Mmmm Technics 1210???

[avalonsounds]

Hi Guys.From what ive been reading here, these (modded)are held in very high regard.Being a dealer and avid curious soul.Im tempted.Ive just picked up a grotty example (with flight case)missing one foot and cover,with an ortofon concorde attached.It is ripe for getting at.Also in stock, ive a box of 9 inch SME m2 arms, and some power supplies for anothe t/table manufacturer.
What with the christmas lull,im mightely tempted.
Is there any difficulty in this arm swap?i know you guys are pretty adept, so any info would be appreciated before something gets hurled across the room, come new year.:eyebrows:

[jostber]

The arm swap is a bit of work, and you can find some information on this on Youtube and elsewhere. I would start with getting some new feet like the Isonoe Feet and a new cartridge like the Ortofon 2M red. Then a good phono stage as well will really spruce up the sound.

[DSJR]

The feet would probably be ditched pronto in any case, so that's one worry gone. isonoes are the dogs danglies I think, but various alternatives of sorbothane are readily available, from cheap domey-things to super-deluxe ones from Mains-cables-r-us (David may do a secret trade discount, so ask him:))

The arm ain't so bad to start with, but an M2 is far better engineered all round and cartridge choice is almost limitless I think. OK, I know a 309 may well be a bit better, but those who've bothered with the M2's have liked what they've found I think and re-wiring may close the gap to next to nothing. I have no idea regarding mounting plate but Timestep specialise in this combination and again, when in the trade......... The rubber infill in the plinth may need some careful surgery though.

Now, the Ortofon Concorde is, in my opinion, pretty good still and the body will take any of the matching styli, from OM Pro conical to OM40 sooper dooper expensive confection. Some of the internals have the laminated pole-pieves of the "OM Super" range, but most I believe don't. I'm not sure what the major difference is, but physically, any of the traditional OM styli will work with the Techie arm as long as the bearings aren't shagged and all the fixing screws haven't loosened off with all the heavy DJ use it may have had.....

Hope this helps :)

[Leepal]

When I got a secondhand 1210 Mk2 the bearings in the arm were worn, a common problem with old DJ turntables, when playing a record the arm would stick like the record was broken. So I replaced it with a new stock arm which wasn't too difficult, instructions on how to do so are on youtube and other places on the internet.

[MCRU]

Just make sure you have plenty of funds as you will be sucked into the art of sound technics money drain. :)

Personally I like the Technics but there are better TT's so before you embark on the journey I would recommend a long hard think about what you want to commit to this as you can easily spend over 3k on the Technics and just remember one important thing, some up-grades cause major improvements, some are more subtle and some are not up-grades at all but still cost a lot :)

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt309/themainsman/Turntable%20Pics/hamish-1.jpg

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Yes, David is right!
That blue one in the picture was my old one, now owned by someone else on here ...
I changed the baring, arm, power supply, feet, mat, even the LEDs ... It's been commented that I didn't even scratch the surface of opening up its potential ... I think I'd spent about £2000 before I decided to get out!
Loads of fun, but a slippery slope ... With all the different options now available it's also somewhat more of a confusing path than it was when time step held the only real upgrade path ...
Make sure you like what the basic tt sounds like first, as that's really the key!
I find my current aging budget Townsend more pleasurable to listen to than I did the techie ... But then I might have just been worrying about what I hadn't upgraded on the techie and forgot to actually enjoy it ...
You can see why I got out ... ;)

[avalonsounds]

Thanks for the input guys.I think part of my "problem" is that I find the building of one offs, so more satifying than merely buying an off the shelf number.To be honest, im not sure if I want to invest approaching 2k, and then still be wondering if im missing out! Maybe, this 1210 will find its way to ebay for someone without my "issues";)

[MWalt]

I like my "Techy" so much that I am buying another one tomorrow. It's a MKII in nice shape that I am getting for $225.00. (around 144 quid?) I am going to keep it stock so that I have a measurable point of reference for all of the mods I do to my current deck.

[Wakefield Turntables]

The art of 1210 upgrading is simple.

1. Research Research and do more Research on all the upgrades

2. Decide upon what you want to get from your technics.

3. Decide on a budget (and stick to it)

4. Implement modifications

5. Enjoy :cool:

Hope this helps. ;)

[chelsea]

Just make sure you have plenty of funds as you will be sucked into the art of sound technics money drain. :)

Personally I like the Technics but there are better TT's so before you embark on the journey I would recommend a long hard think about what you want to commit to this as you can easily spend over 3k on the Technics and just remember one important thing, some up-grades cause major improvements, some are more subtle and some are not up-grades at all but still cost a lot :)

http://i622.photobucket.com/albums/tt309/themainsman/Turntable%20Pics/hamish-1.jpg

I'd say good advice.
I think if you go this route you need to know you will stay with this deck or prepare for a big hit if you decide to sell.

[WOStantonCS100]

...To be honest, im not sure if I want to invest approaching 2k, and then still be wondering if im missing out!...

Unless we own it all, we'll always be "missing out" on something. ;) Garrard, Lenco, Technics, Well Tempered, Linn, SME, Basis, etc. etc. They all offer something different than the other.


...prepare for a big hit if you decide to sell.

Not so sure about that, respectfully speaking. Just about every Techy mod I've seen can be reversed without any (or very little) indication that the mod had ever been performed. The mods can be sold off individually, as opposed to trying to get top dollar for a fully modded deck. It's not like a Mike New bearing is "going to go bad" or a Funk Firm 1200 platter is going to go "tits up". Tonearms/armplates, same thing. Alas though, resale value is not something I ever consider when purchasing or upgrading a piece of gear. But, I'm not a box swapper.

As Andrew said, "Research Research and do more Research on all the upgrades". IMHO, that's the best way to avoid the "big hit" on any turntable/arm/cart.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Unless we own it all, we'll always be "missing out" on something. ;) Garrard, Lenco, Technics, Well Tempered, Linn, SME, Basis, etc. etc. They all offer something different than the other.



Not so sure about that, respectfully speaking. Just about every Techy mod I've seen can be reversed without any (or very little) indication that the mod had ever been performed. The mods can be sold off individually, as opposed to trying to get top dollar for a fully modded deck. It's not like a Mike New bearing is "going to go bad" or a Funk Firm 1200 platter is going to go "tits up". Tonearms/armplates, same thing. Alas though, resale value is not something I ever consider when purchasing or upgrading a piece of gear. But, I'm not a box swapper.

As Andrew said, "Research Research and do more Research on all the upgrades". IMHO, that's the best way to avoid the "big hit" on any turntable/arm/cart.

Some wise words. Sometimes more money can be spent on experimenting but hopefully you'll learn from positive or negative experiences and therefore not waste time or money in the future. I would disagree on not being able to sell the 1210 upgrades, this is a very pro-active 1210 forum and usually, if you dont charge silly money you'll be able to sell your gear to another 1210 nut wanting to upgrade:D Sure you loose money but you do that every day with inflation, its part of being an audiophile. ;)