Just ordered the 1200G!

[allthingsanalogue]

You've got polar opposites there with the Technics and the Linn. Although I notice you have tricked the Linn up a bit. Polar opposite in looks too. I prefer the industrial look of the Technics to the wooden plinthed decks myself.

The only thing that puts me off the look of the new one is the blue LEDS. Hi Fi LEDs, or hi-fi lights in general can be red, green, yellow or orange but never blue. I don't know who started the blue thing but they best hope I don't find out.

I mean that strobe would be so much better in orange. Maybe it is just me.

Anyway look forward to your thoughts on the sound, Andrew.

Thanks Martin.

I've now tried the Technics headshell and Marco was right, it sounds better imho! Obvoiusly designed for the arm, faster sounding, the Jelco slunds slower.

I've got a 2.7mm spacer allowing me to get perfect VTA.

This deck is very clean sounding, much more refined sounding than the stock 1210 I had. When I moved it onto my wall shelf just now I thought it was stuck to my coffee table, it's so heavy! Obviously there's a lot of running in to do, especially the cartridge but it's sounding great so far.





This cartridge is quite special considering it's less than half the price of the Delos!

[allthingsanalogue]

Really ? no probs with the blue at all, find it pretty inoffensive. Orange though in my view can be a bit yuck but hey ho, we all like different things I guess

They aren't as bright in real, quite a soft blue, they certainly don't have a glare to them, quite diffused. Blue LED'S are always hard to photograph I think.

[allthingsanalogue]

[Ammonite Audio]

That mirrors my own thoughts on the Jelco headshells - not insanely priced, beautifully made and usefully adjustable for azimuth, but just not great sound, whether on a Jelco arm or another. That's why I always liked the Oyaide headshells which lack adjustment, but otherwise sound much nicer and more 'musical'. It's a shame that Oyaide are so expensive and that's the only reason why I don't stock them any more, but I'll always keep a couple of well used examples to hand for my own use.

.......... I've now tried the Technics headshell and Marco was right, it sounds better imho! Obvoiusly designed for the arm, faster sounding, the Jelco slunds slower.

[Marco]

Hi Andrew,

Glad you've got things up and running now - looks great!

I've now tried the Technics headshell and Marco was right, it sounds better imho! Obvoiusly designed for the arm, faster sounding, the Jelco slunds slower.

Lol... I usually am when it comes to things Technics T/T-related! Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt....

It's probably not so much that the headshell has been designed for the arm (although that will have some bearing on matters), but rather that it's a better match for your AT cartridge than the Jelco was, simply because it's lighter (has less mass). There's probably about 2g in it. Your AT-33PTG doesn't need augmenting with added mass - and that's why it'll sound musically 'freer' and nimbler on a lighter headshell, as too much mass bloats the sound.

We're not dealing with a Denon DL-103 here!

This deck is very clean sounding, much more refined sounding than the stock 1210 I had. When I moved it onto my wall shelf just now I thought it was stuck to my coffee table, it's so heavy! Obviously there's a lot of running in to do, especially the cartridge but it's sounding great so far.

Nice one. Are you still using the stock rubber mat, or if not, what? If you're still using the rubber mat, then you've got MUCH more to come yet from a mat upgrade. An Achromat, as I've mentioned, would be a simple and cost-effective solution.

Something else to bear in mind is changing the stock feet. I know you don't want to mod the T/T, but the likes of Isonoes are retrofittable with the stock feet (both simply screw on and off of the base of the T/T), so you'll not be making any irreversible alterations, and trust me, the stock items do not do the turntable justice, sonically. Technics will simply have kept them to retain visual originality with previous SL-1200s.

Isonoe feet will provide improved isolation, thus allowing the T/T to 'breathe' better, and sound "faster" and more tuneful as a result, just like you heard with the headshell change. It's a no-brainer, honestly! And of course the stock ones can easily be replaced if necessary. If you do it, I promise that you'll thank me for it. Plus, they look great!

See here: http://www.analogueseduction.net/iso...-set-of-4.html

Marco.

[allthingsanalogue]

Still using the stock mat. The difference in weight is 4g between the two headshells.

The feet are totally different than the previous ones and seem to be much better.

This deck actually makes exactly the same noise as the other one, i mean I am being fanatical about it with my ear almost touching the spindle. I wonder if it's just air movement between the motor parts or just a magnetc noise? Obviously this motor is totally different to the original motor. Any more than an inch or so away and you cant hear it, it's more like a wind noise, As it's exactly the same as the other one I wonder if they all do it. It doesn't sound like bearing noise, nothing mettalic or screeching etc.

I cant hear it though the stylus on a runout groove, even the ipad microphone almost touchng the spindle can't pick it up.

What I would say is this that deck sounds better than my last 1210mk5g with the oyaide platter, RB700 arm, MN Bearing and oyaide platter and weight!!!!

So yes it is good.

[Marco]

Still using the stock mat. The difference in weight is 4g between the two headshells.

The feet are totally different than the previous ones and seem to be much better.

Ah, so the Technics shell is lighter than I thought. No wonder you heard a difference! What are the feet made of and how are they constructed (from memory, the old ones were simply thickly moulded plastic) - can you see any extra attention to detail from before, in terms of them improving isolation? A close-up pic would help

The key with the Isonoes is that they provide the T/T with a type of suspension (check out their design), and that helps significantly in terms of isolation and addressing the ingress of vibration, the effects of which you can clearly hear, and the subsequent improvement gained isn't subtle.

You really must try an Achromat. I'm actually rather shocked that Technics are still supplying a rubber mat with a turntable they've improved so heavily in other areas. How many currently produced high-end T/Ts do you know that come supplied with rubber mats? And yes, there's a reason for that...

We've learned quite a lot in that area since the 70s!

This deck actually makes exactly the same noise as the other one, i mean I am being fanatical about it with my ear almost touching the spindle. I wonder if it's just air movement between the motor parts or just a magnetc noise? Obviously this motor is totally different to the original motor. Any more than an inch or so away and you cant hear it, it's more like a wind noise, As it's exactly the same as the other one I wonder if they all do it. It doesn't sound like bearing noise, nothing mettalic or screeching etc.

I cant hear it though the stylus on a runout groove.

So that's the second one that's like that? Very weird... And yet your mate claims that his is silent? If that's true, then clearly you've been sent duffers - either that or he's deaf! You need to go round to his place for a listen, or get him to being his T/T to yours, and find out what's going on.

What I would say is this that deck sounds better than my last 1210mk5g with the oyaide platter, RB700 arm, MN Bearing and oyaide platter and weight!!!!

Well, that's good, but you need to address the noise issue ASAP.

Marco.

[allthingsanalogue]

I've asked Technics to confirm.

[Marco]

That's fair enough, but for your own piece of mind you need to confirm it for yourself. How far away does your mate live, who's got the same turntable?

Marco.

[allthingsanalogue]

That's fair enough, but for your own piece of mind you need to confirm it for yourself. How far away does your mate live, who's got the same turntable?

Marco.

No idea, he's on pinkfish. Im going to ask him again.