Technics SL-1200G Direct Drive Turntable, Silver

Description

IN STOCK!

MY TAKE: From any perspective, this is a wonderful turntable. Sound, construction, reliability, you name it, the Technics SL-1200G impresses. If you are looking for a fuss-free, super-sounding analog rig, you simply can't go wrong! Let us pre-mount a cartridge for a virtually plug-and-play analog experience.. - Galen Carol

Be sure to check out Michael Fremer's post comparing the Technics SL1200G to the $120,000+ Caliburn Turntable with SAT Tonearm - See if you can hear the difference!

Video: Michael Graves, Archival Mastering Engineer talks about the Technics SP-10R/SL-1000R Turntables

Technics at Abbey Road Studios

The last version of the SL-1200 was released in Japan back in 2008 and the model has been sorely missed. Technics has announced the successor in the form of the Grand Class Technics SL-1200G and the Limited Edition Grand Class SL-1200GAE.
 

The ubiquitous form factor remains essentially unchanged, but Technics have made a raft of notable upgrades - this is not your old SL1200!
 

Coreless Direct Drive Motor -

Conventional analog turntables have problems with degradation in sound quality caused by factors such as minute speed vibration during rotation and rotation irregularity called "cogging." In the SL-1200G, the use of a newly developed coreless direct-drive motor with no iron core eliminates cogging and the subtle vibrations that cause. Also, the twin-rotor construction reduces the bearing load while maintaining high torque and increasing rotational accuracy.
 

High-precision Motor Control Technology -

The application of advanced motor control technohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln3ZX6QRo8clogy (originally developed for Blu-ray devices) ensures extremely accurate speed control, resulting in exceptionally stable imaging and outstanding pitch stability.
 

Three-layered Turntable Platter -

The turntable has a three-layered construction with a rigidly combined brass and aluminum die-cast platter. With a deadening rubber covering its entire rear surface to eliminate unnecessary resonance, thereby achieving high rigidity and vibration damping. This delivers smooth rotational stability and inertial mass that surpasses the iconic SP-10MK2, the direct-drive turntable standard used by broadcast stations worldwide.

Ultra-Accurate Platter Balancing -

When the weight distribution of the turntable is uneven, excess vibration or noise occurs during rotation, which degrades sound quality. Each turntable is balanced individually by a skilled technician employing specialized high-precision test and measurement instruments. The hand-tuned platters are labeled with a sticker reading "BALANCED" to indicate that adjustment has been done.
 

Precision Tonearm -

The tonearm employs lightweight magnesium, which is both rigid and non-resonant. A special "Cold Drawing" process improves the characteristics of the material itself and facilitates more precise manufacturing. In addition, high initial-motion sensitivity is attained by employing the traditional Technics gimbal suspension construction with horizontal rotation axis and the vertical rotation axis intersecting at a single central point, as well as high-precision bearings using a cut-processed housing resulting in a vanishingly-low friction level of 0.5mg. The arm is static balanced meaning that the center of gravity is on the axis of rotation, and so the tracking force will remain consistent as the arm tracks record warps or vinyl of varying thickness.

Four-layer Chassis Construction -

A precision-machined, 10-mm-thick aluminum deck plate has been added to the previous three-layered construction of aluminum die-cast, BMC, and heavyweight-class rubber on the SL-1200MK5. This four-layered construction combines high rigidity with a high-quality finish and feel.

Technics developed a new coreless direct-drive motor that’s lacking the iron core that’s often the cause of those speed fluctuations in the platter. And any remaining vibrations from the turntable’s electric motor are further suppressed and corrected using new processor-controlled rotational positioning sensors inside the SL-1200G’s housing. The deck plate/main chassis has been significantly beefed-up with a total weight now at 18 kg. New isolation footers and upgraded plinth further reduce the influence of external structure-borne vibration. The platter is now a three-layer affair comprised of differing materials for increased damping and higher mass. Each platter is individually balanced for optimum rotational stability.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

"I've had the pleasure of listening to the GAE for the past 3 days and I have to say that it is an incredibly impressive table. I've owned a Technics SL-1200 M3D for over 15 years as my main table, then went to a Rega RP40 and recently upgraded to a VPI Scout 1.1 with an Ortofon 2m black in 2015, for reference. The GAE took the place of the VPI and I swapped over the 2m Black, which still has plenty of life left. The rest of my system consists of a Hagerman Bugle 2 phono pre, Rogue Cronus Magnum II amp powering a set of Kef LS50.
 

"I'm not an obsessive audiophile (no thousand dollar cables or whatever) but I enjoy good sound. The GAE is an obvious cut above the VPI scout and a night and day difference from the existing 1200M3D.
 

"The table is dead quiet all throughout the entire volume range (VPI would have a low-level static hum at around 40%) and is just incredibly quiet throughout. The music comes alive from an inky black background, and the soundstage/imaging and dynamics is the best I have heard; maybe due to the new motor design and speed stability. I am very familiar with how the 1200M3D sounds stock (kind of dark) and this sounds nothing like that. It has breathed new life into every record I own and it truly gives off the effect of "being there" on any remotely decent mastered record. Ryan Adams - Live at Carnegie Hall sounds like you are sitting front row, capturing the ambience and space of the performance like I have never heard.
 

"This table simply does everything I liked about the VPI (wide-open soundstage, detail, clarity) and does it even better than I expected. All the buttons, knobs, and sliders have this excellent tactile feel and the platter will spin by itself for maybe 20-30 seconds with the slightest push, which I found to be pretty amazing. I can say without a doubt that this is the quietest table I've ever listened to, the noise floor is so low that I actually checked to see if the amp was turned on while the needle was still on the lead-in groove. The motor makes zero audible noise when starting/stopping/spinning the platter - the table is entirely silent.
 

"Build quality-wise it's on a level of its own. The fit and finish is reminiscent more of a high-end Swiss watch than a turntable - it feels like it's worth its price tag. The polished strobe dots, brass platter and polished aluminum top plate look stunning.
 

"Just wanted to share my thoughts with you Galen, thanks again for the top-notch service and I truly appreciate you setting up the table and cartridge for me." - W. L.

"Hey Galen. I love the 1200 G and cartridge. Best setup I’ve ever owned. That Hana is a great fit for getting the most from my best and worst quality records. I have lots of great music that is either poorly pressed or poorly recorded. The Hana SL makes it easy to hear the music beyond the flaws." - V.H.

REVIEWS:

Audiophilliac: "Technics SL-1200G, Loving DIRECT-DRIVE turntables" - Video review by Steve Guttenberg.
 

Stereophile: Description: The instant I first saw and touched the Grand Class SL-1200GAE 50th Anniversary Limited Edition, I realized that it is not just a tarting-up of the old workhorse SL-1200. New from the ground up, it has almost nothing in common with the used SL-1200 Mk.2 I bought at a stoop sale for $70.
 

Every time I'm near the shiny new 'GAE, I run my fingers sensually over the word TECHNICS deeply engraved on the hairline-processed, 0.375"- thick aluminum top plate of its plinth. This new fourth layer is added to the already substantial three-layer sandwich of die-cast aluminum, bulk molding compound, and heavy rubber of the SL-1200 Mk. 5's plinth. No MDF anywhere! The new 'table weighs 39.6 lbs (18kg). The discontinued SP-1200 Mk.5 weighed 26.4 lbs (12kg).
 

If the new platter, motor, and speed control are unquestionably big steps up from the original, so are the new isolation feet, made of heavy die-cast zinc, with a flexible leg of dense silicone separating the zinc feet from their mounting screws. The new feet allow the deck to move freely in three dimensions. Tetsuya Itani says that his goal was a full-table resonant frequency lower than 10Hz.
 

My favorite part of the original SL-1200 was its thick rubber platter mat, which delivered the full boogie energy of every song. Fortunately, Technics has not changed that. Also unchanged from the SL-1200s of legend are the overall look and layout, the Pitch slider—although pitch control is now fully digital—the Off/On and Start/Stop switches, and the 45rpm adapter. Unlike the old 1200s, the back of the SL-1200GAE has an IEC power-cord socket and gold-plated RCAs with solid-brass grounding lugs for fitting the tonearm cable of your choice.
 

My biggest problem with the original SL-1200 was its aluminum tonearm. Compared to audiophile arms, it felt flimsy and imprecise and favored high-compliance moving-magnet cartridges. (Moving-coil cartridges can overwhelm flimsy tonearms.) The new tonearm has an effective mass of 12gm, low friction, stainless-steel gimbal bearings, and a strong, light, highly damped armtube made of cold-drawn magnesium. It feels very precise and seems better suited for the lower-compliance moving-coils favored by audiophiles. To accommodate heavy cartridges, the 'GAE tonearm comes with two extra balance weights, so the user has a choice of small, medium, and large.
 

Listening: The world's best record-players all exhibit an eerie silence coupled to a precise, palpable, and captivating spatiality—which is what we pay so much extra for. By comparison, my stoop-sale Technics SL-1200 Mk.2 is conspicuously noisy and spatially vague. The reconceived 1200, the new Grand Class SL-1200GAE, with its new motor-drive system, went a surprisingly long way toward correcting these problems.
 

I used four cartridges with the Technics: an Ortofon 2M Black MM, a Hana by Excel EL low-output MC, my Zu Denon DL-103 MC, and a mono-wired Shure M44 MM with 78rpm stylus. My listening notes look like this: "SILENCE, PRECISION, SILENCE, mucho dynamics, easy by nature, expansive, SPATIAL CORRECTNESS, tiny info/detail, jump & jive, quieter and FIRMER than the old 1200! BOOGIE oogie WOOGIE and Smoooooth!"
 

Quiet, lively, and precise accurately describe how the Technics SL-1200GAE played records. With every cartridge, the 'GAE's octave-to-octave energy balance felt even and authentic.
 

Energy-wise, the SL-1200GAE made my newly beloved Linn LP12 with Valhalla power supply feel uneven, a bit out of control (especially in the lower octaves), and possibly a tad vapid. (Linn's Lingo power supply and Cirkus platter-bearing and subchassis upgrades would likely cancel those disparities.) To my surprise, rhythm, melody, and bass lines were more easily noticed and enjoyable to follow with the Technics. As I trolled through my Mango, Island, and Studio One records, I realized that the SL-1200GAE was beating my Linn Sondek LP12 at its own game: It had major force factor and foot-stomping momentum—perhaps the best I've ever experienced. The 'GAE captured the urgency of Miles Davis, the potency of Junior Wells, and the inspired delirium of Roy Acuff singing Hank Williams's "I Saw the Light," from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will the Circle Be Unbroken (3 LPs, United Artists UAS-9801).
 

Music played on the Technics was better organized, easier to comprehend. The SL-1200GAE did an especially good job of describing full orchestras. Because it reproduced, without blurring, the dynamic spreads of notes and instruments, from silence to full-on drive and swing, it made piano concertos seem less confused and overwrought than they sometimes do.
 

Mes trois conclusions: I'll be writing a Follow-Up about the Technics Grand Class SL-1200GAE 50th Anniversary Limited Edition in which I'll delve more deeply into the musical vicissitudes of this shiny new machine. For now, I'll answer three questions about it: Is the SL-1200GAE better than its legendary predecessors? The SL-1200GAE was so quiet, precise, and forceful that it made my old SL-1200 Mk.2 feel and sound almost like a toy. It played with substantially more detail, dynamics, and musical authority than either the SL-1200 Mk.2 or Pioneer's PLX-1000 ($699).
 

Is the SL-1200GAE an audiophile-quality turntable that can compete in a high-end audio marketplace filled with scores of quality contenders costing less than $5000? I believe that it is. It did all the audiophile tricks—especially low noise, precise imaging, midrange clarity, bass punch, and openness of the high frequencies—and it out-boogied them all.

Is the SL-1200GAE worth $4000? Unquestionably. Its materials and build quality are superb, and, to my taste and experience, it played records as well as or better than any turntable listed in Class B of Stereophile's "Recommended Components." - Herb Reichert, Stereophile

The Absolute Sound: "Its silence and speed stability are competitive with any turntable available and are far superior to most, even very high-priced ones. The turntable’s sound is rock solid, very pure, highly resolved, and very lively in the positive sense. One has very much the sensation of hearing what is actually on the record. The Technics is not the only turntable in its price range (or lower) to have challenged the high-priced world: I think of the Well-Tempered Amadeus, for example (2009 Golden Ear Award winner). But the Technics has an important feature offered by few of its high-end competitors at any price: adjustable speed. Surprisingly many records, especially from the early days, original or reissued, are not in fact at the correct pitch if played at standard speed. And the difference when one adjusts them to be correct in pitch dwarfs the other differences among high-quality turntables. Once you have experienced this possibility of hearing music on pitch, you will not want to go back. Until someone re-issues the Nakamichi disc-centering (and speed-adjustable) turntable, this is as close as you can get to hearing records pitch-perfect. This is a turntable for musicians and those who share musicians’ sensibilities." - Robert E. Greene
 

The Absolute Sound 2019: "This turntable, which shares the historic name and appearance of the long-running SL-1200 series but is in fact a new design, offers performance at the very highest level. Its silence and speed stability are competitive with any turntable available and are far superior to most, even very high priced ones. The turntable’s sound is rock-solid, very pure, highly resolved, and quite lively in the positive sense." - Editor's Choice Award

Tone Audio: "The SL-1200G is so easy to use, it’s made vinyl playback a blast. Thanks to the three inputs on the Pass Labs XS Phono, and a set of three Rega Elys 2 cartridges, comparing the three variations on the SL-1200 theme is not only a breeze, but enlightening. Queuing up three copies of MoFi’s self-titled Santana (only a few pressing numbers apart, to keep it all as close to identical as possible) quickly shows the progress the Technics engineers have made.

"Immediately the new table’s massive stereo image makes itself known. The mk.2 creates a somewhat small sonic landscape that is limited to the space between the speakers; it feels more like VHS. Where the gentle piano at the beginning of “Treat” feels small and uninvolving on the mk.2, moving up to the 1200G brings it alive, the piano now sounding much bigger and livelier. As the guitar is folded in, a similar effect is displayed and even the non-audiophiles in my impromptu listening sessions stood up and took notice.

"All three tables exhibit great speed accuracy, but again the new model (and the TimeStep modded version) offer a much lower noise floor, resulting in a greater dynamic range. When tracking through a new, 45 r.p.m. copy of Kruder and Dorfmeister’s The K&D Sessions, the new table shines, with incredible bass weight that the other two can’t match.

"Finally where I would never have mounted a premium cartridge to the original 1200, because of its general lack of resolution, this is now a welcome addition to the current model. Upgrading the standard-issue Technics headshell with something from Ortofon or another specialty manufacturer, and some better head shell wires (in this case, a set of silver ones from Furutech) takes it all to the next level.

"Switching from the $300 Rega MM cartridge to the $6,000 Transfiguration Proteus cartridge brought about quite the “ah-ha” moment, and convinces me that this is a world-class table in the $4,000 price category. The Technics SL-1200G has the ability to resolve the difference between cartridges with ease, and thanks to the easily removable head shells, this was not a terribly difficult task. Even if you don’t invest in a $6,000 cartridge for your new 1200G, know it is up to the task.

"Should you be of the “get a great table first, add the mega cartridge later” mindset, one budget cartridge that delivers astounding sonics with the 1200G is the $379 Denon DL-103r. It won’t offer the last bit of fine detail that the four figure cartridges will, but it’s level of sheer musicality and bass weight should keep your ears perked up.

"As with a great sports car, much is to be said for balance. Those rare cars with an equal amount of stop, go, handling and feel are often much more fun on a curvy road than a high horsepower car that is a monster beyond your capabilities. The Technics SL-1200G is like the new generation Miata. It offers up such a balanced amount of analog performance, that you’ll never notice you aren’t listening to a $30,000 turntable.

"If you haven’t considered a direct drive turntable for audiophile duty, I can’t suggest the Technics SL-1200G highly enough. I’m happy to award it one of our Exceptional Value Awards for 2017 and not only have I purchased the review sample, I’m thinking of a second one, just because." - Jeff Dorgay

Stereoplay (Germany): Technics SL-1200G received the first place in Stereoplay the category above 1,500€.

About Red Dot Award: The distinction “Red Dot” has become established internationally as one of the most sought-after seals of quality for good design. In order to appraise the diversity in the field of design in a professional manner, the award breaks down into three disciplines: the Red Dot Award: Product Design, Red Dot Award: Communication Design and Red Dot Award: Design Concept. Each competition is organised once every year.

Absolute Sound: "The Technics poses to my mind a real challenge to the ultra-high-priced turntables.

"People ought to be ready for the idea that a really great example of turntable design need not cost as much as a luxury car if enough engineering expertise is directed at the problems. As always, it is a good idea to keep an open mind and open ears. And if you do, I think the Technics SL-1200G will be on your short list no matter how much money you can afford to spend. It honors music in a truly profound way." Robert E Greene

FEATURES:

• All New Core-Less, Twin-Rotor High Torque Direct Drive Motor - Eliminates cogging and ensures smooth rotation
• Magnesium Tonearm Armtube - Provides Rigidity, damping, and strength
• Three-layer Platter - Consisting of brass, aluminum, and vibration damping virtually eliminates resonance
• Four-Layer Plinth - Rigid aluminum deck plate combines with diecast aluminum, BMC, and heavyweight rubber damp vibration
• All New Motor Controller - For exacting speed
• Isolator Feet - Unique footers dramatically reduce structure-borne vibration
• Built-In Cueing Light
• Built-In Stroboscope

SPEED ACCURACY:

Measurements by Stereophile Magazine - The SL-1200GAE has some of the best speed accuracy of any turntable they have reviewed!
 

Fig.1 Technics SL-1200GAE, speed stability data.

Fig.2 Technics SL-1200GAE, speed stability (raw frequency yellow; low-pass filtered frequency green). The explanation is rather complex but what is being communicated is that the SL-1200GAE has some of the best speed accuracy (a stable continuous green line) as any turntable reviewed on their pages.
 

SPECIFICATIONS:

Turntable section -

• Type: Direct Drive Manual Turntable
• Turntable Speeds: 33 1/3, 45, 78 rpm
• Adjust Range: ±8%, ±16%
• Starting Torque: 3.3 kg･cm (2.8 lb-in)
• Build-up Characteristics: 0.7 s. from standstill to 33 1/3 r/min
• Wow and Flutter: 0.025% W.R.M.S. (JIS C5521)
• Rumble - 78dB (IEC 98A Weighted)
• Turntable Platter: Brass and Aluminum diecast combined
• Diameter: 32mm (13-5/64")
• Weight: 3.6kg (7 15/16 lb) (Including rubber sheet)

Tonearm Section -

• Type: Universal Static Balance
• Effective Length: 230mm (9-1/16")
• Overhang: 15mm (19/32")
• Tracking Error Angle: Within 2° 32' (at the outer groove of 30cm(12") record), within 0° 32' (at the inner groove of 30cm(12") record)
• Offset Angle: 22°
• Arm-height Adjustment Range: 0 - 6 mm
• Stylus Pressure Adjustment Range: 0 - 4 g (direct reading)
• Head Shell Weight: Approx. 7.6 g
• Applicable Cartridge Weight Range: (without auxiliary weight) 5.6 - 12.0g, 14.3 - 20.7g (including headshell) (with small auxiliary weight) 10.0 - 16.4g 18.7 - 25.1g (including headshell) (with large auxiliary weight) 14.3 - 19.8g 23.0 - 28.5g (including headshell)
• Cartridge Mounting Dimension: JIS 12.7 mm Interval
• Head Shell Terminal Lug: 1.2 mm φ 4-pin Terminal Lug

Terminals -

• Audio Output: PHONO (Pin Jack) x 1 EARTH TERMINAL x 1

General -

• Power Supply: AC120 V, 60 Hz
• Power Consumption: 14 W Approx. 0.2W (Standby)
• Dimensions: (W x H x D)453 x 173 x 372 mm 17-27/32 x 6-13/16 x 14-21/32 inch
• Weight: Approx. 18 kg
• Approx. 39.7lbs
• Accessories: Turntable, Turntable sheet, Dust cover, EP record adaptor, Balance weight, Auxiliary weight(S), Auxiliary weight(L), Head shell, Overhang gauge, Screw set for cartridge, PHONO cable, PHONO earth lead, AC power supply cord, cartridge mounting hardware, owner's Manual

Technics Direct Drive Turntables Introduction

Video from Michael Fremer showing all the parts that go into making the SL-1200G - Fascinating! Starts at 7:20 min

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