Technics SL-1200/1210 MK2 Turntable.

[allnighter]

Currently looking for one, and I saw a few on Ebay & Amazon. I would prefer to fork out more and buy a brand new one if there are any genuine unused boxed ones out there.

Anyone knows any specialist who sells these decks and who still has some lying around. I read about one ex-Technics/Panasonic engineer who services these decks and has quite a few on sale too. My browsing history does not go back more than a month so I cannot trace him!

Your help will be very much appreciated.

Please no Ebay/ Amazon links as I have already spent 3 days trawling those two sites.

Regards.

[allnighter]

technodup said:

These guys reckon they have them but I wouldn't surprised to call and find out they haven't. And I'd say sack the mk2 and get M5Gs. But that's just me.

http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/packages/turntables/tec...
http://www.juno.co.uk/products/technics-sl1210-mk2...

totally agree but beggars can't be choosers and where can I find a mark 5 deck that's brand new and not been abused?

[allnighter]

Silver Smudger said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I have an Audio Technica LP-120. Basically it's a copy of the SL1200. Love it.

It does look the part, is it as well built? Sounds as nice? I am tempted as it gets good reviews as a budget deck...

There is a better alternative to AT albeit not as good as the allmighty Technics in the shape of the new Pioneer PLX-1000, around £599 mark.




I just want the genuine article, the pioneer looked tempting till I saw the direct comparison with the Technics, and the inner workings are nowhere as good as the Technics. It looks like it's been made on a budget but they went to great lengths to make it look as impressive as the Technics lookswise.

Direct comparison here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNzMcH2ZbtU

[allnighter]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Got my two old ones in the loft. How much are these things worth these days?

Only about 20 quid!

This post is worthless without pictures!

If they are in a good nick I might make you an offer!

[allnighter]

Mark Knopfler, and co are crying out for a decent Technics SL-1200 turntable to be partnered with the AVC-A1SR for a good vinyl sound experience. Incidentally which cartridge extracts the best detail out of the SL-1200?
I was looking at the Ortofon Concorde range, the shure range, and the Stantons.... I listen to quite a wide range of music.

[allnighter]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

I don't think I could ever sell them that's the problem. They were such a big part of my youth and the amount of extra work I had to put in when I was young just to afford them-crazy when you think back to it all those years ago all that practice helped me get to where I am today, I have absolutely no doubt.

Mine are 1210s in black with ortophon blue Concorde cartridges if I remember right? I've even got the technics professional range of hifi to go with them, the ones with the pre and power amps with the huge illuminated needles!

No mixer any more as my old one knackered and I never replaced it.

Illuminated needles, 1210s with Concordes, hummm I am dribbling now, shame they're in the loft.

It's almost a crime!

[allnighter]

Miguel Alvarez said:

What do you want from the turntable? The reason I ask is different needles bring different things to the table.

I had a love hate relationships with Ortofons. The connectors are a little shorter than the Technic headshells (or used to be). I also found Ortofons would speed up cue burn on my records. Some of the records I have from a certain time frame have terrible fuzz at certain points from constant scratching and cueing. [technical moment] the pin at the top of the cart used to shear off as well if screwed in to tight [/technical moment]. On the plus side. I preferred the sound quality on the Ortofons. They had a wider sound.

Shure M44-7 are what I used most of the time. Standard needle. Not much to say really. Not as wide sounding as some of the Ortofon range but they last ages and are pretty easy on the vinyl if you're scratching loads. There was a replica stylus which I tried out once. I didn't try a home test but for club work I didn't notice any difference. The only downside was they didn't last as long as the M44-7. I remember replacing them in half the time I usally bought the M44-7s.

Again there are better options if you just want them for listening to music with at home.

I am a sucker for classic stuff, to the Techy is what I want.I will be using it for listening to music via the aforementioned Denon. I want to extract as much detail from my vinyl collection as possible ie: Deep bass & Clear treble hence me seeking advice on cartridges. I don't care for scratching or anything else, just listening to music and I tend to do that at high volumes. Yes I know the Mitsubishi Evo is better than the E type, but it's the latter I want!

[allnighter]

GCH said:

The pioneer PLX is utter rubbish
Too heavy, very poorly made inside (mostly a single PCB - good luck with that in a couple of years!), plastic chassis instead of rubber, and of most concern it gives feedback at a lot more frequencies that the 1200/1210s don't do. Even the frequencies that do commonly appear on the 1200/1210s are much,much more prominent on the pioneer and require a lot of reduction. The pitch is also awful and more like a CDJ than a 1200/1210.
Comically, pioneer have also put a detachable ground on there.....that you don't actually need to use
Having set them up, used them, and compared them back to back with the technics that I know inside and out over a proper system, it is very apparent how many corners have been cut, but that doesn't really surprise me any more. I did not mince my words with my friend at pioneer when I was sent them and asked my opinions!

totally agree, on the surface all looks good till you start dissecting the Pioneer.It's a shame that such a big brand does things on the cheap, Chinese takeover maybe? Who knows.

GCH said:

I would suggest;
Get the best 1200/1210 you can find - Mk2s are still great, although something like an M3D or 5G improves it slightly with the quartz lock button instead of the click, but these cost more. A good unit should be relatively easy to find on ebay if you know what to look for.

Sound advice, I am willing to pay extra just to get that illusive "virgin" turntable. There are a couple on Ebay for a Grand each and it's claimed they are "new" but I am a bit suspicious when it comes to Ebay.

GCH said:

Get a decent length of van damme cable, some quality phono plugs, and a new phono PCB (the tracks can often lift when you de/resolder the old cables) , rip out the old factory cables, fit this lot and at the same time ground it internally. You should also look into a set of insonoe feet with the sorbothane boots (no glass) which make a huge difference. Even just the sorbothanes are worthwhile by themselves.

Now you are getting way ahead of me! I will be too scared to open a Techy 1210 and start fiddling with PCBs and the likes

GCH said:

Spares for everything are readily available and not bank-busting, so I would perhaps lean towards superior cosmetic condition as being one of the more important than most things when looking - it is also a good sign that it has been looked after and not a battered ex-club/rental unit. You would be amazed at the state of some of the units I have seen that still work perfectly! You can pick up unused ones but they command a premium for fairly obvious reasons...

Agree and I will take that advice onboard and apply it as the last resort if no new units were found.

GCH said:

Shure M44-7 are far superior to ortofon in every way- especially with heavy bass and at high volume.

Excellent, thanks for that, and thank you for taking your time, your advice is very valuable.

GCH said:

Having said all that, there is an event in germany in two days, with the tagline 'technics is back', so you may well be able to buy a new one again shortly...

That would be great news!