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Thread: Newbie With The Mod Bug SL1210 MKII

  1. #1
    Join Date: Dec 2019

    Location: Channel Islands

    Posts: 139
    I'm Ben.

    Default Newbie With The Mod Bug SL1210 MKII

    Evening.

    I'm looking to mod my SL1210 MKII TT for better SQ.

    Mods wise I am open to suggestions and after searching the forum and there appears to be a lot to choose from and some nice mods I have unfortunately missed out on.

    So far the mod list looks like the following.

    - Jelco TS-550S 9" Tonearm & Headshell
    - Audio Technica AT33EV Cartridge
    - Oyaide BR-12 Turntable Mat
    - Isonoe Audio Isolation Feet

    If anything I have listed above has a better counterpart for the same price please let me know. I'm also looking for recommendations of where to source the parts online and someone who can carry out any soldering work that will be required as I can't solder to save my life!

    Two things I am undecided on is moving the power supply externally. I know the theory behind doing it but is the difference audible?

    I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has gone with modding the platter. If a decent mat is used, something like the Oyaide BR-12 is there any audible difference or is this getting close to diminishing returns?

    Thanks very much for reading and all the best for 2020

  2. #2
    Join Date: Mar 2014

    Location: KY - Scotland

    Posts: 5,465
    I'm Mike.

    Default

    I have those isonoe feet on my 1210 don’t think they make much difference to be honest, money better spent elsewhere.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Dec 2019

    Location: Channel Islands

    Posts: 139
    I'm Ben.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mikeyb View Post
    I have those isonoe feet on my 1210 don’t think they make much difference to be honest, money better spent elsewhere.
    Any pointers?

  4. #4
    Join Date: Nov 2019

    Location: Lancs

    Posts: 29
    I'm Philip.

    Default

    I can help with a tonearm, I've got a nice Jelco SA 750 along with an armboard to suit your 1210. Drop me a pm if you are interested.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2011

    Location: London

    Posts: 4,419
    I'm Robert.

    Default

    Hi Ben,

    I've gone this route, literally upgraded my 1210 to within an inch of it's life, with all the best parts ie: Isonoe isolation feet, Mike New ETP platter, Mike New bearing, Mike New bearing base plate, Micro Seiki MA202 tonearm, Ortofon pure silver headshell leads, ebony armboard, Paul Hynes SR7-21 EHD external power supply with pure silver pure silver deck to power supply lead with Jaegar low impedance connector.

    No expense spared, spent a shed-load.

    Would I do it again? no.

    Was it worth it ? For the experience and learning - yes. Financially no

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if I knew then what I know now I'd have gone the route I eventually have - Technics SP-10......


    Anyway, My advise is that you dont need to go crazy and spend mad amounts of money to get good results and enjoy the 1210.

    Mine thrilled me to bits with simple mods and an Ortofon 2M Black on groove tracing duty

    Bare in mind that once you change the tonearm you lose the excellent and super convenient Technics on the fly vta, it's a compromise if you are going to use top carts like the 2M Black but wont be deal breaker if you dont intend on using carts with Shibata profiles like the 2MB which are very finicky/fussy about setup and in particular vta.

    Keeping things simple, cost/spend conscious but effective, I'd definitely go:

    -Isonoe feet, look cool IMO and are certainly better than the stock feet in terms of isolation, clearly made better in terms of absorbing vibration over the stock boots.
    -Get one of the reasonably priced off board power supplies https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/35251584344...hoC9PkQAvD_BwE There are other 12XX exteranl powers supplies out there including Origin Live and Paul Hynes etc, have a search

    - Micro Seiki MA-202 tonearm - A very well made and respected vintage tonearm which I think matches the 12XX beautifully. You should be able to pick up a tidy one for under £200, then send it to Angus (Phonomac) for an overhaul, re-wire and new hybrid ceramic bearings. It also has on the fly vta. Not quite as slick as the techies on the fly but on the fly all the same and most certainly a good thing to have than not.

    See images here for an idea of the MA-202 on a 1210 with ebony armboard https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...ht=music+maker

    - A good decent cart - lots of choice and doesnt need to cost a fortune
    - Ebony armboard from Magna Audio here (Speedy Steve)

    I wouldnt waste time messing with mats but up to you.

    The above shouldnt get silly on spend and will give you a very nice sounding player, a defo step up on what you have without the credit card repayments/debt or remortgage

    P.S - Keep your eye on Private Exhibitions, good deals can/do pop up
    Last edited by RobbieGong; 03-01-2020 at 21:43.
    My System:
    Amplification - Sansui AU-alpha 707 DR
    Turntable - Technics SP10 MK2-Technics EPA-250 Tonearm-Yannis Tome 423.5Plus tonearm cable-Eichmann KLEI Absolute Harmony plugs.
    Ortofon Cadenza Black moving coil cartridge-Fritz Gyger S re-tip. Panzerholz plinth.

    CDP - Pioneer PD-91
    Speakers - Spendor D7 on Soundcare SuperSpikes
    QED Silver Spiral speaker cable-airloc banana plugs
    Mains - Ultra Pure silver plated un-switched socket-Missing link EPS 500 silver plated plugs-Hi-Fi Tuning gold plated silver ceramic 13 amp fuses

  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Oakengates, Shropshire

    Posts: 654
    I'm Richard.

    Default

    Hi Ben,
    I'm relatively new to modding the Technics myself, but completely agree with Robert. It's a lot of fun, there's a lot to learn and you don't need to go mad with spending money in making improvements.

    Removing the power supply was one of the first things I did, and this does make a big difference. When you play the lead in/out groove of a record, you can always hear a low level hum which is coming from the transformer and getting this out of the case gets rid of this which has a knock on affect in improving detail. I went down the DIY route and put the existing transforner in a separate box, added a few extra reservoir capacitors and upgraded the internal regulator with an SPower regulator, all from threads on here. This is most definitely worth doing and will show through in all other upgrades you make. If you're not comfortable with the DIY route then there are plenty of aftermarket PSUs you can get which make the job easier.

    If your existing arm is in good condition i.e. the bearings don't have any play in them, then I would say to keep it but get it rewired. The single biggest improvement I've made so far is to get a re-wiring kit from kabusa.com - This consists of the wires in the tonearm itself and the cables to your amp which can be ordered pre-terminated. This cost me around £90 and made a huge improvement in all areas of the sound I was getting. The kit also comes with a silicone tube which you insert into the arm which helps to damp resonances in the arm. I thihnk the stock arm is pretty under-rated and giving it a re-wire takes it up a few levels. It's more than happy with more expensive cartridges too. I'm currently using a Dynavector DV20X2L - Only because it was the cart I was using on my old deck, but I'm getting ore out of this cart on my Techie than I ever got out of it on my Well Tempered deck.

    Replaing the platter mat is worth doing, especially if yours currently has a felt one. i'm using a Funk Achromat which again was something I had lying around unused and this works well. It's the platter that really needs damping though and there are DIY threads on doing that here too, this is next on my list.
    Rich

  7. #7
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Isonoe feet do make a difference, don't buy the techie boots, they mess the sound up.

    Mats, the Oyaide are nice mats the BR12 might be a good alternative to the stock one. I use the previous metal version and weight which work very well with my other choices for my Technics.

    Arms. Tried Jelco, tried Origin Live, Sme, Rega, Triplanar, Graham. Currently I use a Triplanar.

    PSUs tried most of them, the Paul Hynes Sr3 or Sr5 are good choices, but much depends on the other items used as PSUs do bring a change to tonality and detail, so you may get better results with Origin Live, or Long Dog Audio. This will depend on your arm, cart, mat choices.

    Replacing the platter and bearing do make a difference, but doing so now will be difficult as the time with most choice was a few years back. Mike New bearing or platter work well, Funk firm bearing is good, the current Funk platter with Funk arm worked well, but with my other arms I prefered the mk1 Funk platter.

    I have moved on from the Technics, still own it, but prefer my AMG Giro, by a massive margin. Its the best analogue playback I have ever had.

    Back in the day I wrote a few reviews about the Technics options

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...nics-12001210/

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...ong-dog-audio/

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...ic-down-under/
    Regards Neil

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jul 2013

    Location: Kingsbury, NW London

    Posts: 1,232
    I'm Clive.

    Default

    For my two-penny worth I would also recommend the Funk Achromat. I tried many mats from cheap rubbish to some expensive exotica. The Achromat was by far the best. I’ve tried a 1210 with power supply removed but did not feel there was an audio improvement over my own 1210 so left that bit alone. Isonoes are worthwhile and definitely improve the suspension over original feet. Replacing the bearing while making a small improvement, I did not feel was worth the expense if original bearing is in good condition, however I did replace the bearing to a Mike New product which is now getting a bit harder to obtain.
    As for the arm, cartridge, you pays your money and and takes your choice, don’t forget to account for arm board. A good idea is to speak to Hugo at Ammonite Audio of this parish. He has a wealth of experience.
    SOURCE:OPPO UDP-205 BluRay, SkyQ, Technics SL1210M5G/HexMat Eclipse/MN Bearing/Origin Live Gravity One puck/Isonoes with Boots/Jelco TK-850S Tonearm/Hana Umami Blue, PS Audio Stellar Phonostage. I also have an AT-OC9XSH as a spare cartridge.
    AMPLIFIER: Bryston BR-20 Pre/DAC/Streamer & Bryston 4B3 Power Amplifier
    SPEAKERS: Spendor D7 on Iso-Acoustics Gaia III’s
    HEADPHONES: OPPO PM-1 with Atlas Zeno cable, B&W Pi7 S2 and B&W C5 v2.
    CABLES: Analogue: Speaker Atlas Mavros Grun. Interconnect - Atlas Mavros XLR x3, MCRU Silver Tonearm cable
    Digital:Audioquest Carbon Ethernet x 4, Audioquest Carbon digital, English Electric 8Switch, Chord Optichord, Atlas Optical.
    Mains: PS Audio Perfectwave AC-05 x 5, Isol-8 Powerline Extreme with Quantum Science yellow fuse on input cable, Sounds Fantastic 6way Mains Blocks.
    STORAGE: Synology DS216J NAS with 2 x 3Tb WD Red hard-drives. Samsung 500Gb SSD.
    TV LG55B7 OLED

  9. #9
    Join Date: Dec 2019

    Location: Channel Islands

    Posts: 139
    I'm Ben.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by RobbieGong View Post
    Hi Ben,

    I've gone this route, literally upgraded my 1210 to within an inch of it's life, with all the best parts ie: Isonoe isolation feet, Mike New ETP platter, Mike New bearing, Mike New bearing base plate, Micro Seiki MA202 tonearm, Ortofon pure silver headshell leads, ebony armboard, Paul Hynes SR7-21 EHD external power supply with pure silver pure silver deck to power supply lead with Jaegar low impedance connector.

    No expense spared, spent a shed-load.

    Would I do it again? no.

    Was it worth it ? For the experience and learning - yes. Financially no

    Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if I knew then what I know now I'd have gone the route I eventually have - Technics SP-10......


    Anyway, My advise is that you dont need to go crazy and spend mad amounts of money to get good results and enjoy the 1210.

    Mine thrilled me to bits with simple mods and an Ortofon 2M Black on groove tracing duty

    Bare in mind that once you change the tonearm you lose the excellent and super convenient Technics on the fly vta, it's a compromise if you are going to use top carts like the 2M Black but wont be deal breaker if you dont intend on using carts with Shibata profiles like the 2MB which are very finicky/fussy about setup and in particular vta.

    Keeping things simple, cost/spend conscious but effective, I'd definitely go:

    -Isonoe feet, look cool IMO and are certainly better than the stock feet in terms of isolation, clearly made better in terms of absorbing vibration over the stock boots.
    -Get one of the reasonably priced off board power supplies https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/35251584344...hoC9PkQAvD_BwE There are other 12XX exteranl powers supplies out there including Origin Live and Paul Hynes etc, have a search

    - Micro Seiki MA-202 tonearm - A very well made and respected vintage tonearm which I think matches the 12XX beautifully. You should be able to pick up a tidy one for under £200, then send it to Angus (Phonomac) for an overhaul, re-wire and new hybrid ceramic bearings. It also has on the fly vta. Not quite as slick as the techies on the fly but on the fly all the same and most certainly a good thing to have than not.

    See images here for an idea of the MA-202 on a 1210 with ebony armboard https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...ht=music+maker

    - A good decent cart - lots of choice and doesnt need to cost a fortune
    - Ebony armboard from Magna Audio here (Speedy Steve)

    I wouldnt waste time messing with mats but up to you.

    The above shouldnt get silly on spend and will give you a very nice sounding player, a defo step up on what you have without the credit card repayments/debt or remortgage

    P.S - Keep your eye on Private Exhibitions, good deals can/do pop up
    Hi Robert.

    Thank you for the very detailed reply and reminding me about the on the fly vt. Yes, you're right I don't want to lose it. Looking at the design of the feet, they look a lot more isolated or at least less connected than the original versions.

    Have you any experience of a completely modded tonearm vs. the Micro Seiki MA-202 tonearm or would any difference be like a night and day comparison?

    Cart wise I am looking at the Audio Technica AT33EV Cartridge. Would this be a wise mix with their tonearms mentioned above?

    I'm also a little stuck on what to do about a headshell so any advice or pointers would be great as I have lost the original one that came with the deck.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Dec 2019

    Location: Channel Islands

    Posts: 139
    I'm Ben.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Spectral Morn View Post
    Isonoe feet do make a difference, don't buy the techie boots, they mess the sound up.

    Mats, the Oyaide are nice mats the BR12 might be a good alternative to the stock one. I use the previous metal version and weight which work very well with my other choices for my Technics.

    Arms. Tried Jelco, tried Origin Live, Sme, Rega, Triplanar, Graham. Currently I use a Triplanar.

    PSUs tried most of them, the Paul Hynes Sr3 or Sr5 are good choices, but much depends on the other items used as PSUs do bring a change to tonality and detail, so you may get better results with Origin Live, or Long Dog Audio. This will depend on your arm, cart, mat choices.

    Replacing the platter and bearing do make a difference, but doing so now will be difficult as the time with most choice was a few years back. Mike New bearing or platter work well, Funk firm bearing is good, the current Funk platter with Funk arm worked well, but with my other arms I prefered the mk1 Funk platter.

    I have moved on from the Technics, still own it, but prefer my AMG Giro, by a massive margin. Its the best analogue playback I have ever had.

    Back in the day I wrote a few reviews about the Technics options

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...nics-12001210/

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...ong-dog-audio/

    http://www.adventuresinhifiaudio.com...ic-down-under/
    Hi Neil.

    I'm pretty set on modding the 1210 to be honest. I'm putting an old SQ system for my dad, going down the nostalgia route as I'm trying to make his old set up. This is my player that I bought new in the 90's so know it's complete history. Other than servicing, it's 100% original and in pretty good condition considering the use and distances it's travelled. I was looking at spending a fair chunk of cash on another player but didn't see the point as this would have a more personal touch.

    Thank you for the links, i'll take a look.

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