Forever turntable under $2000

Better in every way.

The SL-1200mk2 that is so popular with rap-“DJs” is not the ideal turntable for people who want to listen to music. The major flaw is the chassis that gives zero isolation from vibration. This issue has not been addressed in any of the “new from the ground up” models such as the SL-1200GR. Otherwise, the motor, spindle and platter are second to none, and the arm is very good. For this reason, the SL-1200mk2 and up are not suitable for HiFi. The “new from the ground up” models are so radically different in motor and drive circuitry design that they need to be proven over several years of daily listening to see how they hold up. So, what is a good bet? In my humble opinion, vintage direct drive, quartz PLL regulated Japanese turntables with SME style tonearm and spring suspension. Your mileage may vary, depending on what condition the vintage turntables you find are in, your abilities to refurbish them, and of course availability of parts and things like service manuals. 

My Technics SL-1700 was bought new in 1973. I still have it. It still runs. I prefer my Teres. But forever turntable? The Technics certainly qualifies.

Sleepwalker, besides the fact that every other bit of personal opinion you dispensed is debatable, name one good vintage DD with spring suspension, I can only think of Sony and the Pioneer Exclusive P3 Which has a very elaborate suspension and costs upwards of $6000 these days.

The new SL1200s are in fact elaborately damped, both chassis and platter, unlike the originals. The coreless motor is a huge upgrade over the old models but is hardly experimental.

The SL-1700mk2 semi-auto and it’s ‘1800’ manual and ‘1600’ fully auto models are the turntables that audiophiles want, due to the combined use of spring suspension, rubber feet and TNRC subchassis. The direct drive motor is the same unit as in the SL-1200mk2, as is the tonearm. The advantages of the SL-1700mk2 multi-approach to isolation is that no single method is completely effective by itself, but when combined, superior results are achieved. I’ve gone so far as to replace the simpler rubber feet on my SL-1700mk2 with the feet from the SL-1200mk2, which possess more robust damping, as they are essential the only measure of isolation on the 1200. As a result, my SL1700mk2 is exceptional in isolation of vibration. Technics has stubbornly stuck to the archaic and ineffective legacy SL-1200mk2 chassis design for one reason only: its main application is the high visibility rap-“DJ” target market, where ability to withstand severe abuse is valued over sound quality. 

Turning to the coreless motor, it does not have the lengthy track record of 40 years. This is why I said it is not the same proven commodity that the vintage design is. 

Now looking at audiophile interests, the SL-1200mk2 units available on the used market are almost always severely abused and heavily damaged from rap”DJ” use. This is much the same as why you would not want to buy a car that had been used as a taxi. On the other hand, the rap”DJ” market doesn’t like spring-suspended turntables for record scratching, so used spring suspended units will seldom be found in thrashed and trashed condition, making them better candidates for restoration for HiFi applications.