today, and the display unit had the droopy cue lever that I've read about elsewhere. The tone arm just would not stay up. Now I am sure there are many units that are just fine, but I wonder how a defect of such a basic function can be so common?

Anyway I've recently purchased a SL-1210MK2 that is in fantastic shape, along with a new AT-VM95SH cartridge, and it sounds great.

 

The droopy lever is what caught my eye on various reviews online. I was this close to pulling the trigger. Anyway, I have a 1200GR on the way (due today). Michael Fremer just posted a really positive review of the 1500c. Michael was really impressed listening thru his super high dollar system. The speed accuracy-consistency really caught my eye. If Technics gets the drooping arm lift thing figured out, this table is a winner. The table probably deserves at least a BLUE stylus.

With the SL-1500C Technics Cuts the Price But Not the Sound Quality

 

They probably just need to change the viscosity and type of silicone damping fluid used in the cueing mechanism. Too thin now probably.

 

Strange issue for a company likes Panasonic that’s been doing this forever. Could be a slightly different mechanism than used in the higher-end models. One would think they’d use the same fluid in all of them, but who knows. They clearly cut costs to get it to the price-point. That said, all reports are that it’s very good.

 

One would think it is the same mechanism on the $999 1200 MK7 DJ Turntable. I went thru many of the MK7 reviews and saw no such complaints about the lift.

 

I thought I read the mechanism was different (spring involved?), it is an auto lift after all, the 7 is not.

 

Thats a good point.

 

This shows that these turntables really need to be sold through specialists and probably not on line in a box. Even Michell decks can be bought with a click and in this case a novice is going to be incapable of proper assembly and set up (supplied instructions are not even very professional). Manufacturers could at least do a Youtube video about each model and it's assembly like Schitt (though in that case it didn't help a lot due to design errors). Some turntables will even get an experienced audiophile wringing their hands. No TT is actually plug and play if you want to extract the best performance from it (other than the cheap plastic ones with zero adjustability).

 

Best is probably to keep the Nagaoka MP-110 and put it on the 1500C.
Put the 2M Red on the old TT and sell that one to buy more vinyl (or a phono preamp upgrade).

 

Yup, same with the Cambridge Alva TT.
It's not the entry level type of pricetag, so I'd expect that most people already have accumulated some peripheral stuff (like a basic phono preamp) during the use of their first TT.
Even while the average spending on a turntable has risen a bit since the start of vinyl revival, by far the most turntables sold are under 300 bucks; not anywhere near the Technics or Cambridge price range.

 

The people that want something ready to go fall into a category that think £300 expensive and people that spend £1000's on hi-fi are crazy. I agree £1K for a TT is a fair way up the serious enthusiast ladder. I know things have gradually (even rapidly of late) become more expensive but it took me 20 years to reach that level.

 

Exactly, it's not the typical "my first turntable", but IMO the built in pre-amp is, just like all the other plug&play things like preset cartridge, like a starter pack.

 

Back in the day, I actually liked P-mount cartridges.

 

Nice. Coming from a DJ background, I always liked the Concorde cartridges. Still do tbh.

 

I’m surprised, with the new people coming to vinyl, P-mount has not made a comeback.

 

I have two turntables that use P-mounts. Easy peasy. My Technics SL-QL1 is currently running the universal mount AT450 with the nude elliptical stylus. Not too many makers are doing anything but budget priced carts for P-mounts these days.

 

Hard to beat a P-mount for a novice.