Super OEM turntable versus Technics SL1200

What is with some of these OEM turntables having STRAIGHT tonearms, totally at odds with alignment guidelines we all know about for minimum tracking error? Is this a DJ thing?
 
What is with some of these OEM turntables having STRAIGHT tonearms, totally at odds with alignment guidelines we all know about for minimum tracking error? Is this a DJ thing?

Exactly. Those straight, "underhung" tonearms are virtually unskippable at the expense of record wear.
 
What is with some of these OEM turntables having STRAIGHT tonearms, totally at odds with alignment guidelines we all know about for minimum tracking error? Is this a DJ thing?
The straight tonearms surely have an offset angle at the headshell to give similar minimum tracking error?
 
There are a couple of situations where digitizing a record makes sense to me.

The first might be a little OT; I restore records from my 78 collection. I do so because I can't find a digital copy or the only restored versions are unsatisfactory. Often when restoring, they'll work from a bad copy or use noise reduction too aggressively. Sometimes they try to "improve" by adding reverb!

The same is true regarding LP's. I might digitize an LP unavailable in digital form. Now, almost everything I want to digitize for portability is available digitally.

Most of the time, I just enjoy my LP collection by playing them. Some people think it's a cheap way to make their music portable. It doesn't take long to find out how much time and effort is required to do a proper transcription. I gave up years ago.
2 things, 500 records take up far too much space. A tascam dr44wl makes 24/96 recording as painless as analogue cassette recording now, onto sd card and for the new portable players fiio etc.
 
Most of the better technics decks will sound better because of the low, specified arm friction, the most important factor for good tracking. Of course, alignment needs to be correct too!
 
I've read the whole thread, and I know this site might happen to just maybe a little bit skew towards the vintage. It looks like the primary difference is that the super OEM decks have much much more torque: 4.5 kgf.cm in the super oem to 1.6 for the Technics. The trade off is wow and flutter, which, as noted is >.1 in the newer decks and >.025 in the Techs. This makes sense when you think of all that torque you're getting. WIth the exception of the straight tonearms (too much record wear, no matter how little they skip), I'm also hard pressed to believe that the arm on a 30 year old DJ deck is going to be better than a new deck, even if there was initially a vast difference. The designs all look quite similar (I believe they're based on the same patent), even if the materials and components may be slightly different. Hate on HanPin all day, but 1970's Japanese manufacturing methods can't be all that much better than China today. Add in wear and tear...
So I guess the question, as a novice turntablist, is whether or not the increased torque is worth the trade off in w/f. Two and a half times the torque for 4 times the W/F. They both have an impact in how the deck will perform for beat matching. The crazy thing is that I'm looking at two decent Audio-Technica at-lp1240's for around $400, and 2 beat up tech's for $500. A decent pair of techs runs you $800 these days, easy. $500 is a good deal. At a certain point, "sterling reputation" becomes "herd mentality." It's gotten so bad out there that I find myself rooting for the downfall of the 1200's.
 
No need to compromise with a Super OEM or Stanton or a beat up abused left for dead old Technics 1200. The Technics SL-1200GR will be available the spring/summer of 2018 and will satisfy all the needs of a professional DJ for mixing etc. If you are a novice turntablist "scratcher" anything more than a pair of Hanpins would be a waste of money.
 
If I were in the market for a DD DJ style machine, I'd buy a Pioneer, Reloop or AT machine in a second. Technics are/were wonderful machines but have become fetishized beyond any reasonable measure. Give me the machine with new components and a warranty all day long!

FWIW the Pioneer PLX-1000 has even scored well with audiophiley weenies including a Stereophile writer. As far as W&F, in the abstract these figures mean very little. I don't hear users of modern turntables with "lesser" W&F figures screaming about actually hearing W&F.

Hanpin hate is irrational. I don't own a Hanpin but wouldn't avoid one anymore than I would have avoided a Honda or Toyota during the early 1980s when many WWII-era Americans screamed about japanese junk cars infesting the US.
 
Technics is back and on top of the audio world in case you didn't notice with sound and specs to make them world class.
 
Hate on HanPin all day, but 1970's Japanese manufacturing methods can't be all that much better than China today. Add in wear and tear...

It's less a question of manufacturing ability and more one of intent. Did Hanpin set out to build the lowest friction, tightest tolerance tonearms they could produce? Did Technics? There was an insane amount of competition in the marketplace when Technics released the 1200 and it's stood the test of time. Competition today is nowhere near as fierce.

I'll agree that the 1200 has been fetishised out of realistic pricing. For the amount it goes for there are several other tables from the other Japanese companies that are as good or better from an audiophile standpoint. But I'd put all of them in a league above the knockoffs for use in non-dj settings.
 
I`m realy satisfied with my AT-LP120 USB TT. I also have Technics SL-1900. From the first hand, I can tell you that AT sounds great, of course if you doing on it some no to much cost modifications. They "Hanpin haters" must understand one fact... Hanpin turntables is not Technics SL-1200 except design look and for that reason it make no sense to compare these two products and tell which is better. Each of them has its own part of the users. You can own TT for 10,000$ but if you dont do properly alignment on it and if you dont do properly input loading for your very expensive cartridge you cant to compare any OEM TT with properly configurated parts on it with sound quality on them. No matter how much your TT cost, thosusands or billion dollars, properly configurated OEM TT beat your honey money TT.
 
Last edited:
We sold Sl 1200 to the very end. They did well for us and the only issues we had were from the DJ's being careless. We had to replace arms and variable tone controls quite a bit. The stylus light was the only issue That seemed to have issues one its own. Audio philes and purists at the time stayed away from the table thinking it was compromised. In some ways the arm was but there was nothing wrong with the table. When the prices started climbing my cost conscious boss started looking else where. And the knock offs just never seemed to hold up as well or sound as good was my experience. So I would look for the genuine article. Its a shame you can't afford a new Sl 1200,I'm sure it would make you happy for a life time. I would rather have an outstanding TT that will last a life time than be messing around changing tables on a whim. I guess this why I keep my old Thorens, it is as good as new. It's not an SP 10, which I would really like to have but I have space issues. It will be fun to experience the new SP-10 MK iV. It will probably cost more than my new MDX but then we can always hope of winning the lottery. Stay away from the knock offs.
 
Back
Top Bottom