recently brought technics 1210 turntable

[1423stuart]

After much thinking brought a technics 1210 turntable mk2 and so glad I did .what would be price of a good soul record  made the listening experience from a 5 to 9 out of 10 instantly .And the other reason was a cheap turntable nackering your presious tunes an absolute must for anyone with tunes of age and value . your thoughts?

[1423stuart]

After much thinking brought a technics 1210 turntable mk2 and so glad I did .what would be price of a good soul record  made the listening experience from a 5 to 9 out of 10 instantly .And the other reason was a cheap turntable nackering your presious tunes an absolute must for anyone with tunes of age and value . your thoughts?

[Soul16]

It never ceases to amaze me how often I see YouTube videos of people playing 45s worth serious money on toy turntables - crazy.

You bought well and won’t regret it. Sure, there are still arguably better ‘audiophile’ turntables out there, but for playing 45rpm singles, the 1210 is perfect. I use a Michell Gyrodec for HiFi listening and an Audio Technica AT LP1240 for playing singles.

[Peter99]

5 minutes ago, Soul16 said:

It never ceases to amaze me how often I see YouTube videos of people playing 45s worth serious money on toy turntables - crazy.

 

I am crazy! Although having said that I rarely play my vinyl these days - easier to blast my stuff out via my iphone and decent headphones.

[Soulsides]

Good choice @ the O.P.!

I have one of the Technics 1200 LTD models, Its numbered #77 of 10,000 and it's a beautiful deck...it cost £500 at the time I got it but to me it was worth every penny.

I've had a lot of very nice stereo equipment over the years which I've bought and sold but my Technics is something I would be very reluctant to let go of tbh.

A mate of mine bought a pair of  the new Technics GAE  1200's which came out recently but at almost 7 grand for the pair that is something that's way above what I could pay for a set of turntables,although if I did have that kind of cash to chuck around I probably would do the same.

Edit

Mine ISN'T one of these below lol

Edited January 19, 2018 by Soulsides

[Dylan]

23 minutes ago, Soulsides said:

Good choice @ the O.P.!

I have one of the Technics 1200 LTD models, Its numbered #77 of 10,000 and it's a beautiful deck...it cost £500 at the time I got it but to me it was worth every penny.

I've had a lot of very nice stereo equipment over the years which I've bought and sold but my Technics is something I would be very reluctant to let go of tbh.

A mate of mine bought a pair of  the new Technics GAE  1200's which came out recently but at almost 7 grand for the pair that is something that's way above what I could pay for a set of turntables,although if I did have that kind of cash to chuck around I probably would do the same.

Mine is one of these below.

Thats a very bling 1210

 

i've not seen the option to change pitch from +8 to +16 before

 

and the shiny black top.

 

i bought my 2 x 1210s early 90s and they are still faultless so well worth the money imo.

[Dylan]

27 minutes ago, Soulsides said:

 

I've had a lot of very nice stereo equipment over the years which I've bought and sold but my Technics is something I would be very reluctant to let go of tbh.

 

 

 

Same here i only have one set up now and the other is in storage but i will be keeping it.

[Soulsides]

Oops sorry, I accidentally went and posted the wrong picture...

Apologies,mine is this one, the first photo is the 1200 GLD ( only 3000 of those were made)whereas mine is the 1200 LTD of which the 10.000 were manufactured. 

@ Dylan - one of the members of the Hip Hop forum i'm involved with has created a mod for +/- 50 pitch like the Vestax PDX's use  but for the Technics 1210..the guy who did it is a bit of a Don when it comes to modding stuff ..if you're interested in taking a look at what he gets up to I can PM you the details

Edited January 19, 2018 by Soulsides

[jimmy clitheroe]

Sky’s the limit on what you could spend on a decent deck..This one is a snip at £43,800😱

[Soulsides]

This is pretty hilarious.

 

[Swifty]

15 minutes ago, Soulsides said:

This is pretty hilarious.

 

Kin 'ell ! lol

[Guest Shufflin]

3 hours ago, Soulsides said:

Oops sorry, I accidentally went and posted the wrong picture...

Apologies,mine is this one, the first photo is the 1200 GLD ( only 3000 of those were made)whereas mine is the 1200 LTD of which the 10.000 were manufactured. 

@ Dylan - one of the members of the Hip Hop forum i'm involved with has created a mod for +/- 50 pitch like the Vestax PDX's use  but for the Technics 1210..the guy who did it is a bit of a Don when it comes to modding stuff ..if you're interested in taking a look at what he gets up to I can PM you the details

that's ace, I'm looking at it, convincing myself I don't really need it, my decks are fine, but I'm starting on that road to buying...damn you

[Tlscapital]

My share on this; to have those beloved and sometimes worth their tidy sums records and to play them on cheap and dreaded phono gear is not only scary to the eye but indeed "contradictory" in it's own term and definitely with time and age unworthy of them rare records.

In our teens one had to do with what was either shared home or given to us by elders. It was for most the only way to go. Only once one could start saving some dosh to go and buy some second hand "better" gear. But one had to "think" as to what should be the good gear.

And yet I too have friends into their 4T's that still have a barely functioning phono set-up home with 1000's of really nice and rare records sitting next to IT. The financial situation is for most the reason of this desperation. I am afraid it became a habit as well.

So the "phono education" and/or understanding is for most lost in the lazy cloud. The consumerist culture annihilated the basics analog knowledge with their "plug & play" products dished by the general public phono industry. Hence a general "rightful" disregard of the audiophile "geek" in the popular mentality.

Yet it is this geeky maybe but necessary understanding of "how does" that work in order to fix, convert and improve my set-up that forced me to understand the elementary of physics at stake in there and afterward appreciate my records more than never.

So a "good" turntable will never "spare" your records from bad wear. Bad groove wear will be inflicted by an inappropriate, bad, cheap and/or damaged stylus and/or from your bad cartridge alignement and the classic wrong VTA and/or VTF adjustments !

A good turntable should mainly be silent running and spin at the right speed continuously. Other specific requirements depends on it's use, need and taste. Switching to vintage turntable after turning 40 year old, I am now a belt drive on suspended sub chassis turntable believer. How odd is that ?

Well those well build, I admit, Techniques turntable are too dampened for my liking in comparison. Home I don't DJ anyway. I play my 45's one by one with a phono set-up half vintage and half Y2K+. My vintage turntable, tonearm and speakers are DIY tweaked to wonderful playback IMO.

To get some descent gear second hand nowadays is also expensive I find. And it does require some notion on compatibility between the components and to have fiddling fingers and a curious mind to sort out tech issues will be an advantage of importance.

Finally the most important factor that should lead our choice on what to get as phono gear, should be the fact that we play mainly vintage MONO records ! And this is a real factor that those STEREO/MONO switch on amp are merely fooling by "blending" the channels. Not good really.

So to get the best out of them capricious records is a whole matter on it's own. Whatever the higher-end gold platted, pure silver, rarest exotic wood and NASA developed material turntable all the money in the world could buy, if not adapted to the support, it just won't perform good.

In the analog world the best universal gear just does not exists. Don't be fooled by the commercial messages that is bashed or the bitterness of the prideful few. I'll add that the "contemporary" DJ phono gear if robust is not the best to get the best out of our vintage records from my experience and understanding.

[Soulsides]

8 hours ago, tlscapital said:

 

Well those well build, I admit, Techniques turntable are too dampened for my liking 

I think this is something of a misconception,personally.

The Technics MK 1 1200 was originally designed as a Hi Fi turntable for high quality playback of vinyl but the reason that these decks are often mistakenly believed to be aimed purely at D.J'.s  is because the brand has become synonymous with the image of the D.J. and especially in the world of Hip Hop and Electronic Dance music culture.

A lot of people forget that the reason why 1200/1210's were adapted by DJ's ,nightclubs etcetera is more down to the robustness and stability of these turntables when coupled with the power of the direct drive motors and the increased torque they provide  make them absolutely ideal for fast, precise forward and backward cueing and the seamless mixing of records. 

While I would definitely agree that there are nicer sounding turntables when it comes to purely Hi Fi  decks which are designed just for listening purposes I also believe that theres a lot of audio snake oil doing the rounds , fake tube amps that use the placebo effect on listeners being one nasty example....you can unscrew the 'tubes' and it all still works.

Insanely expensive audio cables with no audible advantages are another misconception and more importantly,a massive moneymaker for the company's that produce them, but there's no real proof that these cables can do anything that the human ear can detect but so many audiophiles have drunk the sonic kool aid that this has now become a very big industry,unfortunately. 

Edited January 20, 2018 by Soulsides

[Tlscapital]

48 minutes ago, Soulsides said:

I think this is something of a misconception,personally.

The Technics MK 1 1200 was originally designed as a Hi Fi turntable for high quality playback of vinyl but the reason that these decks are often mistakenly believed to be aimed purely at D.J'.s  is because the brand has become synonymous with the image of the D.J. and especially in the world of Hip Hop and Electronic Dance music.

A lot of people forget that the reason why 1200/1210's were adapted by DJ's ,nightclubs etcetera is more down to the robustness and stability of these turntables when coupled with the power of the direct drive motors and the increased torque they provide  make them absolutely ideal for fast, precise forward and backward cueing and the seamless mixing of records. 

While I would agree that there are nicer sounding turntables when it comes to purely Hi Fi  decks which are designed just for listening purposes I also believe that theres a lot of audio snake oil doing the rounds ,from fake tube amps that use the placebo effect on listeners being one nasty example....you can unscrew the 'tubes' and it all still works.

Insanely expensive audio cables with no audible advantages are another misconception and more importantly,a massive moneymaker for the company's that produce them, but there's no real proof that these cables can do anything that the human ear can detect but so many audiophiles have drunk the kool aid that this has now become a big industry,unfortunately. 

This I know but the later developed version of the SL1200/1210 were "targeting" the DJ's and their wannabes. And the fact that they are heavily dampen is most logically from their direct drive design. The last versions even have extra platter dampening. And apparently the tonearm mass has been reduced as well  

Likely to show good specs on lab performances... Once again, I am not saying that they are not well build turntables, but on many aspect I do not favor them anymore and even less so in real comparison. Like with my dear vintage tweaked belt drive suspended sub-chassis Thorens and super heavy mass SME tonearm

Snake oil is in many things, I agree. And in Hi-Fi as well. But like many manufactured things, quality comes to a cost. And new speaker cables from any regular store (not the phony sourced dealers) costing less than £10 the meter will compare with the better and sadly more expensive ones if the rest of your phono gear can shine through.

And I am not talking the insane crazy overpriced ones indeed. But having done my tweaks step by step on my turntable I can attest that if well thought and done every bit has it's impact in sound quality and definition. It doesn't have to be expensive or hyper complicated, but coherent from the stylus cut to the speaker's end.

A great turntable on a cheap preamp will never shine through no matter what. Those who claim that regular cheap thin electric cable sound as good on their speakers as thick, shielded cables either have hearing issues or their system is so limited it just is not capable to sound better anyway. So the better cables are not at fault there.

This is why I said that a decent phono set-up, even second hand, will come sadly (me not the rich kind) to a cost and unless one inherited it from an audiophile who was luckily also listening to vintage MONO 45's... Plus it does imply some brain work to understand what your records (accordingly) require gear wise to play as they should 

Edited January 20, 2018 by tlscapital

[Soul16]

1 hour ago, Soulsides said:

Insanely expensive audio cables with no audible advantages are another misconception and more importantly,a massive moneymaker for the company's that produce them, but there's no real proof that these cables can do anything that the human ear can detect but so many audiophiles have drunk the sonic kool aid that this has now become a very big industry,unfortunately. 

Being something of an audiophile myself (I have a relatively modest £10k Naim CD, streaming and amplification system), can I assume that your comment about expensive audio cables is based on your own personal listening experience or is it just your opinion?

Trust me when I say that (some) expensive audio cable can and do make a big difference to sound quality, of course they have to be used in an appropriate system that is capable of resolving the detail in the first place.

As an example, Naim produce a 1 metre interconnect that is priced at £1600, a lot of money for sure, that I couldn’t justify in the context of my hifi system, but I have had a demo of that cable (using a Mario Bondi CD - This is what you are), the improvements in sound quality and detail resolution were indisputable. I don’t have ‘special’ hearing abilities. I went to the demo as a cynic and took my even more cynical son with me.

The demo was as part of a £30k system, so £1600 for a cable is fully justified in that context - if you are wealthy enough and are happy to blow that amount on hifi.

Your comments around the Technics turntable are spot on, it’s a great all rounder for any application.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Soul16
Grammar

[Soulsides]

1 hour ago, Soul16 said:

 can I assume that your comment about expensive audio cables is based on your own personal listening experience or is it just your opinion ?

Yeah,it definitely is based upon my own personal listening experience and not just an opinion.

My Dad's mate  has a very high end set up that close to around 50 K in money has been spent on all in all .

Don't get me wrong, the system is beautiful and sounds amazing and the man is also the sort of bloke who will pay hundreds of pounds for  rare classical music lp's recorded in  the 1950's when the earliest English stereo issues on Decca (and a couple of other good labels) were expensive at the time and a special order to boot. These are from around '58 ish and bear in mind that most music didn't accept stereo as the norm until about '67. These first Decca stereo LPs though, are generally considered about some of the best vinyl pressings ever, if you can find them in perfect condition of course. So yeah, , if you're into hifi and classical music then these are killer. These records also were recorded during something of a 'sweet spot' where many great performers were still alive and the recording techniques were that golden analogue period where they were finally clear enough but not too clinical, etc. Decca made their own custom gear to record, mix and master these in fact. So for many these records are the pinnacle in playing, recording and vinyl mixing, mastering and pressing. 

Just recently. he has invested in a hand cut plinth for his turntable which is made from milled aluminium billet at a cost of around 6 grand and he invited me and the old man to come over and have a look and listen to this latest addition to the set up,he'd also bought some new connector cables to use with the stereo at a cost of around, although not quite as expensive as the Naim ones at £1600 that you mentioned which were used at the demo of the system you and your son attended.

I'm being totally honest here when I say that the money he'd spent on the deck plinth was something of a folly in my opinion, because I truthfully couldn't hear any real major difference after the plinth had been incorporated into the stereo's set up....I didn't say that to my Dad's friend directly because I wouldn't want to hurt the man's feelings but in my mind I was thinking he'd somewhat been taken for a ride regarding the large amount of cash he'd spent on it ,absolutely. 

I'm also not saying that buying connector cables from somewhere like Argos that cost a couple of pounds are going to be as nice sounding as something you would pay say £50 for , they wont. I'm a recording musician myself and I've invested in some nice quality cables that were fairly pricey because I want to be able to hear the recordings I've made sound as good as possible when I listen back to them,which is the same reason why I use a very nice pair of B&W 620 speakers and Yamaha NS-10's for monitoring and playback.

I just believe that a lot of audiophiles ( I'm not including yourself here in any way ) can get totally blindsided when it comes to these 'high end' products and the ridiculous cost of what the manufacturer's can get away with charging for their goods somehow then make those costs justifiable , be it for tube amps,turntables cables or whatever .

 

Edited January 20, 2018 by Soulsides

[Soul16]

I must say that having a hand cut aluminium plinth at a cost of £6k does sound a bit over the top to me too, but who are we to argue if it makes him happy eh?

Sure, with high end audio (and plenty of other hobbies), the law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point - sometimes you have to spend big to get a relatively small improvement. 

If we are lucky enough to have disposable income, we can spend it on whatever we choose I guess - like NS records. Some people are even happy to buy a Parka coat from Canada Goose at nearly £1k. I could never justify that and I’m not just talking about the price...

 

[Tlscapital]

1 hour ago, Soulsides said:

Yeah,it definitely is based upon my own personal listening experience and not just an opinion.

My Dad's mate  has a very high end set up that close to around 50 K in money has been spent on all in all .

Don't get me wrong, the system is beautiful and sounds amazing and the man is also the sort of bloke who will pay hundreds of pounds for  rare classical music lp's recorded in  the 1950's when the earliest English stereo issues on Decca (and a couple of other good labels) were expensive at the time and a special order to boot. These are from around '58 ish and bear in mind that most music didn't accept stereo as the norm until about '67. These first Decca stereo LPs though, are generally considered about some of the best vinyl pressings ever, if you can find them in perfect condition of course. So yeah, , if you're into hifi and classical music then these are killer. These records also were recorded during something of a 'sweet spot' where many great performers were still alive and the recording techniques were that golden analogue period where they were finally clear enough but not too clinical, etc. Decca made their own custom gear to record, mix and master these in fact. So for many these records are the pinnacle in playing, recording and vinyl mixing, mastering and pressing. 

...

I just believe that a lot of audiophiles ( I'm not including yourself here in any way ) can get totally blindsided when it comes to these 'high end' products and the ridiculous cost of what the manufacturer's can get away with charging for their goods somehow then make those costs justifiable , be it for tube amps,turntables cables or whatever .

Opinions are fine since they are based on experiences. But prejudgement's and/or misconceptions are not. They are a straight denial without factual arguments.

So I understand that that bloke has carefully build his expensive phono set-up accordingly to get the best out of his very specific LP's. Hi(gh)-Fi meets Ri(ght)-Fi.

I once heard a 10K+ pure 5T's vintage dishing out wonderful Jazz LP's but the soul 45's on it sounded like muck; no music, power or depth and body.

My post Y2K Mi-Fi preamp and amp do allow clarity and dynamic in sound like never the vintage ones could and my speakers are that right tad "mellow" I seek.

With the addition of a modern speed power supply combo with it's tachometer I correct the belt driven flaws of my vintage turntable while keeping it's sonical benefits.

The fidelity of our cherished 45's is not always of the highest caliber nor is their productions. So we need more to be in balance and compromise Ri-Fi with them.

There are other phono set ups that will sound differently and good to one's earbuds. Just to show that there are many different ways to read and dish-out any records.

As long as it is well thought and build accordingly... Now one can understand why some turntable may have 2, 3 or 4 different tonearms fitted with different cartridges...

Hopefully I didn't do any costly tweaks that didn't turned-out to be worthwhile. The generally advised dampening of my chassis didn't do anything but only costed £4 ;)

[jimmy clitheroe]

I fancy one of these turntables, Shinola made in Detroit usa..❤️

[Tiberius]

For lovers of tech how about ELP laser turntables

 

 

[Tlscapital]

That will sound crap ! Laser's for CD and stylus's for records. Anyway, I must be honest and admit that I still have no love for CD's one bit. The sound reproduction of the stylus on a record is mechanical and is analogical. The CD is bits and so digital... A CD on a turntable at least won't sound bad. Only not at all ! 

Imagine why they elaborate and developed so many shapes of stylus and types of cartridges for many different kinds of records and playback reproduction over the decades and here one laser will supposedly do it all ? It was developed for those maniac who have "wear-o-fobia" of the stylus friction in the groove. Not in search of groove read improvements if ever...

Edited January 25, 2018 by tlscapital

[Guest Shufflin]

1 hour ago, tiberius said:

For lovers of tech how about ELP laser turntables

 

 

a bit like cooking steak in a microwave ;-)

[Joesoap]

I've got a Technics 1200 and a Pioneer SA 508 amp which is a great amp from the 70s and works perfectly well with the CD player I have running through it. Trouble is the amp and the Technics don't get on and emit an awful buzz when connected up (including earthing cable). I have no way of knowing whether the problem is with the amp or the turntable. The Technics was bought new. I don't want to shell out for a new amp only to have the same problem. Anyone know of a cheap-ish amp compatible with a 1200?

In response to the broader question, I always think better quality turntables from the era your records date from are good bet for playing old records. You don't really need absolute top end. Always been very fond of record players with Garard decks. I bought a lovely reconditioned early 70s one last year with internal amp in an attempt to resolve my home hi fi dilemma. But my other half quite liked it so its taken up residence at her place on the other side of London, leading to development of a parallel record collection round there...!

 

Edited January 25, 2018 by JoeSoap

[Tlscapital]

45 minutes ago, JoeSoap said:

...Trouble is the amp and the Technics don't get on and emit an awful buzz when connected up (including earthing cable). I have no way of knowing whether the problem is with the amp or the turntable.

• First check the RCA plugs and cable of the turntable and fiddle some with them plugged with the power of the amp on and with the selector on 'phono'. If that is OK, check with your cartridge/headshell wires if accessible.
• Then see on the amp/preamp PCB side. Open your amp as well to see if the outer and inner PHONO connectors and wires are free of corrosion, dust or hair balls causing these electrical interferences. If not tidy as one should expect and you have air spray or some electronic contact cleaner; apply.
• If none of the above prove positive, it could be a bad contact in the tonearm wires or inner connector to the outgoing cable. Even if most of the time that produces the loss of a channel and not a "BUZZ" bad contact issue.

The Technics was bought new. I don't want to shell out for a new amp only to have the same problem. Anyone know of a cheap-ish amp compatible with a 1200?

• First see if you can solve this as it should be solvable any which way. There's no too much magic in there.

In response to the broader question. I always think better quality turntables from the era your records date from are good bet for playing old records. You don't really need absolute top end. Always been very fond of record players with Garard decks. I bought a lovely reconditioned early 70s one last year with internal amp in an attempt to resolve my home hi fi dilemma. But my other half quite liked it so its taken up residence at her place on the other side of London, leading to development of a parallel record collection round there...1

• Even more so than the turntables it is the cartridges (MONO power !) that will sing along better with those old 7" records than the turntable itself. Even if the cartridges do tend to appreciate some tonearms better and those tonearms fit better with some some turntables than others...
• The Garrard 301 was once my dream turntable to own. But it is pricey and tend to require more maintenance (idler drive) Than a Thorens TD160 (belt drive). In the end they are more different performers and animals than one "better" than the other one. Such an 'Idler Drive' Garrard 301 do have a fast 'start/stop' for "pro" DJ use.
• But for home play I don't need that tork power to 'start/stop' my records. I merely own a belt driven turntable (a vintage Thorens TD 14X now "heavily DIY tweaked") whose "airy" sounding characteristic and "soft" suspended revolving platter for a mindless records swap without 'start/stop' is irreplaceable to me now !

 

Edited January 26, 2018 by tlscapital

[Joesoap]

Thanks for the very detailed reply. Bit technical for me but I will look again in the morning when I am completely sober! It used to solve the problem for a bit if I jammed a bit of rolled up cardboard from a cigarette packet between the two plugs that go into the back of the amp. But who wants to keep messing around like that when you are playing records on what ought to be reliable components?

With Garrard, I didn't mean the 301, which are obviously superb. I just meant the ones like this: 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=garard+deck&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOtdD5r_TYAhVKB8AKHZ5MDy0Q_AUICigB&biw=1067&bih=513#imgrc=ZQo_rByMMKN3iM:

which seem to have been a standard component for a period, fitted to better quality UK built record players aimed at the more affluent end of the market but at not the out and out hi-fi enthusiast. They feel very robust and just the click you get when changing speed or something seems very certain and dependable. Lol! Dead easy to fix when they go wrong, too!

 

[Tlscapital]

14 minutes ago, JoeSoap said:

Thanks for the very detailed reply. Bit technical for me but I will look again in the morning when I am completely sober! It used to solve the problem for a bit if I jammed a bit of rolled up cardboard from a cigarette packet between the two plugs that go into the back of the amp. But who wants to keep messing around like that when you are playing records on what ought to be reliable components?

• Well, this sounds promising as I believed it's indeed a bad contact in the 'phono' RCA's input of the preamp in the amp. Either way a little air spray clean there (very dry !) or consolidation so there's no unwanted contact inside the amp between those 2 channels at that level of entry. Even try with a cardboard inside if you can. And if that work, try to fix it for it to remain in place if that's what it take. I don't see nothing wrong doing so. I do 

 

 

[SOULMAN62]

Time for a new one I think

[Tlscapital]

Come and get these memories... here's our old favorite record... Oooh... 

the blue one is the Parisians off course...

Edited January 26, 2018 by tlscapital

[Soulsides]

@ JoeSoap

Sorry to hear you're having problems with the Technics deck,this probably sounds obvious but is the cartridge that your using correctly fitted to the decks tonearm ? ..if the alignment is even remotely off this can cause problems with buzzing .

The SL-1200 also has three problems with its power supply and regulator  a) the transformer mechanically hums and this is audible through the cartridge,   b) the transformer has an electromagnetic field also audible though the cartridge, and c) the existing power supply dips on some motor demands giving variable and poor dynamics to the feedback system.

You can buy external PSU's which are custom made for the Technics 1200/10 which will definitely improve the turntables overall performance, its a very simple modification that requires the removal of the platter and the plastic plate underneath then you just solder the one wire on.Very straightforward.

I've not done this particular mod myself but I have quite a few DJ mates who've been modding and upgrading their Tech's for years who have told me that using the external PSU is a big improvement.

I'd also suggest trying another turntable with your amp if you can get hold of one to borrow as it could just be an issue with the amplifier that needs rectifying.

If you need any extra info regarding PSU's or mods etc let me know and i'll do all I can to help.

[Tlscapital]

BUZZ is significant of either a mass accumulation or a bad electrical contact issue. Cartridge misalignment will result in sound distortion on the highs and muddy bass.

The external PSU is indeed (for any turntable motor actually even if some more than others) a good improvement on speed stability.

The tonearm dampening of those SL-1200 seems to have been a reel improvement by many. 

[Ljblanken]

this is a cheaper alternative to Technics. I really enjoy mine (have two for the house - actually DJ with a pair Numark TT1s with the limited chrome plinths)

https://www.stantondj.com/stanton-turntables/st150.html

 

[dthedrug]

HI,,, My first DISCO I had 2 Garrard SP25 mk2 decks, I loved them as they were Ideal for DJ'ing in a pub, this was back in 1970, the iconic 301 is a bute for REGGAE, the 401 should not be dismissed I got one at a car boot for £1, sold it for£550 nice, however the Techniques 1210 can't be beaten for the DJ in your SOUL the are reliable strong little maintenance if you follow the basic golden rules plus it will save your vinyl and your cash, if you are a mobile operator or a DJ who just takes a box of 45s to various soul events, you must never trust the equipment so TIP #1 is to take your own pickup heads with you with Stanton 50s or better, Tip #2 check the balance 2 grams will be ok Tip #3 this is so important check the Tracking is bang on, simple to do if you are quick, Tip #4 always check that the deck is level so a spirit level is a must, Tip #5 take your large centres brass ones are best so you can play 45s that have been dinked, Tip #6 make sure at the end of your set you have all your stuff as it will go walkies!

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COPY THE PDF BELOW,  KTF CHEERS DAVE

ve_technics_baerwald_arc_protractor.pdf

[Joesoap]

Thanks all for the suggestions on my dilemma! I will try some of these out...