Swapping the MMF 5 for an SL-1210M5G

An SL-1210M5 will give you a lot more/better music for your money than most audiophile 'tables at twice and three times the price, especially with some KAB mods (e.g., external power supply).

And if you want to do better than that, I'd recommend the grandfather of the SL-1200 series, the Technics SP-10MKII: with the proper high-mass plinth and a good arm and cartridge, it'll compete with 'tables at all price-points...do a Google search to find the guy who finds his SP-10MKII competes head-to-head with his $20K Walker Proscenium, generally considered state-of-the-art.

Happy listening,

Joel.

Thats what I did. Not once thought I made the wrong decision. Get the KAB mods too.

Kmulkey: Thanks for the input, I have heard the scout many times and I like it a lot. But unfortunately it's out of my price point. And if I remember correctly it is still a belt drive, right?

Musicdoc: Thanks! I'm slowly hunting something good down on craigslist. I'm in no rush.

Stick70: Thanks! I've read about the KAB mods, but how does it sound stock?

Britishbane: What other TTs are you looking at?

Johnny: I didn't have any intentions of modding it if I ever pick one up, But what differences have you noticed after the mods? (I mean, they essentially double the price of the whole turn table.)

Dr Joe: Thats why I'm considering the Technics turntable, now that you mention the SP-10, I think I might have seen one at a thrift store that I passed up. If it was, then I'm going to kick myself in the butt. If for some reason I can't find find an M5G, do you recommend that I just get a regular SL-12x0-MK2 instead?

Gonzo: What made you change?

All the threads on the Sl-1210 and the KABUSA website.

Johnny: I didn't have any intentions of modding it if I ever pick one up, But what differences have you noticed after the mods? (I mean, they essentially double the price of the whole turn table.)

Nope, I didn't double the cost of my turntable. I have a few low-cost aftermarket tweaks and one genuine modification.

By starting with an SL1210 M5G, I avoided paying for a tonearm rewire. That I haggled the purchase price down to $500 (at the local Guitar Center), which made it an even sweeter starting point.

My add-ons and tweaks are:
o Used Oracle Groove Isolator sorbothane (not gel) mat: $10
o Threaded brass cone feet from PartsExpress: $20
o 1-1/2" thick butcher block cutting board to platform the 'table on: $25 from Ikea
o Sumiko headshell (a synergistic match with the Denon DL-160 cart and brings the arm's effective mass up to a better match with med-compliance carts rated at 10-16

My one mod is the KAB damping trough at $150, and it took 30 minutes to install, taking my time and being fastidiously careful.

So my total investment is $500+10+20+25+150=$705, which is just $6 more than the list price for an M5G.

As for doubling the price of the turntable (if you modded it to that extent), don't consider percentages; consider what you get at that price.

For example, start with KAB's SL1200 mk2 ($475) and add the outboard PSU ($250), threaded clamp ($150), tonearm rewire ($169), fluid damper ($150), and Isonoe footers ($175).

You're up to $1369. At that point, the question shouldn't be if the mods cost more than the original turntable. The question is whether the resulting unit is competitive with what you can buy for $1369. I'm in the camp that believes it's highly competitive, especially in the areas of s/n and speed accuracy. Others here would advocate for a Rega, Funk, or VPI at that price.