wushuliu
Super Member
I'm glad you chimed in @bar72. Since I started this thread almost a month ago I've done more research and gained tons of knowledge from the fine members here. I still have loads to learn and sometimes feel my brain is about to explode, but after reading up on everything I had pretty much decided to go searching for a used Technics SL 1200. This is based on learning that for a turntable to perform at it's peak sonically they really, only need a steady/constant revolution, a horizontal platter, and a stable tracking tonearm. Of course, the cartridge is more than half the battle when it comes to sound.
The challenge is finding an SL 1200 that's not beat to death. There's about 3 or 4 of them in my local area going between $350-$450, but at least cosmetically they look like they've been heavily used. I have found someone on AK via Bartertown who is willing to sell me an unused/still packaged in OG box Technics SL 1200 MK II for around $800 (apparently quite a rare find). This is way over my budget and I'd still need to get a cart, but I am considering it because it seems this is a gem of a turntable. I'm guessing I would probably never need another one for the rest of my life. I'm in communication about this table and will probably seal the deal within the next couple days. I am, however open to any thoughts on this along with cart suggestions as this is a huge purchase for me.
Don't do the SL-1200. This forum is a great resource for vintage table info but the downside to that is you get some pretty rigid points of view (welcome to the internet). One of these is the SL-1200 club that will swear up and down it is a must-get table. Never mind that there are now more new turntables available at budget prices than there have been in decades. Tables like the U-Turn Orbit which has a great rep and great customer service and whose internet direct model gets you a good table at half the price it would if sold retail.
But back the 1200. Here's the thing: IMO it's over-rated. And by over-rated I mean it kind of stinks. If you notice the 1200 recs never mention that there are also many, many Technics direct drives that are just as good if not better. Oh, but it's built like a tank? You don't need a tank. You need a turntable. I have owned and modded multiple SL-1200s. I have also owned/repaired other Technics direct drives - the 1400s, 1500s, 1600s, etc. The 1200 is the *worst* sounding of the bunch. I drank the kool-aid. It was my first table when I got into the hobby ten years ago. But I didn't like it. So I told myself it's a little beat up, just needs some cleaning and some mods and... next thing I knew I had sunk $$$ into that table. Result? Meh. Even a flimsy Philips 312 was more involving than the 1200. Then I heard the suspended Technics like the SL-1600. Those are GREAT sounding tables *and* are well built blah blah blah for all the Technics fan-boys.
I went through a period of vintage table fixing and listening where I heard dozens of tables over a period of a year or so. How many turntable owners can say that? Not many. I owned/sold 2 to 3 1200s in that time period. The SL-1200 disappointed me everytime. And I say that as a fan of direct drives, belt drives, and the (one) idler drives I've heard. I have no tribe. The 1200 is just an example where a particular mindset locks onto a product because of what it represents not because of how it sounds. And I'm not alone in my opinion.
If you *must* have a Technics find one of the other models, preferably a suspended.
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