As an owner of an SP10 Mk3, I have no problem with Artisan Fidelity. Their workmanship and engineering are superb. Now, whether any amount of workmanship and engineering done to create a plinth are worth the premium they charge is not for me to decide. If you add in the rarity of a Mk3 and consider their target audience of wealthy audiophiles and consider the cost of turntables that compete with their product in terms of sonic excellence, it makes sense, perhaps. It will undoubtedly make sense to whoever buys it.
What is Technics thinking?
Lots has been said, both pro and con, about the new Technics turntable. Description here -
http://www.sl1200gae.info/about
Some are excited about the potential, given the upgrades since their last production table/arm, the venerable SL-12XX series. Others see it simply as an excuse to raise the price significantly of the 1200s.
In my view they shot themselves in the foot. They copied the model number of their best selling table (I can only imagine in the hope the familiarity will carry over) and also ended up with a very similar appearance. Given the information on all the upgrades over their prior model, the similarities make it appear like something less than what it might be.
Technics had a room at THE Show Newport and that was my first chance to see a SL-1200GAE. The fit and finish appeared to be very good but it did look like a "polished up" SL-12XX. I ask the Technics rep why they didn't do more to distinguish this as a new model, given their efforts with engineer upgrades. He said he could understand my question but then really didn't offer a reasonable explanation. After describing all the components which had been redesigned/upgraded from the prior model he offered a demo. However the room was crowded and the remainder of the system was completely unfamiliar, so no fair impression could be made.
I believe it should have had a more unique model designation and more might have been done to the physical package so it didn't look so much like the prior model.
http://www.sl1200gae.info/about
Some are excited about the potential, given the upgrades since their last production table/arm, the venerable SL-12XX series. Others see it simply as an excuse to raise the price significantly of the 1200s.
In my view they shot themselves in the foot. They copied the model number of their best selling table (I can only imagine in the hope the familiarity will carry over) and also ended up with a very similar appearance. Given the information on all the upgrades over their prior model, the similarities make it appear like something less than what it might be.
Technics had a room at THE Show Newport and that was my first chance to see a SL-1200GAE. The fit and finish appeared to be very good but it did look like a "polished up" SL-12XX. I ask the Technics rep why they didn't do more to distinguish this as a new model, given their efforts with engineer upgrades. He said he could understand my question but then really didn't offer a reasonable explanation. After describing all the components which had been redesigned/upgraded from the prior model he offered a demo. However the room was crowded and the remainder of the system was completely unfamiliar, so no fair impression could be made.
I believe it should have had a more unique model designation and more might have been done to the physical package so it didn't look so much like the prior model.
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- 116 posts total
pryso OP810 posts06-24-2016 1:44pmAndy, maybe so. But weren't those priced around $600? Can the new one be a "sure thing" at $4,000?!? Bitcoin went up by more than 100times in 5 years since started trading so according to that proportion, so the new one at $4000 seems to be reasonable. |
But weren’t those priced around $600? Can the new one be a "sure thing" at $4,000?!? If the below report is correct the first 300 units of the 1200 worldwide were sold out in Japan in 30 minutes. Not bad for a reengineered version of an icon that has been brought back to market at 4 grand! http://www.whathifi.com/news/technics-sl-1200gae-turntable-sells-out-in-30-minutes Your post really has to do with the aesthetics of the TT and not the advanced engineering. I guess it really comes down to if one likes the looks of a SL-1200MKII. Two million people did before this reintroduction. So for those that do, Technics made the right call and made a classic even better. Personally I like the look and coupled with the undeniable improvements and lab reports I have read, this would be on my short list if I had a budget of 4 large for a new TT. |
- 116 posts total