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What is Technics thinking?

Lots has been said, both pro and con, about the new Technics turntable.  Description here -

http://www.sl1200gae.info/about

Some are excited about the potential, given the upgrades since their last production table/arm, the venerable SL-12XX series.  Others see it simply as an excuse to raise the price significantly of the 1200s.

In my view they shot themselves in the foot.  They copied the model number of their best selling table (I can only imagine in the hope the familiarity will carry over) and also ended up with a very similar appearance.  Given the information on all the upgrades over their prior model, the similarities make it appear like something less than what it might be.

Technics had a room at THE Show Newport and that was my first chance to see a SL-1200GAE.  The fit and finish appeared to be very good but it did look like a "polished up" SL-12XX.  I ask the Technics rep why they didn't do more to distinguish this as a new model, given their efforts with engineer upgrades.  He said he could understand my question but then really didn't offer a reasonable explanation.  After describing all the components which had been redesigned/upgraded from the prior model he offered a demo.  However the room was crowded and the remainder of the system was completely unfamiliar, so no fair impression could be made.

I believe it should have had a more unique model designation and more might have been done to the physical package so it didn't look so much like the prior model.

pryso

Showing 3 responses by johnnyb53

johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
The Technics speakers aren’t single-driver; they’re 2-way coaxial. They also make a much larger and more expensive floorstander that uses the same driver. Kind of like KEF with the LS50 and Blade models, though the Technics floorstander is more like $10K instead of 30K. I agree, though, that the floorstander would have been more appropriate to demo the new SL1200G--assuming any of the floorstanders are available yet.

Also, the August issue of Stereophile has Herb Reichert’s column which features hands-on impressions of the GAE. He ranks it as equal or better to any other Stereophile Class B turntable. One thing he went on about is that where the original SL12x0 series didn’t have a particularly good spatial (soundstage and imaging) presentation, the new 1200GAE has it in spades--throws a big, precise 3D image. That’s a big change.
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
While the SL does allow limited azimuth adjustment, spinning the P-mount head shell is a time consuming hit or miss affair.

I think you mean 1/2" universal headshell. P-mount is a non-adjustable plug-in with no lead wires to attach. The Jelco HS-20, HS-25, and HS-30 universal 1/2" headshells all include azimuth adjustment. 

The HS-20 is available in the US as the Sumiko HS12 headshell; the HS-25 is available as the LP Gear ZuPreme. The ZuPreme is the better deal---$54.95 with built-in finger lift vs. $90 for the Sumiko with a fussy finger lift that requires threading the cartridge mounting bolts through the cartidge, headshell, and finger lift.

Also, I check for and adjust for azimuth by setting a small bubble level on the top of the headshell (with stylus guard in place), loosening the hex set screw to rotate the headshell until the bubble indicates it's level, and then tightening it again. 
johnnyb53
3,510 posts
 
Also, as noted, I don't believe the standard SL headshell is a P-mount. At least the one I saw at THE Show Newport in the Technics room had a standard 1/2" universal headshell.
No one on this thread said that the standard Technics SL12x0 series headshell is a P-mount. Did you see such a statement somewhere else?  It's always been the universal 1/2" headshell going back to its introduction in 1972. 
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