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TECHNICS SL1200 MKII.......THE REAL FACTS

I have been a very active participant in this hobby for many years (going on 30). I have owned amplifiers by B&K, Marantz, Forte, VanAlstine, Accuphase, GAS, Onkyo Grand Integra, Musical Fidelity.....Speakers by Thiel, Energy, Genesis, Vandersteen, PSB, Definitive Tech, KEF, Mission, B&W....Turntables by Sota, Rega, Linn, AR, Thorens, Dual, and yes; Technics. I have a Technics SL1200 MKII which I have had for a few years now. It has been modified in the following ways (all mods based on trial and error and final listening results):
-TT Weights 454 record weight
-XPM1 Acrylic mat with 1/4" heavy Technics rubber mat underneath
-Steel plinth cover (chrome finish). I cannot explain why, but the background is more quiet and micro dynamics are better with this in place.
-Armtube stuffed loosely with cotton.
-Heat shrink tubing on outside of arm tube.
-Stock headshell replaced with Sumiko with Sumiko headshell wires (do NOT underestimate what headshell quality can do with these things).
-Plugs on the stock cables replaced with better plugs: Vampire OFC RCA plugs.
-Bearings adjusted for minimal play with minimal friction.
-KAB Power Supply added

Now, this is the scoop. I do not want a Technics turntable. I am an audio snob. I want only salon approved brands; period. That is why this situation sucks dog. Out of all the turntables I have owned. This Technics with this combination of mods has the blackest background, the best dynamics, the most detail, the clearest stage, the most pace and timing and overall just simply plays the song in the least-confused manner of ANY turntable I have ever owned. In many ways it makes every other turntable I have ever owned sound like Amateur Night in sonic comparisons. Facts are facts. The Technics SL1200 MKII, when properly tweeked, is one serious LP playback unit. At least the chrome plated steel plinth cover covers up the name.
audiomaster1967
onetwothreego
54 posts
 
Filling an arm with cotton and then covering it with shrinkwrap does not sound like something I would want to do to any arm. Are you sure this helps the sound? I would think its a good way to kill the life and depth out of the music.
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Hi johnjc,

Modify the bearing, add isolation, change the power supply, etc. and you still have to deal with a lame tonearm. It's a major bottleneck. See my earlier post.

When are you guys going to get this?

Look, I own this table. I use it almost daily. It's a great value. Perhaps the best value in turntables. I'm simply identifying the limitations.

Peruse the analog threads for users' systems and pick out 10 killer vinyl front ends. See how many Technics 1200 series tables you find.

Answer: None.

The campaign here to elevate this product to something far beyond its' capabilities is just plain lame.

I'm done; anybody that wants to compare please come here and give a listen. I'll mount your cartridge(s) in my 1210M5G with a Mint LP protractor and you can hear alongside some "snob tables", "snob tonearms", and "snob cartridges".

Bring your own bottle.

The humble pie and crow are on me.

I'm out.
johnjc
63 posts
 
Forgot to add the arm was also changed and totally agree the arm is a bottle neck
It also had the feet replaced and was using a SPU
As I said to upgrade to this standard will not be cheap but will compete with high end TT at this stage. Of course most people will not take the 1210 to this level
jdaniel13
129 posts
 
Enjoyed your post, sold my Scoutmaster/Dyna XX2 combo (thank you Dan ed, etc., for saving my viny life re: unique ringing arm/tracking issues "thinning of sound myth"). I picked up a Technics D202 w/AT 130E cart which I bought on a whim for $20 in a Thrift as a "place-holder" until I was to decide what to acquire next; most likely a DAC--I sold my record collection. Well, I was pretty stunned at what the Technics could do: flawless tracking, open inner groove sound, nice soundstage, imaging, "organic" sound, could even capture the lowest fundamentals of pipe organ.... To be fair to the Scoutmaster/Dyna, the Technics didn't have quite the explosive dynamics, nor the ultra-black backgrounds. Though I was initially thrilled with Scoutmaster/Dyna, I really hadn't acquired enough Lp's to judge its performance accurately.
audiomaster1967 OP
4 posts
 
I found that after adjusting the bearings, new arm wire, cotton internal filling and heat shrink on the outside and a Sumiko headshell (which is not only a better headshell but also adds Azimuth adjustment) the arm sounded way better. I installed a Sumiko Premier MMT with the thought that it would be better yet only to find that I really did not gain a thing, but lost lots of the original arm's ease of adjustment.
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