As I wrote about in a previous post, I had planned to meet Bill Voss, the US Business Development Manager for Technics at CES in Las Vegas to get a first-hand introduction to the new Technics SP-10 turntable. Due to a freak accident, I didn’t make the trip to CES, but I did have a phone interview with Bill and wrote a post introducing this turntable. Later, Becky and I made the trip over to Audio Vision SF for a customer event to meet Bill and see the Technics SP-1000R in person.
The reason for chasing this rabbit is that it led to this review. We stopped by the Technics room at AXPONA on setup day to say hello, and Bill showed me the two less expensive turntables, the SL-1200G and the SL-1200GR. I had just started my series on affordable vinyl setups, and I immediately asked if I could get an SL-1200GR to review for that series.
A Little History
In 1970, Technics made the first direct-drive turntable, the SP10. Then in 1975, they released the table that many think of as the Technics SP10, the MK 2, and finally, in 1980, they brought out the Mk 3. These tables are still sought after, and people pay big money for modded ones in beautiful custom plinths.
These tables were also used in many radio stations and for other professional applications, and most still work perfectly to this day. Technics released the direct-drive SL-1200 in 1972, and it remained in production up through 2010. Over those years, they sold more than 3 million units.
For many years it was an entry-level audiophile turntable, and later it became known as a DJ turntable. A little over three years ago when Technics re-entered the home audio market, they brought out the SL-1200GAE. According to Bill, the main reason for getting back in the turntable business was their new ability to make a core-less direct-drive motor. He said as good as the old direct-drive turntables were when played in a world-class system, they could have problems caused by factors such as minute speed vibration during rotation and a rotation irregularity that is known as “cogging.” They solved the cogging problem in their newly developed core-less direct-drive motors by eliminating the iron core, which is where the “cogging” occurred. He said this is why they brought out the Sl-1200GEA at CES in 2016. Then, at the 2017 CES, they brought out the SL-1200GR at the $1,700 price point, or about half the price of the SL-1200GAE.
By the way, there’s a really good video on the Technics site that walks through the steps of making the turntable, Mastering the Craftsmanship — Making of New SL-1200. It’s worth a couple of minutes to take a look.
Description
When Technics decided to go back to making turntables, they decided that their new turntable should pay tribute to their rich analog history. Personally, I think this was a mistake, especially with the first SL1200-GAE. It looked so much like the previous SL-1200 that many people were shocked at its $4,000 price tag. All you had to do was pick it up to know it wasn’t the same turntable, but still, perception is always important. Even the GR version in this review has little besides its looks in common with the original. In fact, there is only one single part that’s carried over from the older SL-1200 series, and that’s the dust cover with its dome over the tonearm pivot.
Diagram of the Technics SL-1200GR tunable
The SL-1200GR is much heavier and very different from the older SL-1200. The SL-1200GR uses a single-rotor cordless motor similar to the ones used in the two more expensive Technics turntables, but unlike the more expensive tables, it uses a new die-cast brass and aluminum platter that is less than half the weight of the platter of the older tables.
Setup
The Clearaudio Concept turntables that I started this series of posts with come with a pre-installed and pre-aligned phono cartridge, which the SL-1200GR doesn’t This means, however, that you, or better yet your dealer, will have to install and align a cartridge in the tonearm. The good news is that since the SL-1200GR tonearm has a removable headshell mounting, the cartridge is much easier to install, and the tonearm’s adjustments are clearly calibrated to make the job easier.
The headshell is an “SME-style” mount that has been used on many S-shaped tonearms for years. Technics supplies a clip-on overhang gauge that lets you set the overhang and horizontal tracking angle while the headshell sits in your hand. After you put the headshell back on the arm, you will need to balance the arm and set the tracking force and anti-skating and adjust the vertical tracking angle, which Technics has made pretty straightforward.
Listening
I used an Ortofon 2M Black moving-magnet cartridge or the Hana SL Shibata cartridge for this review. Either of these cartridges will set you back around $700. I also used Margules Audio’s Magenta FZ47DB phono amplifier, which sells for $800. So you get a turntable, tonearm, cartridge and phono stage for around $3,200.
As I’ve pointed out before in this project, one of the surprise differences you’ll hear between turntables is the audible LP surface noise. You would expect the cartridge and maybe even the tonearm to accentuate or reduce clicks and pops, but the truth is, the turntable itself plays a very big role in this area.
Right away I knew that the SL-1200GR is better in this area than some tables I have reviewed that cost three times what this little turntable does. While it doesn’t do away with surface noise, the noise seems to distract less from the music. As I would expect after hearing Technics’ more expensive turntables, the music comes out of a very quiet and black background.
Compared to the Clearaudio Compact with the same cartridge, the SL-1200GR has more drive and a faster leading edge. On the other hand, the Concept plays music with more finesse and has a slightly more delicate top-end. Female vocals were superb on the SL-1200GR, but male vocals had a touch too much bloom in the lower ranges of their voices.
My main issue with the sound of the SL-1200GR is with the bass. With either cartridge, it had a lower-midrange emphasis that sounded nice on some music, but I found it just a touch boomy on too many LPs. The deepest bass has a good leading edge and good slam, but it lacked in decay. This was not a huge problem, but because I had become accustomed to the Clearaudio Compact with the same Hana cartridge, it was noticeable.
Without a doubt the most impressive things about the SL-1200GR is its long-term pitch stability and that there’s no hint of speed wavering or cogging that belt-drive fans often accuse direct-drives of committing. You should hear what this system can do with sustained piano chords. I would have never dreamed that solo piano music could sound this good on a vinyl playback system at this price point. The only thing I could wish for is just a bit more decay from the sound.
I suspect that all of the faults I found come from the tonearm. I expect there is some resonance in the lower midrange and upper bass, but I don’t know for sure. I would love to hear this turntable with the Clearaudio Satisfy tonearm or the Magnesium tonearm used on Technic’s own SL-1200G turntable. This isn’t possible though because you can only use the tonearm that comes with the turntable.
Conclusion
Despite the few nitpicks I’ve had with the Technic SL-1200GR, I think it is a remarkable source at this price point. It surpasses any digital system I have heard for anywhere near this price. In fact, it will give anyone raised on digital sound an understanding of why there are so many vinyl lovers. Considering the great sound and that many of the Technics turntables from the seventies are still running perfectly, this turntable is highly recommended!
Specifications
Type: Manual, direct drive, quartz locked
Playback Speeds: 33.33, 45, and 78 rpm, adjustable ±16%
Startup Time: 0.7 second to 33.33 rpm
Wow and Flutter: ±0.025% WRMS
Rumble: –78 dB (IEC 98A weighted)
Platter Weight (Pounds): 5.5 (including mat)
Tonearm Effective Length: 230mm
Tonearm Overhang: 15mm
Audio Outputs: Phono-level analog stereo unbalanced (RCA)
Dimensions (WxHxD, Inches): 17.9 x 6.9 x 14.7
Weight (Pounds): 25.4
Price: $1,699
Question, Does the SL-1200GR have an automatic retractable tonearm?
The tonearm is not retractable. You have to put the tonearm on the album and pick it up at the end.