TECHNICS SL-1200MK2 Turntable

This is a quality piece of equipment. Many entry and mid-level "audiophile" turntables are nothing but MDF with a motor glued on. They reek of cheap, but they are the hallowed belt drive systems that supposedly offer vinyl Nirvana... after $500 worth of upgrades. Audiophiles sniff at the Techniques and call it a DJ table, and, in truth, it is popular with DJs because it's almost indestructible. But it makes a great Hi-Fi table as well.

I recently bought a 1210 (black) with some KAB upgrades and it literally sings. Put a good cartridge in it (AT 150 MLX, a Grado Gold, or perhaps a Shelter 201), do a proper set up and sit back and enjoy the music.

I should have bought one of these years ago.

The standard which all others turntables are judged~! PERIOD!! Belt driven are good but direct drive been around for ages... Besides, audiophiles claim that belt driven tables are the best but??? Don't let that "opinion" stop you from purchasing this awesome TT...

I am a vinyl junkie.There; I've said it. And for years I was in search of the perfect turntable on which to indulge my passion. This turntable is analog nirvana. Clearly, this turntable was intended for both the professional and home markets. The direct drive motor keeps the platter precisely on speed thanks to the quartz-locked control, or varied with the pitch control slider. A green light lets you know when you're locked right on speed. In addition, the strobe on the outer rim of the platter helps you gauge where you are when you adjust the pitch. The S-shaped tonearm offers adjustments for tracking force, anti-skate, AND vertical tracking angle. The importance of VTA is often downplayed, but I can tell you it matters! When it's right, you'll know. I have no fewer than 16 cartridges on headshells that can be used on this turntable, and all sound excellent. But my strongest recommendation for the best cartridge to use with the 1200for home use is the Denon DL-160 high output moving coil.My records have never sounded better, and this cartridge, like the turntable, is a bargain. I've been using this combination for transferring some of my favorite LP's to CD so I can play them in my car. In many cases, the sound was so good it was hard to tell this was an analog transfer. This is definitely the finest turntable ever built, regardless of price. Even the snooty high end audiophiles should take a good look at this table if they want great sound at a bare-bones price (compared to most high end turntables that don't do anything this one does). There's something to be said as to why this turntable has been available for so long. I've had mine for nearly 20 years, and I'll never let go!

Just use mine for playing records at home. Sounds better than a $500.00 "budget audiophile" table I got rid of. Speed is always accurate and steady. Everything's easily and precisely adjustable. Nice, rich, "unfinicky", yet detailed sound, "set it and forget it". Good isolation. Solid build.

Got excellent sound with a Shure M97xE cartridge. Just found a great deal on a Denon DL-103 low output moving coil on eBay from a foreign source. VINYL HEAVEN!!! This combination really does beat CD on my system, in "life" and overall smoothness, when run through my Jolida JD-9 phono stage.

Everybody knows the 1200 is a great DJ table. With the right cartridge, I honestly don't think it can be beat for home use either, without spending considerably more. Too bad they don't make an automatic version that lifts the needle at the end of the record like they did in the old days. Bet it'd sell better than they think. I'm willing to "babysit" the 1200 for the wonderful sound it delivers though...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR SPINNING VINYL ANYWHERE!!!

THis is the first new 1200 that I have purchased, but not the first I have owned. Funny thing is, this wasn't even for me. Was a gift to a great friend. Either way, the 1200s are great turntables. They are very versitile & can take the abuse of spinning, or just run on doing mundane vinyl playback.

Setup is a relatively easy process & you can keep it simple & have it work well forever, or tweek out over things to make minute changes to get the abosolute best possible sound.

Anyway, these things are reliable, tanks, will last forever, & though it seems pricey, will provide for you for years...probably until you sell it to someone else who can use it too!