 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
107.2.52.189
Many of you were kind enough to answer my questions regarding the Technics 1200G.I had a nice chat with Kevin today.He went into great detail regarding the table, cables, cartridges, etc. It was quite an education!
He said the only negative about the 1200G is the wiring of the tonearm, otherwise its a great table.
He mentioned the difference between MM and MC cartridges and how each one affects the sound. I have to decide my preference.
He did suggest the Ortofon Concorde pro 30 which can be used to play an array of albums, however the 40 series is best to use on new vinyl.
Also need to decide on a phono stage. I may stick with Blue Circle since i already have their pre-amp and amp. Maybe better compatbility. I'm using Crimson interconnects and loudspeaker cables, so i might use those for the turntable as well.
Follow Ups:
I purchased my Technics SL1200MK5 new from Kevin years ago with the following mods: 78 RPM, Cardas tonearm rewire, PS-1200 external power supply and tonearm dampening trough. Kevin is great to deal with and I could not be happier with the turntable's performance and reliability.
Although I own over a dozen cartridges and have used all of them on the Technics, my 'go-to' is the Ortofon Concorde. For stereo LPs and 45s, I typically use the 30 (nude fine line) stylus, although I also own the 20 and 40 and find them excellent as well. If you have any number of Mono LPs and/or 45s, I would highly recommend the D25M stylus for the Concorde. D25M is a 1.1 mil conical (make sure you buy Ortofon OEM) and it offers exceptional performance tracking at 3.0 grams and with the signal summed to Mono. By far my favorite setup for listening to mono.
NT
Frank
....
Kind of Blue
This is good to know. Thank you.
I will be buying a new Technics turntable.
I just have to find a reliable retailer. I will buy Kevin's damping system and the Ortofon cartridge.
Thanks!!
.
"Happy The Man who can tread thy paths and climb thy ways"
Here it be:
https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/
Opus 33 1/3
I'm surprised Kevin said the wiring in the SL-1200G is less than optimal. I would have thought Technics would use high quality wire in their newest turntable. Did Kevin mention any specifics as to why a brand new Technics turntable needed to have its tonearm wire replaced?
Also, did Kevin suggest incorporating his tonearm damping system? As a mechanical engineer, that is the first modification I would recommend. I wouldn't drive a car that didn't have shock absorbers and I wouldn't want a tonearm that didn't have silicone fluid motion damping. In fact, if I remember correctly, the silicone fluid damping system for Technics tonearms is Kevin's own design so I'm wondering why he wouldn't be the first to recommend it. Did he talk about it at all?
Thanks!
John Elison
Hi John
The tonearm wire Technics uses is standard multi-strand. Although the wire was upgraded to OFC in the Mk5G tonearm, compared to the litz wire Kevin uses in the Ultraflex or the Teflon coated Cardas litz, the Technics wire could be considered to be less than optimal.
The Ultraflex is by far the best (mechanically) even compared to the Teflon coated version he sold prior since (when the correct tension is achieved underneath the tonearm block) one can eliminate the wire bias that can occur due to the stiffness of the Teflon insulation.
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
Kevin mentioned to me that he doesn't do the rewiring on the new tonearms.
He also suggested that I use shielded interconnects.
Absolutely you should use shielded interconnects! Some phono cables like the Kimber Tak do not have an effective shield over the entire length and are susceptible to mains hum. Braided shields (which are beneficial for RF) are ineffective with mains hum and a solid shield is required. You can simply wrap aluminium foil and ground this to the phono pre ground post.
Kevin might not do the rewiring because of the hassle factor - with the old arms, you can easily separate all the parts. The tricky part is feeding the wire back down through the bearing down inside the arm base and getting the correct tension so that the arm is free to move without wire bias. If you can't get the arm off the base and/or the tube or plug is not able to be separated, then it would be a very tricky business.
I haven't seen the construction so don't know for sure, but would guess it is something like that.
Regards Anthony
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty.." Keats
Thanks! I'm not sure if Crimson cable is shielded but I'll check. I have Crimson interconnects for my source components and use their loudspeaker cable.
Hi John,
Yes ,he did mention the damping system. We talked about a lot of things, I just forgot to mention that in my first post.
He also said the more expensive model(s) (I forget which ones he mentioned, but cost is about 17K?) has the upgraded wiring in the tonearm.
He did say another negative about the turntable is if something goes wrong with the tonearm the whole unit must be replaced, but in the past you were able to replace each part.
Sorry but I don't remember all the details. He covered a lot of territory in our discussion.
Ha ha. I should've qualified my statement about replacing the whole unit by saying the tonearm assembly, not the turntable!
I can't imagine something going wrong with the tonearm unless you're a DJ. I've never damaged a tonearm. If I were you, I wouldn't worry about having the tonearm rewired either. However, the silicone fluid damping system is an easy modification to install yourself and I would highly recommend it.
Good luck,
John Elison
I'm not a DJ and for a 4K turntable I'm gonna baby that thing!
I thought you were buying the $1700 version . Did you decide to buy the more expensive $4000 model? In either case, I'd still recommend adding the tonearm damping system.
Good luck,
John Elison
PS. I was flabbergast to see the Technics SL-1210 Mk2 selling for $2600. I own one but I never expected it to be going for more than the latest production model. What gives?
Hi John,
I decided on the 4K model.
Yes, Kevin recommended that I purchase the tonearm damping system .
But first I need to find a reliable authorized retailer as I will probably purchase online.
What about Amazon? I buy virtually everything on Amazon these days and I've never had a problem. They're selling the SL-1200G for $3800 with free shipping.
Good luck,
John Elison
$3800 on Amazon but ships from Japan. I think I would pay the extra $200 and get it from a US dealer. I would be worried about voltage issues.
Andy, good point. I wasn't aware the turntable would be shipped from Japan but I didn't read all of the details.
Thanks, John.
I wasn't sure about making a purchase that large thru Amazon.
I suppose it should be ok.
NT
Thanks, i'll check them out as well.
I had a Ortofon Concorde Pro 30 on my Technics 1200 Mk II. It was OK but I liked the Grado Prestige Gold better.
I have a Hana EL on my new Technics 1200G. Best cart I have ever had but I don't play in the big leagues.
Kevin is a great source of information on all things Technics and very generous with his time.
I was really impressed with his knowledge and amount of time he spent with me.
He suggested the Ortofon Concorde 30 as a decent cartridge, which he sells, but also suggested HANA ( which he doesn't sell) as an MC. I think Kevin only sells MM cartridges.
I don't have the experience as many of you that have tried different cartridges.
This will be my first purchase in many years, so I have to use whatever I purchase as a baseline or a starting point for comparison.
The nearest authorized Technics dealer to me is about a 2 hour drive so I'm contemplating buying the technics turntable online. There's lots of authorized dealers, but I don't know which has a good customer service track record. This is a sizable investment.
He also mentioned HANA cartridges as a brand to consider.
The metal plate on the top seems like a good idea for install alignment and resonance issues.
My Hana SL resonance is 13Hz on the Pro-ject 9-inch, 9cc, carbon fiber arm.
I heard the Hana SL and the Hana ML at a dealer. The ML is considerably better than the SL in every which. Far more resolving and tighter bass.
We then compared it to a Benz LPS. Yes the Benz was better but not by as much as one would expect.
I got an ML on order.
To be honest, I'm getting back into turntables after a 25 year hiatus! I have to re-learn all the technical jargon. As far as cartridges, I may go with Kevin's recommendation.
My last turntable was a Sony PS3000 (still in storage, needing repair) --- with a Shure V15 Type III. Back in the 1990s.
I got a Pro-ject 2Xperience with the Hana SL. A very nice combination. This year I restored an old Sony 2251, direct drive turntable. It has a SME 3009 with a Denon DL-103R on it. Also, a nice combination.
I am currently hooked on MC cartridges.
8^)
as i too have gotten a taste for mc carts, ortofon candenza black for instance, i know there are some MMs (think nagaoka) and MIs (think soundsmith) that should be high on the list.
it's a hobby and as long as we can make changes in the way we think now and again, we can learn some fun things.
...regards...tr
Nice setup!
My last turntable was a Dual 1209 that I donated about 25 years ago. In hindsight, I should have kept it. But I'm upgrading to something nice.
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
