Nottingham Spacedeck vs Rega Planar 8 vs Technics SL1200G

Direct Drive all the way, so Technics! 

The "G" is pretty much an audiophile tunrtable, it is not affordable for DJs at $4000 as they need at least two of them to DJ.

The "G" is equal to the "GAE" they are audiophile turntables for sure.

"GR" model is a compromise, it’s cheaper, so this might be for deejays, but "GR" ($1700) is not equal to the "G" ($3000-4000)

Assuming I choose the right cartridge @essrand

The right cartridge is Pickering XSV-3000 (or Stanton 881s) MM with original Stereohedron stylus (one of the best profile ever made) if you don’t want to spend more than $400 to get highly competitive sound up to $800 easily. It’s high compliance MM which is perfect for Technics tonearm. Victor X-1IIe with titanium pipe cantilever and nude elliptical tip is also nice one for under $350, but the Victor X-1II with beryllium cantilever and nude shibata stylus tip is better than all of them, but much more expensive if the condition is like new. Those Victor are mid compliance and great for most of the modern tonearms too. Grace F-14 and LEVEL II are absolutely killer MM cartridges along with the AT-ML180 OFC if the budget is over $1.5k

If you will buy Technics make sure to remove stock rubber mat and replace it with SAEC SS-300 alloy mat with disc stabilizer like Micro Seiki ST-10

This is your ticket to high-end analog 

There are many more amazing tonearms on the market, do not limit yourself with a brand new tonearms like Jelco. They are OK, but nothing special.

Look and read more about Japanese High-End tonearms from the past, all of them in the list below have VTA on the fly, unique features, special materials, precision bearings. Those arms are absolutely amazing and much better not only compared to Jelco, but also compared to some $5k tonearms made today. They are all in $700-1500 price range . 

Lustre GST-801
Victor UA-7045 and 7082
Technics EPA-100 and EPA-100 mkII
SONY PUA-7

Don’t forget about Fidelity-Research FR-64s and FR64fx but they are normally $1500-2500 depends on condition

When it comes to a brand new High-End tonearm with precision adjustement of everything including azimuth on the fly and vta on the fly i would recommend Reed 3P series if the budget is up to $5k

@nandric well, never tried them, i can only recommend what i have tried and what i really like. But you're welcome to add more interesting tonearms. 

@tzh21y

Look for mounting distance on Reed website

Pivot to spindle distance is 223 mm for ’9.5 inch Reed 3P tonearm
Yes, you can mount it on Technics SL1200G if you will make a custom armboard, the distance is fine and the tonearm cable will be on top of the armboard (not under the armboard). You need a solid steel machined armboard with just 3 treated holes for 3 screws to mount the Reed 3P on it. This is the most beautiful high-end tonearm imo. 

There is no such thing as "the best arm" for certain turntable, unless the pivot to spindle distance and the armboard allow us to mount the arm we have many to choose (depends on the cartridge).

Reed 3p tonearm does not require even a hole in the armboard (just 3 screws), the arm available in many versions such as ’9 inch, ’10.5 inch and ’12 inch which i am using. Reed is great because we can choose the right armwand for certain cartridge, each armwand has different mass.

Azimuth on the fly is absolutely unique feture of the Reed, watch how it works. Any other tonearm has this feature ? I guess none of them.

P.S. Koetsu Black is the worst model in Koetsu line, it’s the cheapest one and many people claimed it does not have a magic of Koetsu upper models. This information available online, so anyone can ferify.

There is one low compliance cartridge that easily compete with the best Koetsu like Coralstone, but for much better price. This cartridge is Fidelity-Research FR-7fz and you can read about it here. This is absolutely amazing cartridge for FR high mass tonearms.

In general i think the best and useful advice coming from folks who actually change the arms and turntables, not from the people who never changed anything in 15 years and never compare one thing to another. At least wheni’ve been looking for the decks and arms or cartridges i was more influenced by people who experiment with high-end gear. Only in comparison we can actually find out what is the best.

P.S. Stanton/Pickering with Stereohedron styli are killing the Nagaoka, read why.

Not sure if Ralph ever tried rare SAEC SS-300 alloy mat, but in my opinion this is amazing mat for Technics turntables of all kind from the SP-20 to the SP-10 mkII and SL1200 series 

If the mat should be as the LP why not just put an LP undern LP ?
Some people actually doing it

I use gunmetal Micro Seiki CU-180, CU-500, and SAEC SS-300 alloy mat.  
I have a comparison chart made by Micro Seiki and SAEC comes very close to Micro Mats, not to mention that SAEC is the lightest and almost half the price of Micro CU-180. In my opinion the SAEC is a must have for everyone, great mat even for belt drive turntables!

Micro CU-500 is superb for turntables with very high torque like Technics SP-10 mkIII or mkII. The only problem is that CU-500 is impossible to find.

Micro CU-180 is great for most of the DD turntables, love it on my Luxman PD-444

@stereo5

My Cartridge was only 600.00! At 200.00 I am willing to take a chance, at 700.00, forget about it.

SAEC SS-300 is about $350-450 (depends on cosmetic condition)

@stereo5

I truly appreciate the info you have given me, but as my Technics sounds fine (to me) as is, 300-450 is still way too much for a record mat.

In my opinion SAES is the most reasonably priced mat on a used market today. This is not just a flat piece of something (like many other mats), this is a very special design and material. Look at the top surface and at the flipside. This mat was designed for all size of records, not just for 12’ inch, but also for 7’inch. I think it’s pretty smart design compared to many other mats on the market, most of them are just flat like a pancake. The material is a very special aircraft alloy, i think we can trust SAEC engineers, those guys tried to make exceptional mat and i think they did it right. This mat is not fragile as the BA Graphite mat for example.

Also i can’t remember any static issues between the SAEC mat and the record. Saec SS-300 alloy mat (870g), as you can find online, eliminates the distortion-producing resonance in the 200-400Hz range, which is common to most all conventional rubber mats. This results in a 10~20dB net reduction in overall resonance, to further reduce distortion at its source. Some cartridges, especially the LOMC, are sensivite to the rotor under the platter, felt mats can’t solve the problem. It will help you to block EMI effect (electromagnetic interference). So i think you know what you’re paying for when it comes to SAEC mat.

Technicst rubber mat must be replaced and many Technics owners did that first.

I would think that money would be better used to get a better cartridge. I use a ZU modified DL103 which was around 550.00 when I purchased new.

That’s right, i’m sure it’s too much for any cartridge with a conical tip! For under $400 you can have NOS Pickering XSV-3000 MM with original Stereohedron nude diamond. It’s one of those killer MM for amazing price (pay less to get more). Highly recomended not only because i have a spare in NOS condition, but mainly because i am a Stanton fan, Pickering was a parent company or Stanton Magnetics Inc.

I am willing to spend up to 200 on a record mat and am waiting to hear from the dealer that sold me the Technics as he also sells Oracle. Thank you again for the information, you are one of the most knowledgeable people regarding turntables I have ever come across. The information you have freely given is invaluable.

You gave me too much credits. Thanks. Do not always listen to the dealer who is limited to a brand new audio stuff, in this case you’re ignoring some amazing products from the past, when something survived after 30-40 years and still highly regarded it must be exceptionally good like those SAEC and Micro Seiki mats for example.

My next purchase will probably be a Dynavector 20X2L later on this year. As for the record mat, if I can purchase the Oracle in the 200.00 range, I will probably go for it. Do you know how it compares to the Origin mat?

Can’t comment on those mats, but look for the material, shape and everything which makes them cheaper compared to Made In Japan SAEC for example. There is a reason why those mats are cheaper.

The best Dynavector cartridge i’ve tried on Technics turntable with stock Technics tonearm was DV-23RS MR (Ruby/MicroReach). I’ve bought it in NOS condition on ebay for about $500 and this is a good example why Denon DL-103 variations must be avoided. There are better carts with better cantilevers/diamonds even cheaper in NOS condition. Dynavector is high compliance MC which is perfect for Technics tonearm (much better match than Denon 103 low compliance).

OMG! It's another brand new model from Technics coming later this year. Premium Class Direct Drive Turntable SL1500c for my audiophile homies.

Look at this beauty:
https://www.technics.com/us/news/20190107-sl-1500c/