I have been considering the same purchase. Done a lot of soul searching; evaluating, and discussion with people familiar with turntable design and performance. Personally, of the two choices, I like the
SL-1200GR for a variety of reasons. Overall the weakest link in that chain may be the tone arm.
Considering the other elements in your system, I think that any weaknesses associated with the TECHNICS arm, are so miniscule, that side by side, considering the use of the same cartridge in both, The TECHNICS still comes out ahead. Also if your pair it with a GRADO "SONATA 3" cartridge. Very easy to set up with the SL-1200GR table. I believe that you will not be disappointed in the outcome.
One thing in addition: If you really want to get the most out of any TT and cartridge setup, I strongly suggest you look into a serious record cleaning/restoration system. The KIRMUSS system is a little pricey and almost nightmarish to use, however, if you have the patience, the outcome will astound you. A "dirt cheap" second choice, which I have tried and was quite surprised at the quality of the outcome, was a combination of a RECORD DOCTOR VI, and a bottle of TTVJ ENZYME GOLD record cleaning solution . With a little thought and practice, the resulting outcome will be surprisingly close to that achieved with the KIRMUSS, at a fraction of the price. Still a little laborious, however.
Take any record that does not display signs of excess groove wear, and use on of the deep cleaning methods I have mentioned, and the resulting playback quality, will sound amazingly similar to mag tape.
SL-1200GR for a variety of reasons. Overall the weakest link in that chain may be the tone arm.
Considering the other elements in your system, I think that any weaknesses associated with the TECHNICS arm, are so miniscule, that side by side, considering the use of the same cartridge in both, The TECHNICS still comes out ahead. Also if your pair it with a GRADO "SONATA 3" cartridge. Very easy to set up with the SL-1200GR table. I believe that you will not be disappointed in the outcome.
One thing in addition: If you really want to get the most out of any TT and cartridge setup, I strongly suggest you look into a serious record cleaning/restoration system. The KIRMUSS system is a little pricey and almost nightmarish to use, however, if you have the patience, the outcome will astound you. A "dirt cheap" second choice, which I have tried and was quite surprised at the quality of the outcome, was a combination of a RECORD DOCTOR VI, and a bottle of TTVJ ENZYME GOLD record cleaning solution . With a little thought and practice, the resulting outcome will be surprisingly close to that achieved with the KIRMUSS, at a fraction of the price. Still a little laborious, however.
Take any record that does not display signs of excess groove wear, and use on of the deep cleaning methods I have mentioned, and the resulting playback quality, will sound amazingly similar to mag tape.