Forever turntable under $2000

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. 

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. 

The Technics spiel about the SL-1200GR is obviously written by someone who has little or no technical knowledge.  “the SL-1200GR uses special silicon rubber that ensures both high vibration damping characteristics” everyone knows that silicon is a crystalline element that is as far from being compliant and vibration damping as trump is from truth. But wait, there’s more:  “Sine waves stored in ROM are used for the control waveforms at constant speed, and this achieves smoother and more stable rotation” again, fiction flying in the face of fact. Sine waves can not be stored digitally and still faithfully resemble a clean waveform. The tried and true method of using a PLL regulated quartz oscillator is time proven to be both effective and accurate. Perhaps Panasonic should have had a technical writer produce their cut sheets instead. It would make them appear more credible than this tripe. 

It also needs to be said that vintage turntables are a potential solution for the OP. There were many fine examples built in the golden age of turntables, and very few that offer the choices and functionality that vintage turntables did in those days. 

The all-new SL-1200 series share none of the motor / platter / spindle / bearing design that has stood up to the abusive hands of rap-“DJs” for years. There is no history of performance, (good or bad), so don’t expect these mostly new designs to carry on exactly as the original SL-1200mk2/m3d/mk5/etc have. That would be like trying to compare a 1970 Dodge Challenger to a 2019 Dodge Challenger. They share the same name, similar appearance and purpose, but are essentially very, very different machines. 

Lewm, the coreless design in principle as a DESIGN is proven, but design has nothing to do with the EXECUTION. Technics used the exact same motor/platter/tonearm for 30 years and then changed direction in design, which dictates different components are used to execute the different design.

Execution demonstrates its worthiness over the duration it is utilized. That is the measure of durability. In light of the fact that this is a new execution of a different design, it remains to be assessed over a reasonable period of time how well it acquits itself.

Ummm, Jeffreylee, you could be right, but I don’t think so. Assuming that “some people” don’t like superior quality, but that’s a stretch, because common idiots don’t really count as a people. Hel-loo!