technics tt advice wanted

[NRG]

I can understand any reluctance to purchase an older deck, it can be a pot luck experience but the majority where built like tanks and will last the distance even 25 years on... plus the electronics can be repaired (mechanics may be an issue I admit). You said you wanted to 'play' hence my recommendation to look around at the cheaper alternatives on Ebay...have you heard a DD deck before you shell out on a new Techie? If you intend to shut yourself off from all the varied and wonderful old decks out there then I feel you wont know what your missing.....or not!

Good luck either way

[Peter Stockwell]

I've calmed down from the initial excitement of my SL1210, but it did have me enjoying vinyl again!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

just to clarify even more i am not looking to buy a new deck
and have it done up to the point of unrecogniseable without listening to it. i am looking for info on a starting point. i saw a second hand 1210 (i think) go on here for £100 - £120 dependng on bits it came with a month or so back. that sort of investment doesnt seem to much cash to fork out to dip my toes. i just dont know what to look out for or what to pay!
beyond that the question was regarding, if i did like the deck, what might i be spending to get a really good sound
to reiterate again... i already have a superb old deck that can be maintained. im looking for somthing newer that parts are redily available that will give a great sound for good money. from what i have read on here the technics decks seem like a good place to start
im not cutting my self off, im not going to buy one, spunk all over it , do it up and never listen to anything or anyone ever again.... i might not even like the thing... its just that there are a million decks out there with practicly an infinite amout of speculative and subjective info on them. i have narowed it down to the technics because this is the forum i read most info on, where people seem to most share my veiw that there is a place in the world for analog and digital, there seems to be a good interest in the great value for money as aposed to the esoteric and the technics kit seems to create a buzz! just suggesting that there are many
alternatives mearly sets me back to were i was 3 months ago with no clue at all! if you can recomend xyz deck that can be done up with xyz arm etc to sound better than a technics and the parts are as easy to come by and is cheaper and will sound better in the long run with further investment if i chose to do so, then i am genuinly all ears... otherwise your just confusing me more

[The Vinyl Adventure]

sorry that came accros so stong worded im having a bad day, i have had a headache for a week and just wanted some straight up info

[chris@panteg]

Hi Hamish

I would say the 1200 is as good as any way to dip your toes into the DDark side, you can find loads of cheap old DD decks about ,but a 1200 2nd hand in good nick is not so easy.

Here is one i just found looks promising the price looks ok too 'what do you think.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TECHNICS-SL-12...3%3A1|294%3A50

[Marco]

Hi Hamish,

i have been floating around on this forum for long enough now to notice that people seem to have a little fasination with technics direct drive turntables.
i have read enough for it to have got me intriged

where do i start if i wanted to investigate this myself?

I would suggest reading the archive, particularly this thread (from page 10 onwards only):

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=201

and here:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=1023

and here:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2200

There is all sorts of info all over AOS regarding the Techy, but IMO those three threads are amongst the best which summarise what it's all about. You need to read them thoroughly from start to finish to fully 'get' the message. Scanning through quickly will only mean that you'll likely miss some of the important stuff, so my advice would be to read them when you've got the time and are in a relaxed frame of mind - open a nice bottle of something, chill out and have a good read...

The first one contains snippets of discussions from my upgrade path to what I have now with my modified SL-1210. The second thread demonstrates how good a modified SL-1210 compares to a well-specified SP10, which shows that the former is a 'serious' turntable - and lastly, Shuggie's 'blog' highlights his Techy journey and how he wasn't quite 100% satisfied with his deck, citing a Kenwood he preferred, and where I have outlined why that perhaps was the case, and the rationale for my argument.

what is a good turntable to start fiddleing with?

If you're talking about a Techy then it depends on your budget. How much do you have to spend?

are there plenty of upgrades than can be made to these type of deck for little money?

Yes, see threads highlighted above.

is this one of those "great hifi for little cost" things that a certain few people on here seem to get off on?

Not quite sure what you mean. If you mean does a modified SL-1210 offer very high 'sound-per-pound' value and can compete with 'high-end' turntables at many times its price, then yes. If you mean is it simply a cheap option to provide decent sounds, but really no great shakes, because the people who've bought them can't afford any better, then no!

how much realistically would i need to spend on a project like this for it to outperform my xerxes original/tabriz/oc9/psu 2 (i understand this is subjective and down to many variables but opinions are welcome)

For that to happen you'll need all the 'main bits', such as a Time Step PSU, new arm (Jelco, SME or whatever), and some, but not all, of the ancillary items such as mats, etc. One has to be realistic: your Xerxes is a fine T/T, so in no way is a bog standard, or even lightly modified 1210, going to outperform it in all areas. You will hear differences, for sure, but I'm not sure that in this scenario the 1210 would tick all the boxes.

However, if you get all the 'main bits' done, as I've outlined, it will definitely compete with your Xerxes and outperform it in key areas of music reproduction, such as accuracy of timing, pitch, better overall clarity, far superior stability, much better bass, etc.

How much do all these 'main bits' cost? Speak nicely to Dave Cawley about it!

im sure people have gone over this a lot of times on this forum but if people can spare the time to share thier knoledge on the subject with me id be very greatful

Hopefully I've gone some way to helping you with the above. I'm sure you'll have other questions though (and perhaps others will to), so just ask! I have a huge amount of experience with tweaking/modifying these decks so I'm in a very good position to help anyone out on this particular subject, and am more than willing to so

Marco.

[Ammonite Audio]

Since Marco has highlighted my SL-1210 blog, I would like to stress a few salient points.

The Technics is available new, is outstanding value, and has some outstanding attributes (bass, drive); however to make a new one as good as Marco's involves a not insignificant investment - around £1300 if all of Dave Cawley's mods are applied along with the Jelco arm. That's not particularly cheap in my view, particularly to scratch a DD itch, or to have a bit of fun on the side.

Marco disagrees with me rather vehemently on whether my Tecnoarm is responsible for the Technics' ultimately uninvolving musical performance. What we do agree on (I think) is that the standard arm is easily bettered. I had my Technics arm re-wired by Audio Origami, and splashed out on Sumiko headshells, but still the Tecnoarm humiliated it. Others swear by the standard arm, which only serves to show us that we are all different. What's good for me is not necessarily good for Marco or anyone else.

The shocker for me is how good an old Kenwood KD-770D DD deck that I picked up in Germany is, when fitted with the Tecnoarm. There's a long line of Kenwood DDs that use the same corian-block DD motor unit, but in different plinths and with different arms. The most sought after are the ones with a cast alloy spider chassis; however mine is chipboard and it sings like the proverbial angel! Even more so with a Paul Hynes PSU fitted (which is back with Paul for the moment for some adjustments). It is a concert pianist to the Technics' Pianola.

So, for anyone wishing to have a bit of fun fiddling with DD decks, the Technics is the safest bet and the most easily procured (eg new), easily tweaked and upgraded, if not in my view the best overall value. Many are entirely happy with the Technics, but do look at other Jap DDs which are probably better value. I rate the Kenwoods, and there's a growing Pioneer PL-71 Appreciation Society. Of course, the Technics is very easily sold on for little or no loss, which is nice.

What we need is a good Jap DD bake-off, and I may even host one myself, if only to prove Marco wrong about Rega based arms!

[The Vinyl Adventure]

ok right i have done exactlay what you told me not to and skimmed through.. i have read a lot of that stuff before and i do get the gist.. there are cheaper options and more expensive ones but the 1210 is a great platform for tweaking and tinkering

i shall continue to read through the info but i think that doing this step by step is going to be easier than trying to digest such a vast quantity of relativly un ordered info

so, poor mugs of aos (mostly marco im guessing) you have inadvertantly volunteered your self to help me.. well done

first step: buying a 1210

i can i think fairly reasonably assume that there a lot of shagged and over used by "dj's" decks out there. so what do i look for, what is a reasonable price to pay and precisely which model should i go for ... mkii?

[Marco]

Shugs has raised some valid and interesting points, which I'll get to later after lunch

However, Hamish, in order to give you the best advice in terms of which Technics T/T to buy, I need to know what your overall budget is for this project (I did ask earlier ), quite simply because it'll form the basis of which upgrades you'll be able to implement overall.

So how much do you have to spend? Give me some numbers, matey!

If you absolutely have to go for a second-hand one, because that's all your budget will allow, then search Ebay for the cleanest example of a MK II you can find, and one definitely with a non-DJ history.

However, it may be worth bearing in mind that if the Techy you modify ends up outperforming your Xerxes, and (possibly) becoming your main turntable, then it would be far better if it started off its life as a nice, clean, brand-new example, than some tatty old 'dog-eared' thing which you'll only end up selling on later, and then having to transfer all the 'nice bits' you've bought to your new deck.

I tend not to do things on a whim, believing in doing things properly and looking at the long-term bigger picture, so if I were you and you don't have to 'penny pinch', I'd invest in a brand new SL-1200 or 1210 MKII (depending on if you prefer black or silver) from one of the many on-line DJ stores, such as here:

http://www.djkit.co.uk/product.php?i...ighlight=decks

and then start your mods with one of those. Should you then decide to sell it later, you'll not lose much money as Techys are always in demand. But crucially, if things work out well and you're blown away by its performance, you'll have a nice 'sorted', clean deck, and something to be proud of

Your call, mate, but let me know how much mullah is burning a hole in your pocket before we go any further

Marco.

[Spectral Morn]

sorry that came accros so stong worded im having a bad day, i have had a headache for a week and just wanted some straight up info

Hope you are feeling better soon hamish.


Regards D S D L