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technics sl 1200 gae

is there anyone in America who mods this deck to the level of the English timestop evo sl1200? it's great for rock 45's but how do you drag more finesse out of it for lp's
theoriginalthor1
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Sure, you can upgrade G, GR or even GAE by changing the tonearm (if you want), but why not buy used SP-10mkII or new SP-10R if you’re looking for higher quality turntables? You are limited with a choice of tonearm for SL1200GAE plinth, but you have no limits with SP-10mkII or SP-10R (except for the very short arms), you can use "10.5 or "12 inch tonearm easily.

some mono shibata or decca?  . microgroove mono

So which cartridge do you use ? 
Decca cartridge is definitely not good for Technics tonearm. 
A cartridge with Shibata profile is good, especially the Victor X-1II  
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
Chakster is right.  if you want a set it and forget it table, the G is great.  if you are interested in different arms as different arms do work better with certain cartridges and can get a deal on an older sp-10, that would be an excellent option.  If you want to just listen to your collection and are not worried about other arms, maybe like MM cartridges and want arguably the  best motor design currently available, the G is great and does sound great with MC carts. as well.
theoriginalthor1 OP
107 posts
 

my turntable is out of service. cartridge was a linn archiv

gae, as is : fine can't touch it for 45's.i meant newer orthofon shibata mono .

vpi direct drive :wish I could afford it and it's cheaper than the new technics(. which is also superb.)

I have  entertaining records but they are not typical  audiophile up front mix.

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
gae, as is : fine can't touch it for 45's.i meant newer orthofon shibata mono .... I have entertaining records but they are not typical  audiophile up front mix.

I don't care about audiophile records, i do collect vintage 45s from the 50s, 60s, 70s and early 80s. GAE is perfect for 45s, Shibata is perfect for vintage 45s, i don't have any mono cartridge, my 45s are stereo, not mono. 

Technics is great turntable, no doubt, stock GAE tonearm is great too. 

Just buy great cartridge if you're looking for improvement and nice phono stage. 

 
tzh21y
1,654 posts
 
vpi make s decent tables, the only thing I do not like is their arms.  They are okay, I think the technics is better.
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