» TECHNICS SL-1200MK2 Turntable

TECHNICS SL-1200MK2 Turntable Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: The best, regardless of price
Comment: I am a vinyl junkie.There; I've said it. And for years I was in search of the perfect turntable on which to indulge my passion. This turntable is analog nirvana. Clearly, this turntable was intended for both the professional and home markets. The direct drive motor keeps the platter precisely on speed thanks to the quartz-locked control, or varied with the pitch control slider. A green light lets you know when you're locked right on speed. In addition, the strobe on the outer rim of the platter helps you gauge where you are when you adjust the pitch. The S-shaped tonearm offers adjustments for tracking force, anti-skate, AND vertical tracking angle. The importance of VTA is often downplayed, but I can tell you it matters! When it's right, you'll know. I have no fewer than 16 cartridges on headshells that can be used on this turntable, and all sound excellent. But my strongest recommendation for the best cartridge to use with the 1200for home use is the Denon DL-160 high output moving coil.My records have never sounded better, and this cartridge, like the turntable, is a bargain. I've been using this combination for transferring some of my favorite LP's to CD so I can play them in my car. In many cases, the sound was so good it was hard to tell this was an analog transfer. This is definitely the finest turntable ever built, regardless of price. Even the snooty high end audiophiles should take a good look at this table if they want great sound at a bare-bones price (compared to most high end turntables that don't do anything this one does). There's something to be said as to why this turntable has been available for so long. I've had mine for nearly 20 years, and I'll never let go!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Still around for a reason...
Comment: Just use mine for playing records at home. Sounds better than a $500.00 "budget audiophile" table I got rid of. Speed is always accurate and steady. Everything's easily and precisely adjustable. Nice, rich, "unfinicky", yet detailed sound, "set it and forget it". Good isolation. Solid build.

Got excellent sound with a Shure M97xE cartridge. Just found a great deal on a Denon DL-103 low output moving coil on eBay from a foreign source. VINYL HEAVEN!!! This combination really does beat CD on my system, in "life" and overall smoothness, when run through my Jolida JD-9 phono stage.

Everybody knows the 1200 is a great DJ table. With the right cartridge, I honestly don't think it can be beat for home use either, without spending considerably more. Too bad they don't make an automatic version that lifts the needle at the end of the record like they did in the old days. Bet it'd sell better than they think. I'm willing to "babysit" the 1200 for the wonderful sound it delivers though...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR SPINNING VINYL ANYWHERE!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Super solid turntable
Comment: THis is the first new 1200 that I have purchased, but not the first I have owned. Funny thing is, this wasn't even for me. Was a gift to a great friend. Either way, the 1200s are great turntables. They are very versitile & can take the abuse of spinning, or just run on doing mundane vinyl playback.

Setup is a relatively easy process & you can keep it simple & have it work well forever, or tweek out over things to make minute changes to get the abosolute best possible sound.

Anyway, these things are reliable, tanks, will last forever, & though it seems pricey, will provide for you for years...probably until you sell it to someone else who can use it too!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Turntable
Comment: Occasionally a piece of equipment comes along that is so well designed, well built and far ahead of the pack that it defines the state of the art and any major improvements are not only unnecessary but impossible. 30 some odd years ago Technics released the first SL1200 direct drive turntables and defined what phono turntables should be; affordable, reliable, excellent. In the 30 years since then there have only been minor revisions to the SL1200.

If you're like me and you have a vinyl fetish the 1200 MK2 is the turntable to buy, the extra heavy duty construction that made this deck so popular with DJs at clubs serves audiophiles just as well at home. The 1200MK2 is impossibly smooth; turn it on and watch as the platter gets up to speed in a single rotation, the platter speed is incredibly accurate, again, this sets the standard. Combined with a properly installed cartridge (I use a Shure Type 15 VMR) this turntable will give you years of pleasure from your record collection

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