New Technics SL 1200 GAE

moonglum,

Yes, my mind is in a tizzy about choosing my last retirement TT. So hard to get auditions nowadays. An in home audition; Good luck with that.
 I have plenty of AMEX pts. Should get me air tickets, rental car and hotel for my 1st RMAF in Oct and I live in Chicago; so Axpona is a slam dunk. I have heard an Avid at Music Direct many times when I lived just 10min away.Although they did not have a real room.
Agree that could be a possibility that would add to my already confused process.

Although I have not PM 'd Ralph yet about modding a 1200GAE to take the 12" Triplanar; I lean strongly to this option ; I too think that this option would be a game changer. It's why I started this thread.

 I am open to thoughts about all this and happy that you chimed in.

Thanks
Norb

Hi Norb.
There are a few Black Night users on the forum who will be able to describe the intricacies of that table in detail.
 Earlier in the thread there was a lot of comment regarding MF's Continuum comparison and being honest some were getting slightly carried away with the potential of the 1200. Once Mikey had stopped fooling around with the troublesome warped disc and did a simple vocal comparison the superiority of the Caliburn was clear to hear. IMO it was an easy kill despite my desire to cheer on the underdog. It does make me wonder how the 1200g twin rotor platform could be elevated to anything close to that standard or if we're just "chasing shadows" by trying to do so.
At the end of the day tables such as the 1200 & the Prime are built down to a price and good though they are we have to be realistic. With the best will in the world there are better albeit more expensive tables out there. I genuinely like these 2 tables but that's just my feeling on the matter.
Best regards,

Yes, That's part of my quandary.

Leads me back to a Black Night, Tech Das III even a Kronos..

Think it was a Dual 1229 and a V15 Ty III that made it all so easy in the Day.

Best

The SL 1200 G/GAE is is every bit as good as I and others have stated. It is far beyond anything I've heard from VPI although I've not heard the VPI DD.  Much as I love my Kuzma 4 Point and I'm buying an Airline I prefer the GAE to the Xl DC which I had a nice session with.

The TW's sound dark to me but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Different systems, different likes.  I'm not saying that it's as good as a Caliburn although I have no idea why Mr. Fremer would choose that messed up record with a collection so vast.  I definitely could hear the superior timeline of the GAE and I could definitely hear the superior decay and body of the Caliburn. Like I've written before, remove that horrible rubber mat and the GAE takes on a whole new character for the better.

The stock mat is horrid and sucks life and light from the sound. 

I have a buddy with a +20k TT and a Triplanar with a very expensive cartridge and it will not touch the GAE for corporeal real-ness. The turntable belonging to my friend is a DD and so the timing is nearly perfect as is the GAE. 

Again, it sounds like my SP10mk 3 NG only less grand. Like a Steinway Parlor Grand compared to a Concert Grand.

i did recently have a $10k phono stage which was superb connected to the GAE.  It is the third best stage I've heard. I didn't buy it because in the end, although I absolutely loved the aesthetic, it was bested to my and my gf's ears by the iPhono 2 + linear PS. Now, it was close enough that I could very very easily see the choice coming down to personal taste.