Audiophiles and simply connoisseurs of good sound know very well that the best sound can only be obtained from vinyl records. And it’s not even a matter of “warm tube” sound, it’s just that vinyl tracks allow you to record music in high quality. But CD can't do that. This is why professional musicians and DJs prefer turntables. However, the question arises about purchasing a good vinyl player. And here the very interesting Technics SL 1200 model comes into the picture.
Positioning
The current 1200 is the reincarnation of the legendary player from Technics, with which the culture of DJs and club parties began. The first 1200 had one very important advantage - direct drive platter. This is what made it possible to spin the record as you pleased. The current Technics SL 1200 model is intended for audiophiles and costs fabulous money (from 50,000 rubles for a used version). But it provides great sound and can be used as a “turntable” for DJs.
For the most part, however, this is simply a vintage turntable for home use in tandem with a quality speaker system and a reasonable amplifier. It is worth remembering that devices of this class do not tolerate system components of a much lower level. They simply completely refuse to work with low-quality acoustics (for example). Those are snobs! However, many audiophiles are willing to spend thousands of dollars to provide their closet with high-quality sound. While eating “doshiraki”. Well, everyone goes crazy in their own way.
WHAT TO PAY ATTENTION WHEN BUYING TECHNICS SL1200
Tonearm bearings:
The tonearm assembly should move freely and show no signs of play. Check the lift mechanism, counterweight and bearings to ensure the tonearm is strong and moves correctly.
Pitch adjustment:
The motor and pitch fader must be properly calibrated to accurately control playback speed. Refer to the dots on the edge of the dial to check fader accuracy. When playing at the zero fader position, the large dot should remain motionless.
Screws:
Check the bottom of the player for missing screws. This is a classic sign of previous poor quality repairs.
RCA connectors:
turntables that were used for DJing were often connected and disconnected from many mixers.
Original model RCA cables wear out over time. Check the connection and signal stability, especially when purchasing for DVS use. Platter:
Spin the platter when the player is turned off. No vibrations should be felt in the body. Make sure the platter rotates freely in both directions without any squeaks or resistance.
Original article.
Specifications
This is the most interesting thing. The design of the SL 1200 has not changed a bit since the 70s. No "numbers". Everything is completely analog. This is the calling card of the Technics SL 1200 MK3. The characteristics of the vinyl player are as follows: playing speed - 33 and 45 rpm (electronic speed switching), tonearm length - 230 mm, tonearm weight - 12 g, case and disc materials - aluminum, disc weight - 1.7 kg, disc diameter - 332 mm, detonation - 0.01%, signal-to-noise ratio - 78 dB. The body color is silver, and the weight of the entire system is 12.5 kilograms. The player does not have any advanced technologies such as phono compensation, loudness compensation and other unnecessary things. This is a product for audiophiles. And they consider it bad manners to use equalizers, phono stages, loudspeakers and other things.
Musical material
Dead Can Dance – Spiritchaser – Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MOFI 2-002
Herbie Hancock - Sextant - CBS/Sony SOPL 190 / Stereo
JSBach - Well-tempered Clavier BWV 846-893 - S.Richter - Melody / Victor VIC-4072-6 / Stereo
Nils Peter Molvaer – Khmer – ECM 1560 / Stereo
Richard Hawley – Standing at the Sky's Edge / Parlophone P436 6981 / Stereo
Stravinsky - Die 3 Grossen Ballette - London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink - Philips 6747 094 / Stereo
Equipment
The turntable comes in an elegant box with a large "Technics SL 1200 MK3" inscription. Instructions, a cover and the necessary connectors for connection are located inside the box. There's nothing else there. Purely Spartan equipment. For that kind of money, the Japanese could even splurge on a cloth for wiping vinyl. But no. Use what you have. Don't expect more. At least the player provides excellent sound. The spartan configuration seems to hint that this is a very expensive and high-quality product.
Reviews
Now comes the fun part of the Technics SL 1200 review. Reviews are always important. They help to understand how the device behaves at home. Of course, there are few happy Technics SL 1200 MK3 owners on the Internet. However, there are reviews. Everyone as one notes the excellent sound of the turntable, but immediately clarifies that to unlock the potential of the turntable, you need H-End acoustics for several thousand dollars. At the same time, they describe their budget Logitech. So the question arises: can such “armchair analysts” be trusted? However, the player is really decent.
Many of the adequate owners of Technics SL 1200 reported that this “turntable” was much better in quality. And it worked much quieter. Indeed, compared to the oldest model, the current SL 1200 is very loud. What this is connected with is unclear. But the Japanese, with their vaunted quality, could make the engine quieter. However, with a good acoustic system this is not particularly critical. Many consumers note the most important advantage - the body of the player dampens vibrations from loud speaker systems, which has a positive effect on sound quality.
Listening
Herbie Hancock's "Sextant" was the first to play. Quite an informative recording - it allows you to hear a lot. The sound turned out to be very voluminous, rather dark than light, physically dense and quite assertive.
Tonearm Technics SL-1200G
The dynamics are very good. There is no haste or sluggishness - everything is quite smooth and precise. And the detail is not bad: you can hear most of what this head can extract from a given recording.
But if I would designate the head as light in sound or closer to neutral, then the resulting one was somewhat puzzling. This is only a light shade, but it is unusual - especially since there are now much more techniques with light sound than with dark ones.
The character of the sound is precise, moderately restrained and in some ways even straightforward. With good detail, the sound is perceived as more unambiguous and straight forward.
Dual range pitch. It is unlikely to be needed in everyday life, but it will come in handy if someone wants to spin shellac at 78 revolutions using a special head
The bass turned out to be of medium depth, collected, fast, but a bit harsh. It lacked volume and texture a little. But with the main notes it creates a very emotional impression. The middle seems either very smooth, or even slightly pressed, compacted. Although there are details and air.
The number of highs is moderate, this system cannot be called bright, and no coloring is noticeable on the highs. The sound often seems monitor-correct, confident and still somewhat unambiguous. But there is still good volume, fullness and some fundamentality.
At this stage, I wanted to experiment a little with mats - replacing the standard “elastic” with something more advanced almost always brings good results. And then there’s a damped disc with a brass trim.
From previous tests I still had Pro-Ject Cork It and Leather It mats - cork-composite and leather, respectively. It is worth considering that if the head is small in height, then the tonearm adjustment may be almost at the lowest point, and the standard mat is thicker than the average.
The Technics SL-1200G comes with a basic Technics shell. There is room for improvement
Of course, we try with height adjustment. The leather mat added some bass, but the overall sound became a little dull - I didn’t like the already dim highs in this form. And overall it turned out somehow not very inharmonious, so this mat definitely doesn’t fit here.
The second number is cork crumbs with additives. This is where things get more interesting. The sound is brighter, more airy, more relaxed. The scale seemed to have become a little smaller, but everything was fine with it anyway, so this did not affect the result.
By the way, pressing the record with a clamp weighing 400-600 g will not be at all superfluous. For many players this is not a very suitable option, but here it is possible. But with a caveat: I liked the work of the clamp less with the standard rubber mat than with third-party ones.
Illuminated head at the beginning of the record - like professional versions
I returned the device to its original state and put on the Nils Peter Molvaer “Khmer” record. Good confident volume, decent color (but rather dark) presentation, good detailing, but the sonority of the trumpet is slightly smoothed out.
But with the bass everything is very impressive. For my taste, it turned out to be even too much. However, everything is in perfect order with the control - it’s just that the tract has placed its accents this way. The presentation is a little formal, but biting and assertive. Only without the sharpness, which would be appropriate in some quantity.
The emotionality is neat, honest, quite accurate, although a little more emancipation would not hurt. However, I will note that the sound of the device is not at all dull and forceful - it is not.
The strobe, switch and speed control of the Technics SL-1200G - everything is absolutely familiar here
Next I listened to the Dead Can Dance CD “Spiritchaser”. The quality of rhythm transmission and volume are impressive. However, the disc was published very well, but not every device can pull it off. The somewhat dark presentation of this album is very appropriate, and the sound has both detail and emotion.
The air and the feeling of three-dimensionality are slightly smoothed out, but the volume does not suffer from this in any way. The emotional presentation is not simplified, but there are certain accents in it that are a little unusual, but do not change the picture as a whole - it is rather just a look from a different angle. The vocal parts are worked out quite fully, without simplification - in space they turn out to be correct and proportionate.
Another album is Richard Hawley's "Standing at the Sky's Edge". The tract plays out the recording density and overloaded moments in detail, richly and volumetrically. There is pressure and fullness. And everything is heard very well. And the somewhat dark presentation, perhaps, suits this album quite well.
Emotional transitions from melancholic music to other moods and emotions work especially well. It is precisely this emotional rhythm that accounts for the listener’s main attention, and the details are present, but they are not what you want to “absorb” in the first place when listening.
Let's move on to classical music. First I listened to Bach’s “Well-tempered Clavier” performed by Svyatoslav Richter. Everything is very good, the accents are placed correctly, the performance is heard well, and so is the recording. Maybe a little softer than I would like, but this record has a very difficult border between “softer” and “harder”.
Technics SL-1200G
The dynamics are correct, the detail is at the level of everything heard before. In principle, it’s good, but in the nuances I noticed some smoothing of the after-sounds and a slightly greater emphasis on the main tones than necessary.
The record “Die 3 Grossen Ballette” by Stravinsky somehow often appeared in my tests, so I also know it very well. The basic sound is quite correct. There is a scale, there is a good, albeit slightly formal, orchestral stage - the geometry and localization are correct, but there is somewhat less air and depth dimensions.
What pulls the picture out is primarily the dynamics, as well as good detail. There are some minor issues with the after-sounds, but on complex fragments the device did not become complex, and the sound remained harmonious.
