Good Direct Drives

It's always funny how the dealers brainwashing people to buy belt-drive turntables like rega, pro-ject etc.

To listen to some vintage gear you need a time machine back to the 1986 where you could audition those amazing and inexpensive direct drives like the SP-10MKII, Luxman PD-441, Denon DP-80, Victor TT-81 with some amazing vintage MM cartridges. These stuff competes with something that cost x10 today. 

But you ended up with an entry level mainstream from your dealer, sad story. 

If you're serious about analog gear i'm sure you will replace this turntable in a few years. Now you've got what you paid for. 

@invictus005

PLX1000 is bad. Cheap Chinese knockoff. Let’s be honest here. 1200G is a high end Japanese product.

I agree, 100%.


And to everybody:

For me it’s such a strange to see a recommendation for a Pioneer turntables on audiophile’s forum. These Pioneer’s crap designed for a club use and djs, it’s a clone of the legendary SL1210mkII (cult model among the DJs). Pioneer’s target is professional market, on this market NO ONE would like to DJ on anything, but the SL1210/1200MKII ...

Instead of making their own turntable design for audiophiles, Pioneer just cloned Technics with some minor improvements. But the old SL1210mkII also can me improved by any user with better arm, better footers, better mats, better cables ...

@bur70n

after owning many years ago a few SL1200 and SL1210 MK2 and Mk5 I am hankering after a change in TT

How come the Pioneer crap can be better that SL1200 mkII or 1210 mkII and mkV, the weak points of those classic Technics decks can be easily upgraded manually. Pioneer DJ turntables must be avoided by anyone who would like to find something much better than their old SL1200mkII (or modified Sl1200mkII) and related. Buyin the Pioneer PLX1000 in this situation is so stupid. I've been using them for a couple of hrs in Paris, it's close to the SL1200mkII. 

What you can buy is Technics SP10mkII for $1200 max and nothing can beat it at this price, really!!!

If it’s too much then look for Technics SP-20 for half price, still great deck. Or maybe Denon DP-80 or Victor TT-81

If you need all in one then look for Luxman PD-441 (motor made by Micro Seiki). 

With all these option you will get an amazing direct drive turntable, completely different design compared to your old technics and that new 1200g which looks almost the same.

And most importnat is that you can make good looking plinth and you can use whatever tonearm you want! Vintage tonearms like Victor UA-7045 are so cheap and so nice!

You can have Drive, Plinth, Tonearm for much lower price than new SL1200g !

For the price of SL1200g i prefer Luxman PD-444 designed for two tonearms. The most ellegant turntable in the world.

@tzh21y

I have never heard an SP10. If an earlier sp10 is as good or better than the 1200g, Thats pretty good

No, the first SP-10 from the late 60s is nothing special, no quartz lock.
I think he meants SP-10mkII which is one the the best DD for very reasonable price today (under $1200).

@schubert

Any one who thinks the Pioneer PLX-1000 is not a very good TT is just plain wrong ,at best .

If you like the clone of Technics design and the quality that is not so far from the old SL1200mkII then Pioneer is OK. However, this Pioneer turntable designed for DJs/CLUBs mainly and that’s why the price is not high for their target audience on professional market. This Pioneer turntable advertising as a DJ turntable, nothing bad about it, but ideal DJ turntable is Technics SL1200/1210 mkII. Having a Pioneer DJ turntable in audiophile’s set-up is a bad taste (imo). Many manufacturers tried to made a clone of SL1200mkII (Audio-Technica, Gemini and many more unknown companies). Even the toneam on that Pioneer is not related to the best Pioneer toneams from the golden age.

I believe if the Pioneer would like to make turntable for audiophiles it must be their own design, not a clone of legendary Technics! It could be the Pioneer Exclussive P3 or related models with original Pioneer tonearms ? But the Pioneer is no longer a High-End manufacturer like it was in the 70s. Let’s face it! Or you’re waiting for Pioneer TAD re-issue? I think they do what they do - cheap producsts for professional market, this stuff sells well (mixers, cdj players, turntables).   

But the OP asked for something better than SL1200mkII and even MK5. He ended up with belt drive which is completely different. But in my opinion something better than SL1200mkII and SL1200G is Technics SP-10 MKII which is a truly High-End DD turntable, super heavy with powerfull motor, immadiate start/stop like NO other turntable.

@pani

@chakster people who have heard the 1200G and the sp10 mk2 claim that 1200G is better. So I am not sure how you come to the opposite conclusion.

Am i said it’s better ? The porice for SP-10mkII is $1200 maximum, sometimes under $1000, not everyone willing to spend even $5000 on a turntable, just look at the OP’s budget.

What is the price for SL1200G ?

You said people comparing Sl1200G to SP-10mkII, but which tonearm? The limitation of the SL1200G is obvious with a choice of tonearm, while the SP-10MKII’s limitation is to avoid short "9inch arms to use 10.5 tonearms or "12 toneams instead.

However, i don’t care about $5000 turntables, especially if they looks like my 22 years old SL1200mkII.

The Luxman PD-444 direct drive can be purchased for $2500 max, designed for two tonearms in a proper superheavy plinth. This is my choise of turntable and i can use 99% toneamrs on it. I prefer Luxman PD-444 to Technics SP-10mkII.