• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

New Turntables - AT-LP8X, DP3000NE, SL-1300GK, and others

Looks like Technics turntables made in Malaysia just got hit with price increases based on 24% tariff versus the actual - current - 19 % that went into effect August 1st.

us.technics.com

New Generation Grand Class Turntable - SL-1300G

Turntable with a Hi-Fi design featuring ΔΣ-Drive, a new motor drive technology that delivers high rotational accuracy and low vibration. The turntable’s new motor, three-layer platter, and high-rigidity chassis ensure even higher sound quality. Coreless direct drive motor achieving stable...
us.technics.com us.technics.com

A few vendors still have units at the prior pricing - probably will change after restocking if not sooner. Glad I bought when I did!
 
JP said:
17 'tables here presently. Likely I'll stay with one of the SP-10MK3. Speaking of, the 10R could probably go too.
Click to expand...
How many do you have set up versus on the storage shelf.
 
Bob from Florida said:
That's why it needs testing. The test of the 3000NE showed better than published specs. The "less than" spec can be a little or a lot less. On the other hand, those specs may be "good enough" for most.
Click to expand...

I have made kind of a point of clarifying the "LESS THAN" spec of Audio Technica turntables - I am a fan, and after testing, still prefer the highest models to the equivalent Technics ones - tried the 100C and the 1500. NOT saying that Technics are not great tables, but my experience with the devices and the company has been way better with AT.

That said, yes, the spec says LESS THAN. AT specify all of their turntables like that. A hifi magazine ( Australian HiFi I think ) had an independent lab test the W&F on an AT turntable, the LP7, I believe. The W&F value way lower that the LESS THAN value on the spec, about the same to what is deemed a good value. That said, I cannot find the article anymore, will try to look for it and update this comment if I find it.

That situation has made me wonder whether most turntable manufacturers specify an average value or even worse, a best case value, while AT is honest enough to account for variations and not deceive their customers. IF (I might be wrong) that is the case, I respect them and like them even more.
 
CapMan said:
I decided on an SL1500C . Tried 4 units - 3 had wobbly platters and 1 had a machining ding on the front of the plinth casework.

Really poor QC from my own experience
and seems like platter issues are commonly found online when searching. Probably not audible , but cosmetically not really acceptable.

Such a shame as I really wanted this TT. Not sure what to try next :(
Click to expand...
wobbly platters: not acceptable. A machining ding? Maybe, maybe not. If it can be rotated out of site when not in use. But, somethings get stuck in one's head, even when they are out of site. So...
I'd keep looking, as that is a quite good and generally trouble free TT. KAB would also be a place to look, as they may have some custom rebuilt ones.
KAB Electro Acousticshttps://www.kabusa.com

1500C2.jpg

[td width="52%"]
KAB New Technics SLV Mod Package $553.00

[/td][td width="47%"]
Click To Buy


[/td]
[td width="52%"]
KAB New Technics BLK Mod Package $553.00

[/td][td width="47%"]


[/td]​
 
Just wanted to update some useful info re the AT LP8X wow and flutter spec. I asked AT Support about the rather conservative value (0.1) vs the SL1500C value of 0.025

The response is that the AT measurement uses a weighted quasi-peak measurement method, which is intentionally conservative and produces higher numbers than the WRMS method used by technics.

ChatGPT confirmed this - and suggested the weighted quasi-peak measurement method gives wow and flutter numbers that are 3-4 times higher than a WRMS measurement on the same turntable - so 0.1 vs (0.025 x 3/4) doesn't look so bad .

I'm no expert on this so happy for folks to chip in with their opinions .

Really impressed by the speed of response from AT in the UK also (within two hours)

Also understand the LP8X is servo controlled and not quartz locked like the technics table
 
Last edited:
CapMan said:
Just wanted to update some useful info re the AT LP8X wow and flutter spec. I asked AT Support about the rather conservative value (0.1) vs the SL1500C value of 0.025

The response is that the AT measurement uses a weighted quasi-peak measurement method, which is intentionally conservative and produces higher numbers than the WRMS method used by technics.

ChatGPT confirmed this - and suggested the weighted quasi-peak measurement method gives wow and flutter numbers that are 3-4 times higher than a WRMS measurement on the same turntable - so 0.1 vs (0.025 x 3/4) doesn't look so bad .

I'm no expert on this so happy for folks to chip in with their opinions .

Really impressed by the speed of response from AT in the UK also (within two hours)

Also understand the LP8X is servo controlled and not quartz locked like the technics table
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. So the AT-lp8x is .1 and the SL-1500C is .01875? That still seems like a bit of a difference. Btw the lp8x is on my list of forever turntables but this number doesn’t narrow the gap.
 
Shotgun Rico said:
Thanks for the info. So the AT-lp8x is .1 and the SL-1500C is .01875? That still seems like a bit of a difference. Btw the lp8x is on my list of forever turntables but this number doesn’t narrow the gap.
Click to expand...
My Technics SL-M3 has these figures in the manual (Is there a way to convert the WRMS figure to the weighted quasi-peak measurement value)?:

Technics SL-M3​

Quartz Controlled Direct-Drive Fully-Automatic Turntable System (1984-1988)

review this turntable (1 review)

with linear tracking tonearm

Technics SL-M3

Specifications​

Type: fully automatic

Drive method: direct drive

Motor: brushless DC motor

Drive control method: quartz phase locked control

Platter: 325mm, 2.5kg, aluminium die-cast

Pitch control: +-6% range

Speeds: 33 and 45rpm

Wow and flutter: 0.022% WRMS

Rumble: -82dB

Tonearm: dynamically-balanced linear tracking

Effective length: 238mm

Effective mass: 13g (including cartridge)

Cartridge: moving magnet

Replacement stylus: EPS-33ES

Dimensions: 526 x 205 x 425mm

Weight: 15kg
 
Last edited:
I just received my LP8X today. I’m pretty impressed. I didn’t try the cartridge it came with. I put my OC9XLS on it. The interconnects it came with measure around 50pf of capacitance. I fell out of love with my PLX-1000 and decided to try something different. The LP8X seems dead quiet. The arm has no noticeable play in the bearings and is very free feeling. I did a W&F test with my “Ultimate Analog Test Record” and the NAK100 app. Speed was dead on. Quasi peak W&F was around .9 and weighted RMS W&F was bouncing between .03 and .04%. Some of that has to be cooked into the LP so true numbers will be less. How much? Who knows but it’s already pretty good. Didn’t get a low end Technics because I read too many reports of warped or wobbly platters and unreliable auto stop. I had a fancy mechanical tonearm lifter on my Pioneer and about 25%of the time I’d forget to cock it and the tonearm would run into it halfway through the record. That’s even more annoying than listening to the trapped groove at the end. The push button cueing is slow and smooth. Reminds me of the DP37F I had back in the day.
 
Last edited:
Technics 1300g vs Denon 3000ne. From German magazine. Articles states 2S wow&flutter at 0.05% for both. And one magazine state Denon 3000ne to be the second best speed stability ever measured,,, we can guess who was the best. Anyway Denon seems to be an OK choice compared to the market reference Technics. So it comes down to personal preference, considering the platter stories about Technics and poor Technics response and tag fact that I am a a Fan of old Denons, I will lean towards Denon if I get a good offer..
IMG_0341.jpeg

IMG_0340.jpeg

IMG_0344.jpeg



Denon 300ne
IMG_0343.jpeg


IMG_0342.jpeg


1775247076341.png
 
Last edited:
rwortman said:
I just received my LP8X today. I’m pretty impressed. I didn’t try the cartridge it came with. I put my OC9XLS on it. The interconnects it came with measure around 50pf of capacitance. I fell out of love with my PLX-1000 and decided to try something different. The LP8X seems dead quiet. The arm has no noticeable play in the bearings and is very free feeling. I did a W&F test with my “Ultimate Analog Test Record” and the NAK100 app. Speed was dead on. Quasi peak W&F was around .9 and weighted RMS W&F was bouncing between .03 and .04%. Some of that has to be cooked into the LP so true numbers will be less. How much? Who knows but it’s already pretty good. Didn’t get a low end Technics because I read too many reports of warped or wobbly platters and unreliable auto stop. I had a fancy mechanical tonearm lifter on my Pioneer and about 25%of the time I’d forget to cock it and the tonearm would run into it halfway through the record. That’s even more annoying than listening to the trapped groove at the end. The push button cueing is slow and smooth. Reminds me of the DP37F I had back in the day.
Click to expand...
Test records are notoriously unreliable and off center making the results highly uncertain..peak wow of 0.9 is very very high , probably a off centre record. try a phone app.RPM WoW here
IMG_0334.png
IMG_0345.jpeg


A good record would look like this on NAK
IMG_0346.jpeg

Same TTas above Denon 51F, B&K QR2010 record, centred
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: EJ3
You said peak wow of .9% is very very high. I meant to type .09. Then you show weighted rms readings from a phone app of .04 which is what I was getting from a test record. A phone sitting on a turntable doesn’t measure flutter so all you have is wow. Your NAK picture shows .02 weighted rms (not peak) while my reading was .03 to .04% weighted rms which was undoubtedly higher than actual due to the errors inherent in the record itself. I already mentioned that above. I tried that phone app and then deleted it. Something for vinyl newbies to play with but hardly accurate. The bottom line is that this is a very nice record player. Finding an old high end Denon that works like new and still looks good is probably equally expensive, has no warranty and zip parts availability. I have tow vintage belt drives. I won’t buy an old direct drive because of the likelihood of an unrepairable failure.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Lttlwing16
AI and Sl-23 Turntable Measurements
Replies
0
Views
2K
Lttlwing16
Lttlwing16
D
Kenwood KP-1100, KD-990 and KP-9010 tonearm effective mass.
Replies
3
Views
4K
morillon
morillon
Mr. Swordfish
Recommendations for digitizing vinyl
6 7 8
Replies
140
Views
18K
Ben Jenssen
Ben Jenssen
J
First pass at overall system plan, DSP multichannel - "simple version"
Replies
18
Views
1K
john61ct
J
Firulais71
DAC recommendation for vintage amplifiers and speakers
Replies
9
Views
1K
Firulais71
Firulais71
Back
Top Bottom