Why Isnt Techincs 1200 Considered Audiophile?

The new Technics 1200 series tables are indeed "audiophile" quality.  In their respective price brackets many will find they are quieter (less groove noise, tower ticks and pops) than the belt driven competition.  My listening tests also demonstrated excellent imaging and stability (picking out sounds from within the stereo image).  The feature set is convenient as well;  these are easy to live with turntables that can be adjusted easily, have a removable headshell for changing cartridges, and have a convenient and easy to use dust cover.  Certainly better turntables can be had, but they will cost much more and be a lot fussier to operate (and will need to be placed in a correspondingly higher end system to reveal the improvement in sound).

As a past and present 1200 owner, I find this thread revealing.  There seems to be a definite bias against this turntable from a contingent of what I will call (for the convenience of this post) "true audiophiles."I became an audiophile the day I talked my parents into buying me an extension speaker (Realistic Solo 4) for my Panasonic portable radio/tape recorder.  I soon started buying records (which I had to play on my cardboard record player with ceramic needle). My Mom's furniture grade Silvertone console was off limits, but they saw my interest and got me a Garrard 55b and a Realistic receiver that came bundled with some rather remarkable B&O speakers for Christmas (around 1972).  When I went to college, I managed to scrape together enough money to buy a used Benjamin Miracord Elac which I mounted on 2x4s.  Ran that through a PAS 3x (I had to fix it, new tubes, bypassed the tone controls) Dynamo ST-70 (a kit I soldered together) and the B&Os.  I was able to trade something (which will remain nameless) for a Technics 1200.  I hung with a crowd that was anchored by a store in Urbana Illinois called Pro Musica.  We considered ourselves audiophiles.40 years and many turntables later, I was convinced by one of my old buddies (Geoff Poor/Glenn Poor's AV) to plunk some money down and wait several months for a new Technics 1200 GR.  I was initially turned off by the looks, but was impressed by the sound (we compared it to the twice as expensive 1200 G and couldn't tell much of a difference in sound, although the "G" does look cooler with the brass top plate).  Best turntable I've ever owned.  Audiophile quality?... by any measure I have a resounding YES!

I'm listening to that Mofi Mastertracker on my 1200 GR right now.  I bought the Mofi cartridge on the suggestion of my dealer without auditioning it first (not usual for me, but his advice has always been spot on).  There was little on the 'net about it.  I just took a chance, and was amply rewarded!  This is a very good cartridge, maybe not as revealing as the 2M black but perhaps a trifle easier on the ears and noticeably low surface noise.  I have compared it to a dozen or so cartridges on the 1200 GR, and while each cart has its pros and cons, this is the one that gets the most play.
I have no idea regarding the pedigree of this cartridge, but it does remind me somewhat of my AT 440 mlb, but smoother and less grain.  Sounds great with my Schiit Mani, but accommodates a better phono-pre nicely. Sounded fantastic through a Sutherland Insight, my Frankenstein PAS 3x (heavily modified and bypassed pre-amp gain stage) and an old Marantz 1200 (pre-out).  I have an Odyssey Suspiro on its way (mostly for MC), but I'm guessing this will be the cat's pajamas with the MasterTracker.