Technics 1200g vs Rega rp8, VPI aries, avenger, Basis 2000, Linn LP12 etc. Can it compete?

Tzh21y 

totally agree the system as a whole makes such a difference. Its so frustrating trying to compare turntables at any price category really. Its so hard to even find a place with 3 similarly priced turntables with the same cart and system. 

It would be amazing to hear/read a fair shootout at the 3000-4000k range. 

I read a post here on gon with a member who had the old 1200, the new 1200G and the Prime with ring and speed controller. His take away was he liked the Technics 1200G the best but the Prime was close. Then went on to say you would be surprised how close the old 1200 came to the sound of the newer TTs. 

My experience is the old 1200 is in fact a whole lot of performance for sub $500 dollar price. It's not quite as smooth or refined but it is way closer than I ever expected honestly. 

I have not heard the G yet.  I have heard the prime.  Have to hear them agaim.  I did hear the newer luxman and the prime sounded better than that and it was 6,000.00

I have not heard an original 1200 in about 30 years.

This keeps coming up doesn't it?  I own a Prime with Road Runner and Eagle (speed control), Periphery Ring, triple belts, both a 3D and a metal arm, Stillpoints LP1 (which I use on both TTs) and it is a killer turntable.  Right next to it sits my SL1200GAE (which is functionally the same as a G, cosmetically fancied up a bit).  Before I bought the GAE, there was an SL1200 with full KAB mods.  The GAE sounds better than the old SL1200 did, but the comparative difference between the two was not huge.  The GAE is a wee bit brighter, more alive, more open.  This difference is subtle and might not even be discernible on every system.  Both Technics TTs are very easy to use of course.  With all the mods, the Prime sounds really good too, and with the Periphery Ring it can handle occasional warpped records that the Technics tables cannot.  Right now I use the Prime principally for old records, and especially monos.  It is a problem solver.  It took a lot of futzing around to get the VPI to sound as good as it does now and for that reason I would say that it is going to be the first choice of the audiophile who likes to tweak the set up and has a lot of patience.  VPI has a great website and a great forum to help.  This is a big part of the appeal of their products.  The Technics TT is much easier to set up and to use.  There is no similar customer support from the manufacturer, but then it isn't really needed.  With it's practically instantaneous acceleration to speed, spot on speed control, great ergonomics, along with a general lack of fussiness, this is the turntable of choice for serious record collectors.  I will say this, you can't make a bad choice between these two turntables.  I go back and forth between them all the time and am grateful that I am privileged to own both.  I don't know which I would chose if I could only have one.  My advice is for each person to make an honest self assessment of their own personality, their priorities and how they intend to use their TT.  In the end, no matter which way you go, you will have made an excellent choice.

kind of unsettling that the prime requires a speed controller to compete with the G.