Matt, Have you ever heard of the SP10, produced in the early 70s, or the SP10 Mk2 or Mk3 (earliy 80s)? In their day, those were among the best direct drive turntables available, maybe THE best so far as the US market was concerned, because competitive direct drive turntables were available in Japan and in nearby markets but were usually not imported. Anyway, I full up refurbished SP10 Mk3 would fetch more than $10K in the enthusiast market up until a few years ago, when Technics produced the SP10R, which apparently you also have no knowledge of but which is one of the finest TTs available anywhere, especially at its relative bargain price. Do some research before pontificating.
Technics SL-1300G Turntable issues
I recently purchased the Technics SL-1300G. I like the sound of the turntable. Unfortunately, I found the common complaint that the lift mechanism feels cheap. Additionally I found a perceived quality issue shown below. The silver bands on the top and bottom of the beveled platter edge vary in width by a mm+. In my opinion it makes the table look cheap, not the quality you would expect at the $3300 price tag. Note the gap between the platter and the plinth is uniform as the platter rotates. Would you return the TT hoping to get a platter with more uniform machining?
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The Technics SP10 turntables have always been highly regarded. Technics has also made some truly exquisite pickup arms (EPA-250, EPA-500) and its open reel tape decks (RS-15XX series) still command top $$$$. The Technics RS-9900 two-box cassette deck was quite a wonder in its day - and maybe even still is. Check ’em out. |
@mattmiller - you don't seem to be familiar with the SL-1200G which was hand-built in Japan and is an excellent table; at its weight and build, most definitely not a 'DJ' table, never mind the looks. |
We here are all rightly ganging up on Matt, who is entitled to his opinion of course. But as to the OP, you’re absolutely right about the cheezy feel of the cueing mechanism on the current Technics line. I have an SL100C and it’s my only complaint with it. I just scored an SL1700 Mk2 in good shape to have a good secondary table with pitch control, and its electronic cueing mechanism is miles better than the new one. It also has a decoupled floating suspension, auto-return, on-the-fly VTA adjustment, and a die cast aluminum plinth. It might become my main table! |
@mattmiller, to add to the above re your pejorative "updated" comment. The current Technics TT's are not merely updates of the DJ-favourite SLs. While they share a common form factor and visuals, their engineering is massively different and better. Technics have also made some very fine CD players - not really making headlines there now, but during the 000s their MASH players were beautifully built and very nice sounding. |
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