Technics SL-1210Mk2 Tonearm change ?

[ziggy47]

Hi everyone, I've not been active on this forum for long, so please be gentle with me...
So, I'm considering changing the standard tonearm on my SL-1210Mk2, as you can see from my signature, I've made various mods already and I have the 'itch' to play (and empty my savings account) again.
From what I've read and picked up, the tonearm is another area of improvement for the Technics, so I wondered what opinions from your good fellows are ?
My budget is not massive, ideally I'd love a SME V (hi-fi porn), but I can only dream of one of those, so getting back to reality I'm thinking of a Jelco SA750DB.
I know that these are being discontinued for a new model, but are still in the £500 region.
I really want a detachable headshell option, so I can alternate cartridges, again this limits some options.
So over to you.....
Thanks in advance for any info and advice...Richard

[Bigman80]

Hi Ziggy,

I strongly recommend saving up a few more gold nuggets and asking Phonomac to supply a superbly modified AT1010. I have one on my SP10 MK2 and I've not heard anything id replace it with. That includes SMEs Ortofons and Jelcos. Only my humble opinion of course.

[ziggy47]

Thanks for the reply Oliver
I shall have a look, but have a feeling that the increase in the budget wouldn’t get the 👍🏻 from SWMBO lol 😢

[Bigman80]

Thanks for the reply Oliver
I shall have a look, but have a feeling that the increase in the budget wouldn’t get the from SWMBO lol

I understand but seriously, it's worth the cold shoulder for a good couple of weeks!

[rubber duck]

Unless you're planning on moving on to MC carts the SL1200 arm is more than adequate. There is a bias against the Technics arm here that I don't feel is warranted and the arm is much better than most people think. I have a Hana SH on mine and an AT33PTG on a Moerch DP6 on my other SL1210 and am equally happy listening to either arm/cart combination. Funk Firm also used to replace the arm tube of the Technics arm, which suggests the basic design is fine. Certainly the bearings are very smooth. If you really must, then rewire the arm like I have with a single uninterrupted cable run from cart pins to RCA connectors. Then spend your savings on a better cart. I suspect this will give you a bigger difference than an arm change.

[bighead1707]

Unless you're planning on moving on to MC carts the SL1200 arm is more than adequate. There is a bias against the Technics arm here that I don't feel is warranted and the arm is much better than most people think. I have a Hana SH on mine and an AT33PTG on a Moerch DP6 on my other SL1210 and am equally happy listening to either arm/cart combination. Funk Firm also used to replace the arm tube of the Technics arm, which suggests the basic design is fine. Certainly the bearings are very smooth. If you really must, then rewire the arm like I have with a single uninterrupted cable run from cart pins to RCA connectors. Then spend your savings on a better cart. I suspect this will give you a bigger difference than an arm change.

Hi Jeff,

I’m going to install DP6 to my SL1200. What’s your comment to this combo? Would you please share the photo of it? Thanks

[rubber duck]

Hi Jeff,

I’m going to install DP6 to my SL1200. What’s your comment to this combo? Would you please share the photo of it? Thanks

Sonically this works very well. Practically, it is not straightforward. I would not recommend mounting the DP6 if you're using a heavier arm wand and/or heavy cart. The problem with the DP6 is that the rear stub is very long and the counterweight is under slung. This means that if the cw needs to be moved back to balance out a heavier cart (and a heavy arm wand) it will hit the turntable plinth when the arm is lifted because the SL1200 arm board is recessed.

This was exactly the problem with my 14g blue dot precision arm wand with AT33PTG. I can still cue the arm manually but there is limited space to lift the arm without the cw hitting the plinth. My 4g green dot arm wand with a Stanton cart works fine as the cw is close to the arm pivot. The other problem is that the SL1200 platter is too low and on some carts the DP6 cannot be lowered sufficiently for correct VTA. And even if this was possible the cw will then touch the plinth. You could raise the height of the record with a thicker mat but the spindle may not be long enough. Hope this helps.

[bighead1707]

Sonically this works very well. Practically, it is not straightforward. I would not recommend mounting the DP6 if you're using a heavier arm wand and/or heavy cart. The problem with the DP6 is that the rear stub is very long and the counterweight is under slung. This means that if the cw needs to be moved back to balance out a heavier cart (and a heavy arm wand) it will hit the turntable plinth when the arm is lifted because the SL1200 arm board is recessed.

This was exactly the problem with my 14g blue dot precision arm wand with AT33PTG. I can still cue the arm manually but there is limited space to lift the arm without the cw hitting the plinth. My 4g green dot arm wand with a Stanton cart works fine as the cw is close to the arm pivot. The other problem is that the SL1200 platter is too low and on some carts the DP6 cannot be lowered sufficiently for correct VTA. And even if this was possible the cw will then touch the plinth. You could raise the height of the record with a thicker mat but the spindle may not be long enough. Hope this helps.

I see. Is there any photo helping my imagination for fitting? Thanks

[ziggy47]

Thanks for your input Jeff, sounds like good sense to me....cheers

[ziggy47]

Unless you're planning on moving on to MC carts the SL1200 arm is more than adequate. There is a bias against the Technics arm here that I don't feel is warranted and the arm is much better than most people think. I have a Hana SH on mine and an AT33PTG on a Moerch DP6 on my other SL1210 and am equally happy listening to either arm/cart combination. Funk Firm also used to replace the arm tube of the Technics arm, which suggests the basic design is fine. Certainly the bearings are very smooth. If you really must, then rewire the arm like I have with a single uninterrupted cable run from cart pins to RCA connectors. Then spend your savings on a better cart. I suspect this will give you a bigger difference than an arm change.

Thanks for your input Jeff, sounds like good sense to me....cheers