Technics SL 1210 II Turntable

I am not a DJ. My use of turntables is purely for domestic listening; I own about 6 of them.

The SL1200/SL1210 has always intrigued me - it has always been a ubiquitous machine in clubs but I have often wondered what it might sound like in a domestic set up, understanding that it was originally designed for home usage rather than discos and used the same motor as used in the legendary SP10 (found in radio stations). I finally found out about 4 years ago.

I am not that bothered about the pitch slider for beat matching and the light is not particularly necessary. All I am interested in is the actual sound it makes.

The sound has been a revelation to me. With its fantastically high s/n ratio and low wow and flutter percentage, you do get a lot more music. I notice real silences between tracks more than other turntables. I have used a number of cartridges on my Technics. I am currently using a Denon DL110 moving coil cartidge, and it has proved to be a very good match - plenty of atmosphere in the rendition of music. The thing I notice is that you get the sense that everything is handled with absolute precision.

The turntable is built to a very high specification and feels so robust. Most other turntables feels flimsy in comparison.

Although this is not a criticism, I must say that it is not the most attractive pieces of equipment I have used. It has a real retro chic about it.

I hope it stays in production forever and that more hifi afficionados discover its fantastic qualities. It's that good.

I am using the 1210 purly for listening pleasure in a hi fi setup.
I am using a denon 110 cartridge on the tonearm tracking at 1.7. highly recommended!
The biggest improvement in sound I have made with the 1210 is ditching the thick rubber mat and replacing it with a
linn sondek felt mat.(fits the platter perfectly, not expensive and redily available from linn). This then totally opens up the sound stage!
You would also need to reduce the arm height (simple task) to bring the arm tube parallel
with the record surface. Be sure to lock the arm again after.
Great sound!!! enjoy.

Their comes a time when you reflect on the past few decades, and wonder how certain iconic appliances never became house-hold names. Though the Technics SL series is known by every DJ on this planet, even my mum didn't recognise its simple design that's been in clubs since 1979.

If you're reading this review, it's likely that A: You have no idea why their is such a buzz around Technics SL's. Or B: You want to know more about them.

Its a strange time for the new DJ, as you now have so many choices for what form of music you're going to use; vinyl, mp3, CD etc. But for the purpose of this review, I think we should say that we're vinyl-purists at heart, because I personally feel DJ'ing with things like laptops is cheating, and involves few musical/hands on skills.

The Technics SL 1210 Mk2 is the Black coloured version of the MK2 range. Its forerunner was the 1200, the proffered Silver model, because it looks more retro (very true). To answer scepticism, their is NO technical difference between the 1200 and 1210.

The top layer of the deck is constructed with a metal body, smooth and cold to touch on a winter's morning - and very prone to condensation when in a garage set-up! But No other deck is made to such a quality degree, in that my 1210's from 1993 are still working perfect, with just the odd chip on the corners. The base of the deck is made from a rubbery shock absorbing material, as are the feet, which cleverly you can adjust by screwing how flat the deck is, because they work on suspension.

The pitch fader is smooth is a baby's bottom and very stiff - fantastic for precise mixes. What people also forget is that although it only reaches +/-8, the size of it is slightly longer than most other faders, meaning that you can be even more precise when beatmatching.

Apart from the tone-arm obviously, this deck has no delicate parts which could break from mis-use. The only parts that may need replacing, and still cheap, are typically the on/off switch, and the pitch slider as it gets old. You could fix both yourself (if you know how to solder) for £20 max.

Performance? The torque power (motor power under resistance) is still probably the best around, because Technics have used a patented magnetic motor - NOT other versions of Direct Drive motors which still use bearings. The result is that it doesn't wear out, its smooth, silent, precise, and simply constructed. Place your finger on the record over the slipmat, and the motor power doesn't even quaver (as seen on the red dots).

Talking of guidance, you will have no doubt seen the silver dots on the platter. These have a purpose -when the platter spins, the dots give you a guidance as to how the motor is doing, because their is a red strobe light in the on/off section, which very cleverly shines on the silver dots, giving you an accurate reading. When the centre dot doesn't move, you know the pitch is at 0 etc etc...

I've only talked of the main points here, but the fact is, this is the best deck around. Yes, times have moved on and other decks like the Vestax now match the torque of this, but is it as hard wearing? Will it last? I don't think so - this was a deck designed when objects were made to last. There, their are no modern day counterparts!