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
@Audiofun, thanks as well for posting your experience adjusting the torque.  I look forward to experimenting with that as soon as I get this cartridge on.  Would you use the lower mass headshell or the HS-25?
 I want to bump this thread to see if anyone has an update on the SL-1200G. Is it available yet in the U.S.? Any online sources?
It is available in the U.S.  I just ordered one from hifi heaven.  It is due to arrive next week.
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.
One thing I have found I that the 1200g is very sensitive to the amount of torque on the platter bolts.  In my experience, the platter does not want to be overly tightened.  needs to be backed of somewhat.