I have my doubts about the inherent superiority of either belt or direct drive: it all depends on how the engineers have implemented the basic principles, on parts quality and on manufacturing tolerances.
The owner of KAB is right when he emphasizes that most companies just don't have the resources to build something like the SP-10MK2 or SP-10mK3.
And other posters are right when they emphasize that it's pointless listening to an ex-radio station SP-10MK2 with the arm and cartridge that were originally mounted, as these were always low quality units chosen, not for their ability to reproduce music, but for their ability to survive the rigours of commercial life.
After many years of using various flavours of LP12 and Thorens, I have settled on the Technics SP-10MKII of which the SL-1200 is a kind of lightweight, budget version. On one unit, which is the professional version with pitch control, I use an early (longer) SME 3009 Series II arm with a newish Shure V15xMR cartridge and am saving up for a local craftsman to build me a 20 kg plinth of russian birch plywood, MDF and corian. On the other unit, which is still mounted in its huge, welded steel McCurdy Industries broadcast stand, I use an Origin Live-modified Rega RB-250 and a Reson Reca cartridge.
I don't know, from my own experience, how these would compare to modern turntables that cost many thousands of dollars. Fortunately--and this is all that really counts--I feel no urge to spend my daughter's college money on one, because what I have fully satisfies me.
Strictly speaking, you can't talk about the virtues and vices of the the SP-10MK2 without talking about the base and arm used--especially the base.
They say the SP-10MK3 remains Dr. Van Den Hul's reference turntable, but I certainly can't confirm this.
The owner of KAB is right when he emphasizes that most companies just don't have the resources to build something like the SP-10MK2 or SP-10mK3.
And other posters are right when they emphasize that it's pointless listening to an ex-radio station SP-10MK2 with the arm and cartridge that were originally mounted, as these were always low quality units chosen, not for their ability to reproduce music, but for their ability to survive the rigours of commercial life.
After many years of using various flavours of LP12 and Thorens, I have settled on the Technics SP-10MKII of which the SL-1200 is a kind of lightweight, budget version. On one unit, which is the professional version with pitch control, I use an early (longer) SME 3009 Series II arm with a newish Shure V15xMR cartridge and am saving up for a local craftsman to build me a 20 kg plinth of russian birch plywood, MDF and corian. On the other unit, which is still mounted in its huge, welded steel McCurdy Industries broadcast stand, I use an Origin Live-modified Rega RB-250 and a Reson Reca cartridge.
I don't know, from my own experience, how these would compare to modern turntables that cost many thousands of dollars. Fortunately--and this is all that really counts--I feel no urge to spend my daughter's college money on one, because what I have fully satisfies me.
Strictly speaking, you can't talk about the virtues and vices of the the SP-10MK2 without talking about the base and arm used--especially the base.
They say the SP-10MK3 remains Dr. Van Den Hul's reference turntable, but I certainly can't confirm this.