Anyone have a fully upgraded KAB 1200?


I'm very close to having a fully upgraded KAB Technics 1200 with only needing some of the power supply upgrades.  Basically, i'd need the outboard PS and the strobe disable to call it complete (I did the DC voltage regulator (DC-1200) a while back to prepare for the outboard power supply).

Can anyone can comment on whether or not it was worth it?  I'm very happy with the 1200, and this last bit will call it "complete".  Reading through forums, I realize that the sonic improvements are not as great as say a tonearm rewire, mat, or tonearm silicon mod.  However, it's more of a "why not" type of thing and also as a sense of completion to it.

Cost would be ~$200.  Thoughts?  
128x128martinman
I did make this modification to mine several years ago, but too long ago to tell you what you want to know.  In general it seemed worthwhile at the time and the fully modded SL1200 sounded quite good.  I was replaced by an SL1200GAE that sounded better, but the difference was not as great as you might think.  I definitely would make the upgrade.
In my opinion:  technics upgrade should start from a cartridge and full rewire from cartridge terminal pins to the phono stage. 

KAB offered external power supply, the rest of his upgrade is pretty basic and his wires are not the best. 

Anyway, when you start from power supply you will not hear much improvement as you can hear with different cartridge even before rewiring. 

Fluid damper is only for high compliance cartridges.




One observation of the Fluid damper. I put one on a 1600 MK2. prior to the install, my neighbor had a Nirvana album that on one track in particular caused severe woofer pumping and the volume did not make it change much. I tried it on my 1600 MK2 and though it was not as bad as on his system the pumping was way more than I would ever want to see. But after installing the fluid damper, I tried that album again and I could not see any movement from the listening position and could see a little movement when I put my eyes right up on it. Seems that the engineer left some nasty sub sonic info in the mix, but the fluid damper helped resolve the issue. My cart is on the upper end on medium compliance but in spec for the arm.
I have a half dozen tables, one is a fully modded KAB 1200.make sure you get the arm dampener, and the complete litz wire re-wire of the tone arm to the outboard RCA sockets. I have the outboard PS. It makes a slight difference but not huge. Would also suggest the KAB replacement feet for the table, and get Cardas litz headshell leads. Both make a significant difference. 


You don’t have to buy everything KAB! Better cables available (zu audio mission phono RCA), for tonearm cardas litz internal tonearm wires, better feet available (isonoe for example), better mats available (SAEC SS-300 for example).  Rewire process of Technics is very easy for every technician. KAB is just one of them with the worst website on the planet, his site look like we are in the mid 90’s again and never upgraded, this is the worst site I even seen in my life, the size of the images is like the size of matchbox.