Originally Posted by
vs_jk
I bought my Technics SL1210Mk2 brand new many years ago when they could be purchased for around $450. It’s been a fantastic turntable and I bought it on the advice that it can be upgraded as funds allow. So I’ve done exactly that with it. My first mod was putting heat shrink on the tonearm which yielded very noticeable sonic improvements. Next I bought the Resomat acrylic platter which also was a significant upgrade. Then came the IanMac bearing and KAB thrust plate wax which elevated the sound further. And most recently I’ve gotten the KAB damper added to my turntable which also was a significant improvement. I love the looks of my turntable but also like how classic turntables have wooden plinths so I got a wood enclosure for my Technics and that really added to the aesthetic. All in, I’ve got around $850 in my turntable. I’m very satisfied with the sound and have felt that I would need to spend multiples of this amount to get an improvement.
How much of an improvement is something that has been a curiosity for me. And therefore, I’ve always wondered how my setup would compare to a high end turntable. It just so happens that a friend of mine owns a gorgeous belt drive Micro Seiki BL-91 turntable in immaculate condition. We also happen to have the same phono stage in the iFi iPhono. He has a DL103 and I have an aluminum bodied DL103R so not an exact match but relatively close. I requested that I be able to do a comparison using his setup. So first, I listened to a couple very familiar and high quality recordings on my turntable using my headphone amp (Little Dot MK3 with Amperex bugle boy tubes) and Sennheiser HD580 headphones:
Duke Ellington: Blues in Orbit
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Telarc
Then I went over to my friend’s house with the above two albums and my headphone amp and headphones. We hooked up the same setup on his turntable and listened. At first I was relieved that his high end turntable didn’t blow mine out of the water. However, as I listened more closely, I had to admit the soundstage was wider and a little more holographic and transparent. Also, the sound seemed to have an ease to it and float on a cloud with the Micro. While my Technics produces a sound more grounded. Both turntables easily reproduce details in the sonics.
I will say that Technics fans seem to blow things out of proportion about belt drives having pitch variations. My friend’s Micro does not have any electronic speed control and yet it was rock solid like my Technics. If there were any pitch variations, then they were so minute that they weren’t noticeable.
So, it was the first time I’ve ever been able to compare my Technics to a classic top end turntable. The Micro certainly blows my humble Technics out of the water when it comes to aesthetics! And I have to admit that the Micro was a little better/different in the sound department. But that is to be expected considering it has an SME arm that cost more than my entire turntable when it was new and unmodified! At the same time, the Technics holding its own against such a top range classic turntable is a testament to it’s quality and upgradeability for very reasonable costs. Knowing this, I feel satisfied in my Technics and that the money spent on the mods I’ve done so far were very worthwhile.
