Technics SL 1210GR2 Turntable

[GeorgeWalk]

I'll stick with my SL-1500 MK2 from the 70s.

 

[Aero]

eccentric platter!

1200GR2.
Simply put, in this budget, Technics is unable to produce a turntable in which the platter will rotate evenly.

 

[Mikig]

1200GR2.
Simply put, in this budget, Technics is unable to produce a turntable in which the platter will rotate evenly.

it seems strange. My 1210 that has many springs on its shoulders is perfect….it gives me the idea that, either that unit was “born crooked” or that someone did unconventional operations….

 

[mike70]

1200GR2.
Simply put, in this budget, Technics is unable to produce a turntable in which the platter will rotate evenly.

It's not the platter, the dots printed in the platter have a minimal irregularity. That happened also with the 80s MK2 ... lesser reported cases than the new ones, yes, but there's nothing wrong with the platter itself.

Enjoy your Technics, the best turntable in their price range

 

[Aero]

it seems strange. My 1210 that has many springs on its shoulders is perfect….it gives me the idea that, either that unit was “born crooked” or that someone did unconventional operations….

The entire platter is crooked, not just the dots, I once measured the top surface with a dial gauge.
The problem is that, first, the platter is not precisely made, second, I have an old-style solution for attaching the platter to the motor shaft, third, in this model the platter is not individually fitted to the motor shaft, there is no platter balancing procedure.
Only the 1200G model is subjected to such procedures, which additionally has a completely different attachment of the motor bearing to the platter.
This copy is not the worst, in other copies it can be much worse. It all depends on which copy you get
Below is the same copy with a platter that spins at 78 rpm.

 

[Aero]

The platter in the turntable, however, can spin much better

 

[Mikig]

The entire platter is crooked, not just the dots, I once measured the top surface with a dial gauge.
The problem is that, first, the platter is not precisely made, second, I have an old-style solution for attaching the platter to the motor shaft, third, in this model the platter is not individually fitted to the motor shaft, there is no platter balancing procedure.
Only the 1200G model is subjected to such procedures, which additionally has a completely different attachment of the motor bearing to the platter.
This copy is not the worst, in other copies it can be much worse. It all depends on which copy you get
Below is the same copy with a platter that spins at 78 rpm.

I have seen much cheaper turntables changed for that defect by the distributor. I remember the case, I read on a hi-fi site, where the customer had obtained a new turntable precisely because the platter was crooked.
I would ask, if it arrived like that it is clearly a component not up to the performance.
If I think about mine, which is over 20 years old and is perfect…

 

[Aero]

I have seen much cheaper turntables changed for that defect by the distributor. I remember the case, I read on a hi-fi site, where the customer had obtained a new turntable precisely because the platter was crooked.
I would ask, if it arrived like that it is clearly a component not up to the performance.
If I think about mine, which is over 20 years old and is perfect…

Technics believes that a platter spinning like this is in line with factory standards.
I asked an authorized Technics service in my country whether if I buy a new platter with a new motor, I will receive a guarantee that the platter will spin perfectly evenly. The authorized service's answer was that Technics does not guarantee that a purchased new platter with a new motor will spin perfectly evenly.

I would like to see a 1200 series turntable, newer or older model, in which the platter spins perfectly evenly. I believe that there is no such model

 

[Mikig]

Technics believes that a platter spinning like this is in line with factory standards.
I asked an authorized Technics service in my country whether if I buy a new platter with a new motor, I will receive a guarantee that the platter will spin perfectly evenly. The authorized service's answer was that Technics does not guarantee that a purchased new platter with a new motor will spin perfectly evenly.

I would like to see a 1200 series turntable, newer or older model, in which the platter spins perfectly evenly. I believe that there is no such model

It's amazing how manufacturers can sometimes get lost in a glass of water, and even more amazing in this case, given that the 1200 is a sort of icon and I think that for Technics it is a particularly important product...

 

[Aero]

It's amazing how manufacturers can sometimes get lost in a glass of water, and even more amazing in this case, given that the 1200 is a sort of icon and I think that for Technics it is a particularly important product...

Yes, the Techncis model is a legend, a living legend.
No matter what we write here, it will still sell.
It's like McDonald's hamburgers, it's not a good product, but people still want to buy it.

 

[ryaneagon]

Below are personal observations on Dual/Technics differences, FWIW:

One (which may or may not have been important to 'living room' users) was that compared to Technics (original models) Dual DD didn't have as much torque. Duals were not quartz locked until after the 704/721 series. I'm not sure when the first Quartz PLL players from Japan came out, but it was before the Duals. In any case, by the time Dual introduced Quartz regulation, they had also replaced their arms with the ULM series, which were essentially tied to Ortofon cartridges. So if you didn't want to use an Ortofon you had to use a wonky adaptor.

The tonearm of mid '70s Dual record players was a nice design--very low bearing friction straight tubes, dynamically balanced, along with a proprietary wobbly-bobbly counterweight that was supposed to break the major arm/cartridge resonance into three lesser resonances. Of course that was not nearly as precision as Technics higher-end solutions, but the Japanese firm's 'comparable to Dual in cost decks' had no damping at all. One thing: if the ancillary counterweight's rubber 'hinge' broke (which many did after a long time in the field--rubber fatigue I suspect) it was not user replaceable. You needed a new counterweight, which today is impossible to source.

Dual cartridge carriers were not as easy to manipulate for overhang and offset as with standard plug in headshells, but could be done with enough patience and dexterity.

704/721 arms (but not the 701) were VTA adjustable at the pivot, like 1200 series (both original and Mk2). A nice touch.

Duals were either semi or full auto, which I always thought was a great feature. You don't find that anymore in higher-end decks.

Dual used a four point spring suspension. That could have possibly helped in certain 'feedback' situations. Not on the level as AR, Thorens or Linn, but it was there if you needed it.

I owned two 704 models. Both motors eventually failed, so my own expereince concludes that they were not built as sturdy as Technics designs. I have a Technics from 1975 that is still going like new. Of course in the failure department it is always YMMV.

I always like Duals as an all-in-one solution--owning a 1228, 1229, and two 704s. The 1229 had a nice walnut base with a flip down front where you could store your spindles and other accessories. I understand there's an outfilt restoring the old changers, which can are rebuilt to last another 40 or 50 years.

The 701 was IMO the last of the really nice Duals--from a cosmetic standpoint. I always wanted one of those, but for whatever reason never bought one. Later models showed signs of cost cutting, in spite of their not exactly bargain basement MSRP.

I'm a proud owner of a Dual 721. It's still rocking! Everything works, nearly flawlessly. Paired with an Audio-Technica VM540ML. Cheers!

 

[EJ3]

I'm a proud owner of a Dual 721. It's still rocking! Everything works, nearly flawlessly. Paired with an Audio-Technica VM540ML. Cheers!

I have both a DUAL 1229 (full automatic, with a custom American Walnut Base and lid [by FixMyDual.com, Bill Neumann (paired with a SHURE V15 Type IV]) and a Technics SL-M3
(paired with a SHURE Ultra 300).
To me they are like 2 children from different mother's and I love them both equally well.

 

[DSJR]

I replaced my loaned out and now long lost 1229 with the 701, then a 601 was added, then I was given a 1009SK2 which awaits work, then a 1214 in bits which I've totally rebuilt and with a 1216 cast platter which quietened it down to really good subjective levels through the stylus (arm is excellent if 'short). A pal then presented me with a near mint 1019 which is so slick to use and another a butchered 1019 drive which can be transferred over to the 1009 to race tune it! They're all almost too good as 'appliances for playing records.'

...And then there's a Technics SL1500 I've been keeping for another pal for a few years which needs its switches cleaning properly. Absolutely silent through the stylus and the arm ain't bad either with modern cartridges...

@GeorgeWalk - if your deck's cueing device is still okay, then good on you sir, as that deck if well sited is a really lovely thing to have. Maybe try playing it with lid removed to see if there's any audible difference? I rather like a 3mm cork mat on top of the rubber one (your tonearm has adjustable VTA to compensate) which can lighten an otherwise (too?) powerful bass timbre...

 

[GeorgeWalk]

I replaced my loaned out and now long lost 1229 with the 701, then a 601 was added, then I was given a 1009SK2 which awaits work, then a 1214 in bits which I've totally rebuilt and with a 1216 cast platter which quietened it down to really good subjective levels through the stylus (arm is excellent if 'short). A pal then presented me with a near mint 1019 which is so slick to use and another a butchered 1019 drive which can be transferred over to the 1009 to race tune it! They're all almost too good as 'appliances for playing records.'

...And then there's a Technics SL1500 I've been keeping for another pal for a few years which needs its switches cleaning properly. Absolutely silent through the stylus and the arm ain't bad either with modern cartridges...

@GeorgeWalk - if your deck's cueing device is still okay, then good on you sir, as that deck if well sited is a really lovely thing to have. Maybe try playing it with lid removed to see if there's any audible difference? I rather like a 3mm cork mat on top of the rubber one (your tonearm has adjustable VTA to compensate) which can lighten an otherwise (too?) powerful bass timbre...

No, my cueing doesn't work. Most of the tables from that era don't. I looked into fixing it but it was too expensive.

 

[DSJR]

No, my cueing doesn't work. Most of the tables from that era don't. I looked into fixing it but it was too expensive.

It's a bit of a nightmare to strip down to remove the faulty part, let alone repair it. A shame that there isn't a law regarding design faults, where companies should be obliged to re-manufacture properly working parts to replace the bad ones, like this delrin part..

Still a great old machine though.