should I go with technics 1200

I was just looking through this forum and wondering what people's thoughts are on technics SL 1200 turntables?

Yeah yeah I know they are for clubs but I used to DJ and have owned 4 of these decks in the past and even with the carts I used for the clubs they sounded quite good and very quiet when I took them home and played them through my home system. They were easy to set up, just about indestructable and from what I've seen a lot cheaper at around $800 AUS than a lot of the more exotic stuff on offer.

At the moment the only turntable I have running is an old Garrand stereo lab which will require some major work just to get it sounding decent again.

I am thinking of buying a new/2nd hand deck as I have a lot of vinyl that i would like to play again and first thing I thought of was one of those trusty 1200's. Is there a good reason I should choose something different in this price range?

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nearly any of thes should sound better than the SL1200. one of them has an mmt arm and that has a detachable headshell which makes for ease of cartridge mounting and also you can have several carts mounted and ready to switch for different sound. i do this frequently and it makes the hpbby a lot of fun.

I hope this man knows more about sound than he does about light. He can't take a decent photograph to save his life.

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Originally Posted by skeptic

I hope this man knows more about sound than he does about light. He can't take a decent photograph to save his life.

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regardless, its me, and thats what i look like in surreal life.

To answer your question (as no-one else seems to have done so!!) the Technics actually isn't too bad as a hi-fi turntable. There are plenty of people who will point out that a Rega or a Project turntable will out do one sonically and in the case of the Project items this is quite true (not so sure about the Rega - i've never been a fan) but you can still bolt a decent MM cartridge or even a cheap MC into the Technics and it will make a very respectable noise - i've had good results with an Audio Technica AT-F3.
You also have the advantage that they are more user-friendly and robust than a dedicated hi-fi turntable (no messing about with belts to change the speed for example!!).
One final thought - what Garrard turntable do you have? If a 301 or 401, forget the Technics and spend your money on this instead - a properly set up one will outdo most modern turntables up to the value of about £5000!!!
Adam.

thanks for the replies.

Having looked at my post I realise I have quickly stated what I thought my garrard was without checking and have even called it a garrand :P

It is actually a Synchro-lab (SL-65) its a changer that does 33,45,78 and is part of a circa 1970 home system sold by Kriesler and is mounted in the top of a large unit which also houses a solid state amp with space for your records in the bottom (furniture style I suppose).

I considered bulding it its own enclosure for use in the system I am building but I think it may fall short of my expectations, so I am just looking at my options for a turntable at the moment.

Ah, the SL-65B!! A fine beast - classic design, quality engineering and built like a tank!
As you may have gathered from my forum ID, i love these old Garrard decks, but even a blinkered idiot like me would have to say that unfortunately their sound quality isn't up to much, and you'd be better off sticking with the Technics.

Adam.

There are many many great tables out there in this price range and hifitommy has pointed out several of the options via audiogon.

If you're looking for something new though, I'd look at some of the Pro-Ject (as Garrardman predicted...) and the Music Hall MMF's - both of which can be had for the amount you're looking to spend.

If you want to spend a bit more I can't say enough about the SOTA Moonbeam table! You'll have to get a cartridge though - I've got a Goldring G-1042 in mine, but any of the G-1000 series from Goldring or a nice Grado would do well on this deck. I recently replaced my MMF-5 with the Moonbeam / G-1042 combination and couldn't be happier.

you should definitely go for 1210 which is the most resistant in the world! I realy don't understand why peple are interesting in anything different, esspecialy these light audiophile staff - for vinyl there is no difference

tomas

[QUOTE= for vinyl there is no difference

tomas

there are great differences in the sound of turntables and for various reasons. with cd, the diffs are much smaller but still discernable.

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Originally Posted by sonicdog

I was just looking through this forum and wondering what people's thoughts are on technics SL 1200 turntables?

Yeah yeah I know they are for clubs but I used to DJ and have owned 4 of these decks in the past and even with the carts I used for the clubs they sounded quite good and very quiet when I took them home and played them through my home system. They were easy to set up, just about indestructable and from what I've seen a lot cheaper at around $800 AUS than a lot of the more exotic stuff on offer.

At the moment the only turntable I have running is an old Garrand stereo lab which will require some major work just to get it sounding decent again.

I am thinking of buying a new/2nd hand deck as I have a lot of vinyl that i would like to play again and first thing I thought of was one of those trusty 1200's. Is there a good reason I should choose something different in this price range?

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Response:

You may not want to pay for a 12% pitch control and a strobe unless you plan to use the SL1200 in a club. Once I owned a Garrard Zero 100C that broke down. When I replaced it, I bought a Thorens TD165c that has never been serviced since 1977. About six years ago I upgraded to a VPI for the better suspension, and rarely use the Thorens today.

Thorens has been in business since 1884, only three years after RCA's 1881 patent. In the beginning, they built music boxes using discs instead of cylinders. Once the LP took hold they began building turntables in Germany from Swiss parts. If you buy used, the availability of parts if you ever require servicing is critical. There are very few brands from the 70's other than Thorens, Technics or Denon that are still making turntables.

While Direct Drive has faster start-up, belt-drive will last longer. While at first it is difficult to adjust to a manual, if you buy one you will gain a much better tonearm, motor and suspension instead of an auto-lift and return. The new entry-level Thorens model is available today for about the same price as the Technics.

Stereophile gave the Czechoslovakian Music Hall MMF2 a great review, and the British Rega Planar 2 is even better. You may be able to find a really good used turntable for cheap at a high-end store that sells on consignment. My VPI I bought used for $500! Many systems made today do not have a phono input, you may need or a stand alone phono preamp to boost your gain into an auxiliary input.

You may also want to replace and upgrade your cartridge, since the one in the Garrard is probably very old if it is still functional. Ortofon still makes a fantastic cartridge, and if you choose a Thorens they mate very harmoniously. I hope that I have helped, and good luck. P.S...Try some of the new 180 gram vinyl, it is awesome!

D.J. Carrothers
stereowizard59@yahoo.com

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There are very few brands from the 70's other than Thorens, Technics or Denon that are still making turntables.

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Don't forget -
Linn
Michell
SME
Rega
Sony
Citronic
Garrard
Oracle
Dual
Pioneer (make an interesting one made out of old Suntory whisky barrels allegedly)
and of course - Wurlitzer (hey, they may be jukeboxes, but they play records!!)

Adam.