Thankyou lewm for the post, very informative, however, seems audiophiles on this thread do not talk much, not sure why?, I have 37 years experience with audio 😎
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.
- ...
- 116 posts total
For billallen and others, maybe I should explain my reason for starting all this a little further. I own a SP-10 Mk 2 and a SP-15, I'm a fan of Technics. My interest in DD motor units and Technics in general was renewed a few years ago by discussions of the surprising quality of the SL-12xx series and how a few mods could take them even further. Once I joined the Technics camp I found it disappointing that so many dismissed the SL-12xxs as "DJ tables" rather than being considered a reasonable cost option for a decent home system. Apparently they didn't realize the SL-1200 was designed for consumer audio and only years later discovered and adopted by dance club DJs, a situation which allowed the tables to remain in production much longer than they might have otherwise. So when word spread that Technics was about to introduce a new model I was glad to see that even if I would not likely be a customer. Once the SL-1200GAE was introduced much of the talk focused on the price increase and the assumption it was just a polished up version of the discontinued SL-12xx series. My point all along was that Technics might have avoided the confusion by choosing a different model designation and making a little more effort to change the appearance. All this may be overcome in time by positive reviews and enthusiastic owner comments such as your own. I was pleased to read your favorable initial report. |
Well said Pryso. Here is a list of all the vintage Technics turntables. http://vintagetechnics.co.uk/turntables.htm Oh baby, the mighty SP-10Mk3. http://www.thevintageknob.org/technics-SP-10MK3.html Yup ... somebody has already modded the SL-1200GAE. http://hifipig.com/timestep-modified-technics-1200-gae/ I can't seem to find a link to the June 2016 HiFi News & Record Review of the SL-1200GAE. Anyone? Apparently it's very positive. |
- 116 posts total