The 1200G is just really hard to beat. Many like the colored sound of a belt drive as I do from time to time. I still have my belt drive I listen to on occasion but I do 99 percent of my listening to the 1200G. It just has the drive that you would have to pay substantially more for in a belt drive, like upwards of 20K
Technics 1200 G a Forever Turntable?
I won my fantasy football league and have $4-5K burning a hole in my pocket. I am considering a new turntable to replace my OG Technics 1200 M3D. Is it possible to get one at this price point that can be the last one I'll ever want/need? Looking at 1200G because of the familiarity, but is it better to get one with easier future tonearm changes. I know audiophiles generally don't settle on anything forever, but I feel like a great turntable can do the job for years beyond most other equipment.
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I have a 1200 GAE. It is likely my forever table, and it is certainly worthy of fitting that bill for me. Previously I had a Roksan and an Origin Live, which were belt driven lovely tables, but persnickety. The Technics is rock solid. I do wish Technics tweaked the aesthetics a bit as it does look like the classic 1200s from yesteryears. Setup, stability, sonics, ruggedness of this unit are all superb. If I were looking again I'd likely still be looking at Luxman and Technics. There's something valuable about their precision, no nonsense designs. I think it's really difficult to fault these newer Technics designs. They really do not do anything wrong, and they sound wonderful. |
While I’m sure one can buy an even better tt, I think you’d have to spend a whole lot more money to do so. I run a 1200G that Ralph modified to fit a 12” Triplanar arm, and it is great sounding to my ears. I have never heard such pure, steady tonality from piano notes or organ pipes before from LP’s, which is a testament to it’s speed stability. And it plays very even-handedly across the frequency spectrum. It reveals plenty of information in a “whole” musical manner. For the money, it’s a great tt. You will want to try better options for the platter mat, however. The supplied rubber one sucks, IME. I also prefer using a center weight and peripheral ring to seat the vinyl securely against the mat surface, so the cartridge induced vibrations can dissipate well. |
ericsch How are you liking that Achromat? i have heard good things in regards to the Achromat. How does it differentiate from the stock rubber mat? Are you using the stock headshell and what cartridge are you using? I ordered my 1200G, going with Van Den Hul DDT2 Special, with a VAN Den Hul Grail. |
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