Calling all SL-1200/1210 owners!

[Peter Stockwell]

Oh well..... What page? And is it january?

Thanks

Dave (not that famous after all)

Yes it's january, it's in Paul Messengers round up of a hifi show (Heathrow?)

[Marco]

The SL1200/SL1210 boom in the UK get's a mention in this months stereophile and Dave Cawley of Sound Hifi get's specifically named.

As I said, the Techy invasion has begun, it seems even in America... We will not stop until all 'elastic-banders' have been wiped out

Marco.

[Dave Cawley]

I have achieved fame in other areas, and did desire it in Hi Fi, but never thought it would come from the SL-1200. Hi Fi World, now the big World!

Thanks guys

Dave

[Tony G]

Yeppers, think you have made it into the wider world Dave.
I may even know someone who has just been pestering you for more info

By way of intro, I last year purchased an SL 1200 on the strength of many raves and eventually gave it an extensive audition of some several weeks, perhaps even 6, in my system.
I am a Denon cartridge fan and absolutely besotted with the DL-301 II I am using at present.
I also own and like very much the DL-103, it was my first MC and I purchased with it (as an inexpensive entry point) the Denon AU300LC SUT.
Being aware of Werners positive review of the SL 1200 on tnt, where he fitted the 103 to this deck and approved of it; that cartridge was the one I fitted to the Technics for the audition period.
My prior experience of this cartridge indicated max mass was in order and I used it with a Sumiko style headshell and as much additional mass as I could balance though not as much as I would have liked (with the Tecnoarm I use 4 gms).
Trialling of various mats and clamps gave me a "best" combination of SRM Tech silicone mat (trimmed to fit inside the lip) with a 3mm Achromat on top in conjunction with a turned weight of virtually the same dimensions as recommended by Rudolph Bruil.
I did not have an SDS mat to try, but did try heavy Technics, light Technics, Extreme Phono none-felt and Speedmat, Iron Audio acrylic & Funk Achromat 5mm plus plain felt and also the Michell clamp.
In general terms I would say that results from various mats, to me, accorded with their composition, the heavy rubber offering good grip and drive but sounding deadened, the acrylic sounding hard and bright etc.
I had previously found the Achromat to provide benefit on an acrylic platter and using it on top of the 2mm silicone provided similar benefit in improved definition and clarity without excessive brightness, the weight being (I feel) necessary to reduce slippage on the rather hard surface and improve the transmission of resonances from the playing surface to the mat.
During the period of auditioning the replacement for the SUT in the form of a GSP audio Elevator Exp active step-up arrived, the improvement was remarkable and where I had nearly been ready to return to my other turntable I continued using the Technics for another 3 weeks.
I then returned to my previous turntable and fitted the DL-103 to it for a direct (more or less) comparison.
My conclusions from that were twofold, the improvement in the DL103 with this active step-up (in my system) was remarkable, things I had attributed to limitations in the cartridge were shown to be in the transformer.
The other was that there were areas of the SL 1200 that required upgrade to bring its performance up to the standard of my other deck.
At least with this particular cartridge.
Interestingly, my attention was largely on the areas that have been most discussed in this thread (with the notable exception of the external power supply) - namely the arm wiring and the damping trough mod.
The possibility of obtaining better/heavier counterweights was not known to me and is one of the things I found of interest here.
Having left it alone for some time the tinkering bug seems to be biting again and all the positive stuff here - thank you all - will probably have me in penury for the rest of this year (unless I lash out on a DL-S1 instead )
I know none of this is news but hopefully it is some contribution to the content of this thread.
Have fun and enjoy the music.

[Peter Stockwell]

Interesting thoughts there, Peter! Having heard a few different Garrards in suitable plinths recently I would concur with you observations.

Any chance of a more detailed review in a separate thread (Strokes of Genius section)? It would act as a good reference for members

Marco,

I sold my 401/Bastin Plinth/Spacearm this weekend, but I'll be able to visit it when I feel like it, it's only a few klicks away. But for a short time the 401 and the SL1210 were in the system, almost, at the same time.

I didn't do any A/B comparisons because I had the two available together for a short time. I now know that the PSU that Martin Bastin had made for me was more of a hindrance than a help. It's voltage was too low to allow the 401 to stabilise (about 20 - 30 mins). The slatedeck bearing mod is a big leap in performance over the standard bearing.

In my system I think the spacearm was a better than the technics standard arm.

Taking all this into account, a KAB psu'd SL1210 with a standard arm is maybe not a match in a slugfest with a 401 but does have a more relaxed and open presentation. The Garrards brute force is certainly, even absolutely, addictive, and I regret not having run it without the PSU when it came back from service in 2007, but I can't help feeling it imposes its character more on the music than the Teccie. Richard (Gromit) may have been right to go with the arm mod first.

I just took delivery of an AT33PTG and I have a new arm on order, one that's reputed for it's low end performance, so it'll be interesting how the Technics story develops. I'm really impatient to get that new arm fitted, it's promised for the last week of January.

cheers

[jonners]

I've just read about and tried an interesting tweak that I found on Vinyl Engine. It's no use me providing a link here because VE will probably block or divert it, but its in the thread "Technics SL-1200 and SL-1210 modification" on the Technics forum.
Briefly, it involves simply removing the plastic covers from over the electronics and the motor coils. Reversible, and worth a try I think.

John

[MartinT]

Briefly, it involves simply removing the plastic covers from over the electronics and the motor coils. Reversible, and worth a try I think

I've just tried it - there's nothing much to worry about since the platter and mat will keep the dust away. I'm playing the deck now and *think* I can hear improved clarity, but I need to listen some more.

[Barry]

Greetings,

Technics SL1200/1210 owners might be interested to read about the selfsame deck fitted with an SME IV and using an off-board power supply in the August edition of Hi Fi World magazine.

[Marco]

Yep, Barry - it belongs to David Price. I've known about it for some time

Is the magazine out in the shops now then? If so, I'll have to get it.

Marco.

[Peter Stockwell]

Oi, I got one like that, too