Vintage Technics SL-1000A vs Pro-Ject Debut or Exp


I'm the original owner of a stock Technics SL-1100A, currently with a 25 yr old Shure V15 V-MR cartridge. I'm just dragging it back out after years of storage to revisit my LP collection. It seems to work fine and is in good repair.

I'd be interested in making some reasonable upgrades to this turntable, and would like your thoughts on those, but I'd also like to get a better idea of how good this table really is or can be in comparison/rank with current tables like the Pro-Ject Debut/Expression lines and similarly priced new tables.

Has table technology advanced to the point where I'd be better off buying new, or would I be better off doing some upgrades to the old Technics?

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj13/zacamomusic/HiFi/SL1100A.jpg

Thanks
Geo815

Technics SL-1100A
Cambridge Azur 640P
Cary SLI-80 F1 Integrated
Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CD Player
Triangle Celius ES Speakers
geo815

Showing 4 responses by royj

In my experience, it will benefit from damping under the tonearm-mounting plate (a zinc die-casting?), but I base that on using a Grace 707 arm on the SL-110's undrilled plate-- pretty thin, and having only a few ribs. I don't know if your particular armboard is thicker/better/damped underneath.

Technics did offer an optional wood board (mahogany it looks like in their photos), which I have only seen on eBay a couple of times. Perhaps having a wood plate made to replace your metal plate would be a nice thing, using whatever wood seems best to those who know (I don't). I remember mine did not look too hard to replicate in hardwood or birch plywood, acrylic, or even an acrylic/aluminum/acrylic sandwich.

I have always enjoyed the sonic improvements that the original "Platter Matter"-brand turntable mat has made on my various turntables. It comes up every 3-6 months on eBay and Audiogon. Mine is dark green/turquoise, which I think was the only color (when I was a retailer). One must wash it with dishsoap in the sink once in awhile, so it then sticks (literally) to the platter and to the LP.

I do know your stock Technics rubber mat is at least above average - not too hard, not too soft. A Michell record clamp would help your present setup, for not much $$.

Switch to a magnesium headshell with better wires sometime, and remove the rubber washer on its end. Hopefully such a shell will come with an adjustment for your azimuth. I think the one from Nagaoka does.

Is there any way to adjust VTA on your tonearm?

Contact someone about making an "Arc" protractor for cartridge-alignment in your stock tonearm. Makes a big difference over the best two-point alignments I have performed.

Some have said to unplug the strobe-light module when not in use-- I haven't bothered.

Have fun!

Best regards,
Roy Johnson
Designer
Green Mountain Audio
By the way, with the changes I mentioned above, you may not care if a Project is somehow 'better', as this particular Technics has a good, solid bearing for proper dynamic response, and it does have nice pace, rhythm and clarity. One reference for me on this is our Micro Seiki BL-91 heavy belt-drive TT. And I still enjoy the Technics.

Perhaps the ultimate limitation of your TT will be its stock tonearm, but as I never got a chance to use it, I am only speculating. However, I can tell you that a few years after your TT was introduced, large improvements in tonearm design appeared from Audiocraft, Fidelity Research, Grace, Micro Seiki, Mistubishi (on their DP-EC20 TT), Technics, and others.

Best regards,
Roy
Glad to be of help, George.

To create an arc protractor, what matters first are the values for your tonearm's Effective Length (235mm) and Pivot to Spindle distance (221mm) [from Vinyl Engine's Technics page]. While there, perform a search for Arc protractor, or perhaps contact Galibier Turntable company for guidance.

For a making a blank armboard-- the measurements are indeed critical, but easily within the capacity of any decent workshop for wood or acrylic. One has to know the outer dimensions of the plate and the locations of its eight mounting-screw holes. Those you can take from your current board, likely without dismounting it.

And there is the one large hole to drill for your future tonearm. This hole's location is determined by that tonearm's template laying onto your mounted but-still-blank armboard, as it is the pivot-to-spindle distance you are trying to get right.

The Technics model/part number for the blank cast armboard is SH-11P1, and the wood version is SH-11P1W. You would see they each have radial lines pointing to the spindle, for ease of use with the templates of other tonearms. Have a look here: SL-1100 details and here SL-1100. Your machine, sold without tonearm, was called the SL-110.

It seems you should plan on having your own armboard made to use another tonearm, since finding a new blank one will likely take quite some time. But your stock arm is not terrible at all if you change out its headshell. And if you look underneath your existing armboard, you may find the old arm easy to remove without damage, and to open up the existing hole for another arm (if necessary). Someone on EBay-Australia is selling your arm/armboard assembly for AU$100 right now, FYI.

Best regards,
Roy
Hello, George

Your Shure is quite a good cartridge and a new SAS stylus for it someday would be a sensible choice. The headshells you selected are all fine, although I would put the Sumiko last, for their logo displayed on top but mostly for how its finger-lift attaches compared to the other two (which look identical to me).

Unless your records are warped, I would not worry about the arm's effective mass too much. It's fine for most cartridges.

If this were my system, I'd keep the Shure, change the headshell and then align using an Arc protractor. Next, I would use a larger outboard AC transformer for the phono preamp, for improved bass and dynamics. Finally, I'd use Audio Magic cables to connect the phono preamp to the integrated amp.

And I agree with Slowhead.

Best regards,
Roy