So far as I know the 1200G is not available yet in the US. I have been hearing prices of around $3700.
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.
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.
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A good friend loaned me his Kiseki Purpleheart NS to try on the GAE. To say it was beautiful sounding is an understatement. The arm on the table is wonderful and far better than the its look-alike cousin on the SL1200 and its variants. Note that I am not knocking the arm on the Sl1200mkX as its main issue was the wiring, which can always be replaced. The GAE immediately showed me the difference between my D103R and the Kiseki. The Denon sounding beautiful on the table if not the most resolving MC but for $380 the 103R is an incredible bargain. I really believe one may need to spend about $2k - $2.5k to significantly beat a properly setup and run-in 103R. I did compare it to my Anna/4Point combination on the SP10 MK3. I will say that money when one knows what they are doing can buy you a lot more sound. This is not a case of diminishing returns, the latter system bettered it in every way but let's be fair, the arm/cart cost is 4 times the cost of the GAE. One day when I have the time I will place the Anna on the GAE and then see what's what. Based on what I heard, I will NOT be changing the arm on my GAE. I will be installing a much higher end cartridge along with acquiring a Myajima Zero (which was one of the main reasons I purchased this wonderful table). |
They are about $3400 in Japan. Not a big difference with the US price. http://kakaku.com/search_results/Technics+1200G/ |
Achilles heel: Is the GAE perfect? The answer is no and I have known it's problem since before it was released. Early in my quest for this table I sent an email to the support department at Panasonic that handles the GAE and inquired as to the type of Power Supply is contains. I feared it would be an SMPS and they confirmed my fears. In this day and age one almost expects these abominations to high end audio. They are cheap to build although some are built much better than others (iFi comes to mind) and they are lite in weight therefore companies reap huge saving not having to ship heavy iron. The catch is that they ALL SUCK and I mean that. They literally pull your audio system down. I will describe what I hear when a SMPS is plugged in anywhere near my system. The roundness and air of the performance evaporate to be replaced with a cold and somewhat hard stridency. In the worst cases it can literally sound like really bad digital (using digital in the pejorative sense). Whenever I would listen to my SP10 Mk3 I would unplug both the GAE and my Mac Mini. When I would listen to the GAE I would unplug the Mac.., etc.. My GAE is up for (reversible surgery), I am building a linear regulated PS for the unit. The result of the SMPS has nothing to do with cogging. It is directly related to the high frequency hash/noise that SMPS units invariably send back into the mains and interject on the ground thereby infecting your other gear via the ground on your interconnects. Last evening (out of boredom) I took the SMPS out of my Mac Mini and wired in a regulated SMPS, held my breath and fired it up (probably the wrong term to use when discussing computers :). I hate to sound like a cliche, but my Mac mini going into an iFi iUSB 3.0 (itself setup and working with a regulated linear 9v lab grade supply) astonished me. It sounded, yes I am going to say it because it's true, like a turntable. Yeah I said it :) My red book ripped cd's sound like very good hi res recordings and on recordings in which I have the LP and CD (ripped full resolution to the hdd and played back with Pure Music (my choice of playback software for the last 9 years)) the Mac is better. I used Jacintha's Here's to Ben (45rpm), playing "Danny Boy" compared to the ripped CD version on FIM Recordings. The digital was better. Now, I know this is because the SMPS in the GAE brings the overall quality of my whole system down. It will tilt the other way when I install the apparatus for the linear supply. As stated earlier, I already knew the SMPS would have to go even before I received the unit. My iFi iCan Pro is also being fed with a regulated LPS. The only passive devices I have found to work really really well in combatting the nasties of SMPS's is Blue Circles line of filters. They work wonders BUT no SMPS's is the best solution. I even unplug my plasma TV when listening. The further downstream any device that uses a SMPS is from your system the better. In the case of the GAE, I knew I would have to do this but still found the table to be an incredible value due to the technology involved and the motor. SMSP's are a fact of life these days, but it is relatively painless to replace them. Try this, listen to a passage on your system, preferably an intimate uncomplicated vocal track, stop, plug in anything with a SMPS near your stereo. Computer, iPad, cable box anything and listen to the same sample of music again. |
In the original post concerning the power supplies I wrote: Last evening (out of boredom) I took the SMPS out of my Mac Mini and wired in a regulated SMPS, held my breath and fired it up (probably the wrong term to use when discussing computers :). That is incorrect, I intended to write: Last evening (out of boredom) I took the SMPS out of my Mac Mini and wired in a regulated linear power supply, held my breath and fired it up (probably the wrong term to use when discussing computers :). |
Does anyone know what the tonearm mass is on the GAE? An AT-ART9 just arrived and I'm not sure which headshell to use. I have a magnesium HS-25 and the original that came with the GAE. The HS-25 is about 12 grams. Audio-Technica says the ART9 prefers a lower mass arm. I'm still very green at turntable setup so I'm not sure how to determine the best headshell. Thanks in advance! |
Thank you Audiofun. That puzzles me a little since the original SL-1200 also had a 12g tonearm mass IIRC. But the original was aluminum and the GAE is magnesium. They do have slightly different dimensions and I don't know the tube wall thickness for either arm so I might be comparing apples to oranges. I expected a lower mass for the magnesium arm. |
aragonx 5: You are welcome. Concerning the headshell, it will really depend on the compliance of the cartridge you are using. I note that with a Denon 103r which is a lower compliance cartridge my system sounds much better with the 12gram LP Zupreme vs the 7 gram (I weighed them) stock headshell. It will probably sound even better (for the 103r) with the 18 gram AT headshell I'm planning to purchase. You are going to find that this is a seriously accomplished table. Do give the bearings in the arm and spindle along with the tonearm wire ample time to run in. |