Technic SL1200MK5 turntable

[1KW]

I received my AT-440 MLA replacement stylus/cart. the other day and had the time to install it today and now I know what all the fuss is about with analog sounding amazing. My previous AT440 MLA was very noisy due to a defective suspension. This new one sounds great. First I mounted the cartridge using the overhang gauge provided with the turntable . Then I went to this website:Cartridge Alignment Protractors | Free Turntable, Tonearm & Cartridge Tools | Vinyl Engine (http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml) and printed out the technicis baerwald arc protractor and what I found was that I had to move the stylus/cartridge assembly forward nearly .5 cm which amazes me that such a difference occured. I had never used a protractor before but it is really simple. I put the cartridge and LP on the tt, adjusted the VTA since I have a double thick rubber matt now. Aligned the stylus tip at point C by adjusting the position on the headshell and by rotating the platter until the two met perfectly. Then I rotated the tone arm to be sure all the other points were in alignment and thats it, very simple. I set up the balance weight, tracking weight and anti skate. I put my new Dave Matthews album on: Big Whiskey and the GruGrux King. The first thing I noticed is how neutral and yet full the sound is as far as bass, treble, midrange ie tone controls can finally be set flat. Imaging is great too, drums sounds so real, vocals sucked my attention away from what I was reading and make it so I can only concentrate on what I was hearing ie make you feel more involved with the music. I decided to pull out my Nora Jones Album-Come Away With Me, an album I'm very familiar with. I want to do a direct comparison with the cd on my MCD500 to the LP. I adjusted the trim on the C220 so the volume of the Lp and cd were the same. I then started to play the song "Don't know why" on both the cd and LP at the same time so I could switch back and forth using the remote from my listening chair. The LP and CD both sound very good, nearly sounding the same. This is quite an achievement for a $500 tt and $100 cart. to match the sound of my MCD500 playing a redbook cd. It may be that the LP was made from the same digital master which might account for the similarity in sound. Today I'm going to get some more LP's.

[jdandy]

David.......This is good news. I am happy to hear the new replacement AT cartridge is performing well. and that you took the time to set it up correctly.

[1KW]

I have been listening to LP's for the past 3 hours . This TT/cart. combo is very very nice sounding. One thing I like about the direct drive motor is no problems dragging a cleaning brush along the records ie no slowing down the record. Cueing is very easy, I turn the tt off, put the stylus right where I want it and start the direct drive motor. No skipping or waiting for the platter to reach speed; 33 1/3 speed is reached instantly. I realize that belt drives are more popular for other reasons. What is great about this hobby is having different choices of sources to choose at different times and each having its own inherent advantage for different listening sessions. Yesterday I had 25 people over and the sonos music server had a lot of use, today LP's.

[Alberto]

Congratulations. It must have sucked to have a defective cartridge. Now that you are "hooked on vinyl" who knows what'll come next in your system :-).

Alberto

[MC352]

David,

Glad you got your TT and cartridge all set up so it is sounding sweeeet.

:yes::banana:

Enjoy your LP's.

['cisco]

David....Now that you got your TT/cart up and going.......

:scratch2: Scratch DJ Equipment: Turntables: Scratch DJ Equipment | eHow.com (http://www.ehow.com/video_4939475_scratch-dj-equipment-turntables.html)

All kidding aside :D .....Congrats from one of few non-vinyl members here :thumbsup:

[jdandy]

'cisco.......Gotta love the care in handling lesson for vinyl albums. What a wizard. :lmao:

[Cadillac Kid]

I have a similar set up. Technics SL-1200 II with Shure V15 III cart and Jico stylus. Also using a C220 with NOS Telefunken 12AX7s. My amp is a MC2102.

Oh, and one recent addition. FATPadz via Sympsoium and MasterLu. My C220 sounds better with some vibration isolation.

Vinyl is lots of fun and can sound pretty good too.

[1KW]

Cisco I was not sure last year if I was going to like fooling around with vinyl again so I bought this Technic SL1200 MK5 new last year with a Ortofon cart. . I then upgraded to the audiotechnica AT440 MLA at the suggestion of Alberto. What I heard was a lot of scratch and surface noise. I recently sent the cart/stylus back to audiotechnica who gave me a replacement. I no longer have issues with surface noise, my records sound remarkably free from noise ie no pops and cracks ; the music I'm hearing sounds very good. It you want to experiment with vinyl you can't go wrong with this turntable as a starting point and many have done fairly reasonably priced KAB mods. and not felt the need for a much more expensive tt .

[1KW]

from http://www.enjoythemusic.com/news/
"While perhaps not 'audiophile', those who have tried the Technics SL-1200 turntable have generally came away impressed for the money and it has been reported that sales of this legend is coming to an end. A sad day as word on the street is that Technics has stopped making these jewels after producing well over 3,000,000 units since its introduction in 1972 and many evolutions and variants over the years. From Wikipedia, "The Technics SL-1200 is a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and club disc jockeys. Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJ'ing and scratching. The MK2 presented several improvements, including to the motor and casing. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold. It is widely regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced." This turntable in its most recent generation features a magnetic (no wear) direct drive (low slip) mechanism, high torque of 1.5 kgf·cm (0.15 N·m), which means the platter will spin at the desired speed within 0.7 seconds to reach 33.3 rpm from standstill. Very low wow and flutter of 0.01 percent so that the platter will stay within 1/100 of 1 percent of the desired speed. A heavy base of over 27 lbs aid in reducing the likelihood of feedback or stylus jumping. There is also a variable pitch control so users may adjust the speed -8 to +8 percent, which DJs used for beat matching. Even after many years of DJ use, the Technics SL-1200 has proven reliability. As a ex-DJ myself, have personally used these during gigs and am right debating buying a new pair for future use."

[jdandy]

David.......I guess if you ever decide to get into club DJing, you will already have half the set up. :D

[1KW]

David.......I guess if you ever decide to get into club DJing, you will already have half the set up. :D

Yeah right I know.... but after selling 3 million tt technics is going to stop manufacturing them. I wish they would have improved the tone arm because the magnetic direct drive mechanism has some amazing specs. . I may actually buy a SME309 tone arm like they did in tone audio. If I decide to change tt later, I can always use the SME309 or sell it.

[jdandy]

Yeah right I know.... but after selling 3 million tt technics is going to stop manufacturing them. I wish they would have improved the tone arm because the magnetic direct drive mechanism has some amazing specs. . I may actually buy a SME309 tone arm like they did in tone audio. If I decide to change tt later, I can always use the SME309 or sell it.

David.......Yep. A $2200.00 tonearm on a $600.00 turntable. Sounds like a plan. :D


http://www.needledoctor.com/core/media/media.nl;jsessionid=0a01025a1f437ce7a6c7df6f4a67b7 2fd92556f6a206.e3eSbNySbxiNe34Pa38Ta38Rbh50?id=218&c=ACCT106601&h=96c8d92b4253972eb769

[Dj_AmTraX]

I had a gold SL1200, but sold it because I didn't use it. Now I regret it.

http://www.123dj.com/turntable/technics/1200gold.jpg

[jdandy]

I just checked Musicians Friend web site, and they are already showing the SL1200MkV discontinued. Amazon still has them.

[1KW]

David.......Yep. A $2200.00 tonearm on a $600.00 turntable. Sounds like a plan. :D


http://www.needledoctor.com/core/media/media.nl;jsessionid=0a01025a1f437ce7a6c7df6f4a67b7 2fd92556f6a206.e3eSbNySbxiNe34Pa38Ta38Rbh50?id=218&c=ACCT106601&h=96c8d92b4253972eb769

I agree $2200 does not make much sense. That is what has stopped me, but I have seen the SME 309 tone arms on audiogon for 1 k.

[1KW]

So if this is true, why does everyone knock the SL1200. It would seem that with a external power supply and good tone arm this would be a pretty good TT. "Direct Drive with no direct gearing such as a Technics SL1200-MK2 uses a donut shaped electromagnet and the physics of like polarities repelling each other to make the platter spin. No motors are even used." Wouldn't this kind of technology reduce, even eliminate, vibrations caused by purely mechanical drives(belt or otherwise)?

[MC352]

David, the SL1200-MK2 is a good TT.
Many folks own and love that table.
It's just like anything else though, there is always something better out there, if you want it.
You just have to figure out whether you think you can get more musical enjoyment out of a different TT.

[jdandy]

"Direct Drive with no direct gearing such as a Technics SL1200-MK2 uses a donut shaped electromagnet and the physics of like polarities repelling each other to make the platter spin. No motors are even used." Wouldn't this kind of technology reduce, even eliminate, vibrations caused by purely mechanical drives(belt or otherwise)?

David.......Direct drive is a motor. What you described, like polarities repelling each other, is the fundamental characteristic of all electric motor theory, both AC and DC.

You might find this site interesting. Electric motors and generators (http://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/electricmotors.html)

[1KW]

Dan this is what it says in wikipedia "the turntable is never powered up without the platter attached). At the underside of the platter there is a large magnet which, once placed over the spindle, surrounds the coils and forms the motor drive thus eliminating loss through power transfer. The SL-1200 utilizes a Frequency Generator Servo Control Quartz Lock system that is claimed to produce the most accurate and consistent speed possible. The system is immune to static and dynamic stylus drag which would otherwise cause unwanted speed variances that change the pitch and tempo of the music. Due to these strengths the SL-1200 lends itself to both Hi-Fi reproduction and demanding DJ usage." ( Technics SL-1200 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200) ) The platter is actually part of the motor.

[Tonepub]

David.......Yep. A $2200.00 tonearm on a $600.00 turntable. Sounds like a plan. :D
]

Have you heard the SL1200 with an SME 309? It's pretty outstanding and this is from a guy that always stuck their nose up at the 1200...

I have a few fairly expensive turntables here (Spiral Groove SG-2, Raven TWO) and while the 1200 is not a giant killer, it's certainly on par with anything you can buy for $3000. And I've owned or heard quite a few.

If you can get your hands on a used 309, the combination with the 1200 is fantastic. The reason that the actual table mechanism is cheap is because technics has a scale of manufacturing efficiency. If VPI had to make that table, it would cost three times as much..

Don't discount a modded 1200....

It's really good.

[jdandy]

Jeff.......That was more of just poking fun at David, and was not intended to be a slam on the SL1200. I know the table is a good performer. I have been tempted by it myself, more than once. I remember reading your remarks about the SME arm and your SL1200. I am not a turntable snob. I was just have some fun with David.

[jdandy]

Dan this is what it says in wikipedia "the turntable is never powered up without the platter attached). At the underside of the platter there is a large magnet which, once placed over the spindle, surrounds the coils and forms the motor drive thus eliminating loss through power transfer. The SL-1200 utilizes a Frequency Generator Servo Control Quartz Lock system that is claimed to produce the most accurate and consistent speed possible. The system is immune to static and dynamic stylus drag which would otherwise cause unwanted speed variances that change the pitch and tempo of the music. Due to these strengths the SL-1200 lends itself to both Hi-Fi reproduction and demanding DJ usage." ( Technics SL-1200 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200) ) The platter is actually part of the motor.

David.......I have read that Wiki post myself, and fully understand the concept of the SL1200 direct drive motor system, and PLL speed control. I was addressing the comment, " No motors are even used", which is a misconception, since the magnet/platter assembly is an essential component of the SL1200's direct drive motor. That was my point.