My initial impression of the SL 1200 was that it emphasizes bass, but in a kind of "one-note" way. Mid-range and highs are good, but not as detailed as they could be. After listening for a while, expecially with the live Deep Purple album, I grew accustomed to it and it sounded really good. The cartridge that came with it is a Zu Audio DL-103, which I'm not sure is a good match. I don't know how many hours are on the cart. It came with the KAB RCA jack plate. I'm not sure what else has been done to it. I'm thinking of adding the KAB fluid damper and possibly replacing the feet. I ordered another headshell so that I can try some of my other carts on it. To sum up, it's not as "musical" as the Music Hall MMF-7.1 that it might replace, but with a few tweaks, I can see how it could be a lot of fun to listen to, especially with rock and anything with a lot of bass. I'm pretty sure I can flip it and get what I paid for it or close if I end up not liking it.