Technics SL1210 ... HIFI or not?

[PeterB]

Something that has been on my mind for a very long time and interested to hear the general view on this: as a relic from past times I have always kept my Technics SL1210 MKII as the turntable of choice in my system. Did an upgrade of the cartridge (Ortofon) but that's basically it. How would that compare to the Regas, Pro-Jects and the like...?

 

[Al ears]

Originally designed for hifi they only became noticed by DJ's later. A bit like comparing apple's and oranges.
however it's a good deck and, if in a good state of repair, will take a good cartridge upgrade.
I know of a few that even stick an S ME tonearm on it. It can be upgraded in many ways and is worth keeping
There is a reason there are many cheap copies manufactured these days.......

 

[daytona600]

1200 biggest selling turntable of all time over 3 million produced , plus numerous other variants of the 1200
Project circa 2million in the last 20years
Rega is a cottage industry compared to technics & Project

 

[Al ears]

1200 biggest selling turntable of all time over 3 million produced , plus numerous other variants of the 1200
Project circa 2million in the last 20years
Rega is a cottage industry compared to technics & Project

That might be correct however it does little to answer the OPs question apart from sales figures.
It also depends on which models of Rega or Project he is referring to. For a current day cost equivalent the Technics still holds it ground but with higher end models it can be lacking and the electronics involved in the Technics aren't going to last forever.
having said that if I had money to throw at it I would but one.
Despite sales I would hardly call Rega a cottage industry. It's Project that are the new kids on the block and without the resurgence in vinyl they would be nowhere

 

[daytona600]

electronics involved in the Technics aren't going to last forever
have a 50year old SP10 still works without a fault
OP keep the technics or get a new GR/G

 

[joe23]

The Technics SL1200/1210s are excellent turntables in their own right, but they are totally different beasts to the Projects and Regas of this world. I used belt driven decks for many years and had a few quite high end decks in my time - Linn LP12 and a couple of Well Tempered decks which are fantastic, but once I discovered Direct Drive turntables - and it was through an SL1200 MKII that I did this - there was no turning back for me. DD drives offer a level of pitch stability and rock solid imaging that I was never able to get from a belt driven deck. I bought the SL1200 MKII second hand as a project to play about with but it didn't take long before I got the bug to start making some modifications to it and once I'd got to a certain point, I ended up selling my Well Tempered Versalex as I was just enjoying music more on the Technics. Whilst having a good cartridge fitted makes a big difference, the single biggest improvement I made to my SL1200 was to re-wire the arm with better quality cable from the end of the headshell to the plugs going into my phono stage. I bought the re-wiring kit from KABUSA which cost around $90. I won't lie, it was a VERY fiddly job to do, but the improvement it brought in opening up the soundstage and tidying up and sweetening the high frequencies was more than worth it. It became a bit of a hobby to start making other modifications such as externalising the power supply and improving it, fitting better quality caps to the motor supply board, upgrading the platter bearing, deadening the platter, fitting better isolating feet and a better platter mat. All have brought worthwhile improvements but the arm rewire was by far the biggest jump.
If I was to start over again and was given a budget of around £1K for a turntable, I'd still take a Technics DD over anything else.

 

[ProgDr]

Latest SL1210 mk7 compares well with the Rega 3 or the Pro-ject X1 but i would compare your SL1210Mk2 with other Direct Drive turntables such as the Thorens TD402DD which has a very similar character.
The 1210's have always had a laser sharp sound, really solid bottom end, great speed stability and a lovely expansive soundstage. If i was going to be critical i would note that they are not the quietest decks and can be exposed by very dynamic music. Listening to Myths and Legends of King Arthur by Rick Wakeman and similar where music goes from very subtle to very loud and in your face is where I personally have always found the SL1210's come slightly unstuck as there is always that small bit of ambient noise from the PSU and motor.
The deck itself is a good solid design, The MK2 were around for a long time though (1978-2010) and the bearings on them dont last forever and can become very noisy. The arm on the Mk2 wasnt so good and those who have put the effort in to replace it with an SME3009 have all said the improvement was momentous.
I know a lot of people who love them and Robert @ Inspirehifi does amazing things with them. https://www.inspirehifi.co.uk/technics.html