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Project Debut III or Technics 1200 MK5?

Hey,

About to get my first TT in a long time and am on a tight budget. I have narrowed it down to a brand new Project Debut or a used, though not very muchl, in great condition, Technics 1200 MK5 for a similar price. What would people recommend? I seem to be reading conflicting things. Some people say go for the Project Debut as the it will sound better as the Tecknics is a 'DJ' turntable and not a 'audiophile' turntable. Others say the opposite and say a good Technics 1200 outperforms pretty much any entry level audiophile turntable. The other issue I guess in one is brand new and the other is used.

I'm leaning towards the Technics, I've used them before and like their robustness and the fact you can change speed at a touch of a button
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Showing 2 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
12-29-09: Lindisfarne
With respect to the 1200 idea-it's cool, easy to use, speeds change at touch of button and arm height adjustments are readily doable...... BUT it just sounds a little clinical to me. Get a Rega 3.
A Rega P3/24 is 2 or 3 times the price of a Debut III. And a bone stock SL1200 handily outperforms a Debut III in several ways.

As for that "clinical" sound of the SL12x0 family? It's easily tamed with better feet, better mat, the fluid damper, and/or a tonearm wrap. I'd start with the tonearm wrap--removes the upper midrange glare so wrongly attributed to direct drive or the speed correction mechanism.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
I pretty much concur with everything E Kobesky recommended. I consider the Sumiko headshell (also available as LPGear and other brands; actually sourced from Jelco) a must. In addition to the improvements he mentioned, the tonearm wrap I mentioned (Teflon pipe thread tape) will kill the midrange glare and give a more linear, relaxed presentation.

The Denon DL-110/160 carts are a nice match, especially when mounted in a Sumiko/LPGear/Jelco headshell to better match compliance to effective mass. Recent reviews indicate that the Orotofon 2M Blue is also a great match at the same price range. I upgraded my DL-160 to an Audio Technica AT150MLX when they were only $50 more than the DL-160. Now the best price I've seen on the 150 is $299 from LPGear, but it IS a significant upgrade in speed, neutrality, transparency, and inner detail.

I also have the KAB fluid damper. They're $150. I also recommend getting a tube of spindle oil and oiling up the spindle. Some probably leaks out during shipping. I found a slight but noticeable improvement in noise floor and speed smoothness when I oiled mine up.

Technics SL12x0 'tables are ridiculously well built for the money compared to the competition. You only need to update the handling of vibration and resonances to get a very nice table in the bargain.
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