technics sl1200 mk5 audiophile

praer4life · Post by **praer4life** » 02 Jul 2009 13:06

My thoughts so far are

Deck technics sl1200 mk5 = bought
to be done for definate!
Then origin live silver arm plus arm mod
Then psu for the motor
Herbies special mat for the deck (audiophile)
Isonoe feet (audiophile)
Cartridge man isolater
Sumiko blue point special
Mains cable pure silver have a contact tm3
Project shelf 3 stand just for the deck isolated
your help please

Now I am thinking
for the phono stage =

Also a cable to go from the phono stage to the amp? I am thinking the same as the arm cable thats an origin live fit?

God bless u

bastlnut · Post by **bastlnut** » 02 Jul 2009 20:45

hallo,

not to ruffle many feathers, tho i like to at times.
who ever said the Technics 1200 turntable is audiophile?
it is definitivly not in my opinion.
so not be fooled.

for that kind of money get a Rega or a MMF or a used VPI, Sota, Voyd, ETC...
if you listen almost only to rock, then fine.
other music types will less than inticing unless you are ready to invest time and money in modifications.

regards,
bastlnut

bastlnut · Post by **bastlnut** » 03 Jul 2009 05:40

hallo,

yes, i have read the reviews, and i have had one that i even went and modified.
still sounded overdamped to me.
absolutly not my cup of tea to say the least.
i do have one in DJ form for doing exactly that, but i prefer my Lenco L75S DJ TT's for that even.
Dave, your work with them is to be recommended. =D>

i stand by my opinion that for an audiophile turntable it is best to look elsewhere.
there are Technics that are more accomplished and they show up on ebay now and again.
believe it or not, there are other turntable in the world besides Technics. :wink:

regards,
bastlnut

Beobloke · Post by **Beobloke** » 03 Jul 2009 09:32

bastlnut wrote: believe it or not, there are other turntable in the world besides Technics. :wink:

regards,
bastlnut

Very true. However, quite a few of them are dearer, more shoddily designed, less solidly constructed and sound worse than it!

Still, each to their own. :wink:

bastlnut · Post by **bastlnut** » 03 Jul 2009 16:52

yes,

and there are quite a few that are less expensive, designed for good sound instead of durability, and don't sound like the 30 ton tank it is built like.

whatever pulls your strings...

regards,
bastlnut

chartz · Post by **chartz** » 04 Jul 2009 07:24

Hello,

Bastinut, don't you have ANYTHING else to do than systematically talking rot about the Technics? Please stop it!
Mine sounds so good, even on classical and jazz...

JoeE SP9 · Post by **JoeE SP9** » 04 Jul 2009 07:52

I had a shootout at my house years ago. My VPI against an SL1200.
I was basically no contest. The owner of the SL sold it the next week. He bought an Oracle and still has it.

Sorry guys, I agree with Bastinut. SL's are OK TT's. High end they are not.

WmAx · Post by **WmAx** » 04 Jul 2009 17:10

While the stock tone arm is no great thing, the table itself is excellent, objectively. Place a high quality arm on the unit and it will perform superbly.

I have yet to understand what people mean by 'overdamped'. To me, this is great! This to me means it has no coloration imposed by a resonant chassis or platter; virtually no undesired oscillation(s). Which is to be expected; the chassis and platter are very well damped on the SL-1200MKII. Combined with the superb speed stability that most high end tables aspire to achieve and this is one excellent table for neutral playback.

The only limits to performance(assuming a premium performance arm is installed) that I can discern are (1) the occasional cartridge that might succumb to picking up electrical noise from the PS on board [and] (2) the user's imagination.
-Chris :( :) :o :D

mosin · Post by **mosin** » 04 Jul 2009 18:51

Hi,

I'll have to go with bastlnut on this one. You want a Technics audiophile grade turntable? Get an SP10. The cheap ones that are all tricked out remind me of the ricer Hondas you see around. All the tricked out Technics lacks are the scoops, decals and ground effects. It also lacks the performance of the ricer cars! :lol:

Seriously, the SL1200 does fall way short of the accuracy and dynamics expected from a top turntable. So what good is it? It is a reliable and decent performer for those Technics inclined users who do not listen to critically recorded music, and have limited budgets that won't allow for an SP10.

Everything in our hobby has reference points, and unless you are familiar with a fair measure of them, some restraint is warranted when it comes to recommendations that imply audiophile quality. There are a lot of things out there that give truly outstanding results, but the SL1200 falls short.

missan · Post by **missan** » 04 Jul 2009 20:03

I have experienced the 1200 for some time now and my opinion is that there are two major issues that, to get the 1200 to another level in performance, should be addressed.
The plinth is not rigid enough, it can move in regards to the platter very easily. It is partly this that can be heard as a dampened sound when using stock feet. This can be bettered if using carefully selected spikes, but the problem is not easily solved.
The biggest problem is the platter, which is not easy to get more rigid. Another type of mat can make the problem less promenant, but the TT should need, maybe, some type of thick Delrin platter with more rigid bearings, to take it to another level.
Having said this, all in all, I think it´s a rather good TT, but we should not try to make it what it isn´t.
missan

mosin · Post by **mosin** » 04 Jul 2009 21:35

mosin wrote:Hi,

I'll have to go with bastlnut on this one. You want a Technics audiophile grade turntable? Get an SP10. The cheap ones that are all tricked out remind me of the ricer Hondas you see around. All the tricked out Technics lacks are the scoops, decals and ground effects. It also lacks the performance of the ricer cars! :lol:

Seriously, the SL1200 does fall way short of the accuracy and dynamics expected from a top turntable. So what good is it? It is a reliable and decent performer for those Technics inclined users who do not listen to critically recorded music, and have limited budgets that won't allow for an SP10.

Everything in our hobby has reference points, and unless you are familiar with a fair measure of them, some restraint is warranted when it comes to recommendations that imply audiophile quality. There are a lot of things out there that give truly outstanding results, but the SL1200 falls short.
Funny.........I'm a retired automotive engineer.........honda more exact.
I used/am using honda products in my turntable.........guess where?
It is fast and furious, yet drives like a dream. 8)

I have a Honda that was made thirty-five miles from where I live. Yep, they have good products.

Maybe in the bearing well?

WmAx · Post by **WmAx** » 05 Jul 2009 00:02

The SL-1200 just does not get any love here... :D

It is a technically excellent product - it's hard to argue against that one. But some people, 'subjectively', don't think it's suited to hi-fi sound reproduction.

If I had a SL-1200MKII or better with a good arm, I would like to record the output and compare it to the output from a 'superior' table using the exact cartridge on both units so that the sound could be analyzed under unknown blinded conditions. :) That would be enlightening....

Would anyone here consider the Technics SL-Q3 to be close enough to the SL-1200MKII to do this comparison? I have a pretty good arm I will mount on it, and I'll use the same cartridge on both. It will be a Denon DL-110. If someone would like me to use a 'better' cartridge (I consider the Dl-110 to be just fine; I prefer it over many far more expensive carts), if it's acceptable, I would ask to then borrow that cart for this test. I'll record results from the Technics and my Marantz TT-15S1(a high quality Clearaudio table using the Clearaudio Satisfy tone arm). I can upload the recorded files so that anyone can use a software DBT program like FooABX with Foobar to do the comparison, assuming they have a high quality sound interface on their PC that they can interface with their main stereo system. The Marantz seems to get pretty high praise all around, that it's a great value ($1700 street price) for the cost. So I hope this is a 'good enough' table for the comparison.

-Chris

Monsieur Tarzan · Post by **Monsieur Tarzan** » 09 Jul 2019 00:30

bastlnut wrote: ↑
03 Jul 2009 16:52
yes,

and there are quite a few that are less expensive, designed for good sound instead of durability, and don't sound like the 30 ton tank it is built like.

whatever pulls your strings...

regards,
bastlnut

Quite a few? Okay, name some. You can get a good specimen of the Technics SL-1200 MK5 for around $500. The MK5 sounds better than a Rega P3 which retails for $1000. I think a lot of so-called audiophiles' real objection to the MK5 is its popularity among DJs. Also, your comment is the first time I've heard someone try to trash a product by complaining about its high degree of sturdiness. One of the things I like about the SL-1200 is that it provokes this reaction from audiophile snobs. It's a utilitarian piece of equipment, built to a quality that puts many more expensive, finicky turntables to shame, but just because it acquired popularity among DJs, some refuse to acknowledge that it's an excellent piece of audio engineering. Honestly I think another reason some people don't like it is because it represents a rejection of audiophile mythology. It's a humble, proletarian piece of equipment in a sea of elitist audiophile marketing.

Tonybro · Post by **Tonybro** » 09 Jul 2019 07:27

The SL1200 range was designed as a home hi-fi turntable by Technics.

The durability and quick operational performance was taken up by DJs as it also suited their requirements too. Once Technics realised DJs were using it heavily they added the reset button to the Mk5 just for their convenience but it is still a hi-fi turntable first and foremost.

I have one (Mk II) in my fleet plus I grabbed my son a 1800 MkI to go alongside my 5 or so belt drives (LP12, Systemdek, STD305S, etc.). It is not outclassed in that company even if not the absolute best sounding. It does look he best though in blue rather than silver or black/graphite!

Japi Roelofs · Post by **Japi Roelofs** » 09 Jul 2019 11:51

The original SL-1200 (MK1) might have been a hifi turntable, but by the time the MK2 was launched they already targeted the DJ crowd. This is from the Technics website:

1979 / SL-1200MK2
The First Turntable to Incorporate DJ Functions

The SL-1200MK2 was the first Hi-Fi turntable designed in consideration of use by disco and club DJs. Technics’ staff visited clubs in Chicago and saw with their own eyes DJs using the first-generation SL-1200 as a “musical instrument.” For the development of the MK2, DJs’ opinions were collected and necessary modifications were made to satisfy their needs. One big advancement made in this model was the use of the Quartz Lock system. This achieved more accurate rotation control. Furthermore, a fader controller was adopted to simplify pitch adjustment. The vibration absorbing cabinet with integrally molded upper aluminium die-cast and lower special rubber was also created at this time. The SL-1200MK2 successfully responded to DJs’ needs. It was the bona fide model that changed the turntable from a record player to a “musical instrument.”

Here's an old ad:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ab/6c/f8 ... 70f49e.jpg

technics sl1200 mk5 audiophile

technics sl1200 mk5 audiophile

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Re: technics sl1200 mk5 audiophile

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