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Realistic Lab 440 vs Technics SL-D2

T

teartags

New Member
EDIT - It's a Lab 400 I'm looking at! Can't figure out how to change the title of the thread.

I've had my SL-D2 as a daily driver and it's been great for me. Solid and little attention required. I now have an opportunity to pick up a Lab-400 and am wondering if it's any kind of upgrade from the Technics. The Lab is Full-Auto, but I've never had one of those so I'm not sure I really care. I'm also in the process of refurbishing a Pioneer PL-518.
Truth is, I will likely pick up the Realistic regardless and my friend will get that or the Technics as his 1st "real table".
Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
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I have a LAB 400 and it sounds significantly better than the SL-D2 I had before it. I don't have any experience with the LAB 440 but it looks like it's a later model of the LAB 400. The LAB series were made in Japan by the same factory that made Marantz tables.
 
What cartridge(s) do you own/plan to run? For me, that would be the main difference between these two tables. For almost three years, the LAB 440 shared duties in my system with a couple of Panasonic made MCS models that use the same medium mass tonearms as their Panasonic made Technics brethren. The LAB 440 was made at a time when high compliance MM cartridges were popular. It has a very light straight tonearm, compared to the medium mass s-shaped tonearm on the Technics.

I used my LAB 440 with my vintage high compliance cartridges and the MCS tables with medium to low compliance cartridges, both new and vintage. I like to experiment with different cartridges. So, it's nice to have both. I found both the CEC made LAB 440 and the Panasonic made MCS tables both to be incredibly reliable and durable. So, for me, it would come down to which ever was a better match for your cartridge(s).

I did recently replace the LAB 440 with a Harman Kardon T60, a high end belt drive suspended table with a low mass tonearm for use with my high compliance cartridges, but at it's typical selling price, I would not hesitate to recommend the LAB 440.
 
Oops. I corrected the original post, but can't figure out how to change the title of the post. It's a Lab 400 I'm looking at. Your comment about the straight arm is what made me catch it.
I think the arms on the SL-D2 and the Lab 400 should be similar.
The cart I've been running for awhile is an AT12XE, but I've also got an AT100E (the newer version) and am considering picking up the new Grado Black2 (that's getting high praise), when the Pioneer comes online, or if I can splurge, a DL-110.
 
teartags said:
Oops. I corrected the original post, but can't figure out how to change the title of the post. It's a Lab 400 I'm looking at. Your comment about the straight arm is what made me catch it.
I think the arms on the SL-D2 and the Lab 400 should be similar.
The cart I've been running for awhile is an AT12XE, but I've also got an AT100E (the newer version) and am considering picking up the new Grado Black2 (that's getting high praise), when the Pioneer comes online, or if I can splurge, a DL-110.
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teartags said:
Oops. I corrected the original post, but can't figure out how to change the title of the post. It's a Lab 400 I'm looking at. Your comment about the straight arm is what made me catch it
Click to expand...

Become a member and you can edit titles and have access to other areas. Otherwise, you'll need to contact a Moderator and they can edit it for you most likely. As their time allows, of course.
 
avguytx said:
Become a member and you can edit titles and have access to other areas. Otherwise, you'll need to contact a Moderator and they can edit it for you most likely. As their time allows, of course.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah, what he said.
 
While the SL-D2 is not a really bad belt drive table, it has those awful plastic cover tabs for the cover that become brittle & break.
 
I think I am a member. I'm signed in at least. The "Thread Tools" does not have an edit title option. Oh well.
The SL-D2 is a direct drive model. I built a cabinet that houses my TT and it's got a built-in lid, so the dust cover is not even on.
 
I've a Lab 400, made in 1980. A nice well built auto table. Made by CEC, similar to some Marantz, Pioneer units they made, also. Not quartz locked speed, but holds pretty close. With a little drift. Still run Shure M91, with a Vivid microline stylus. First year made with wood veneer. Second year were vinyl woodgrain, which I have.
I replaced the compression spring feet with 2" dia. half sphere Sorbothane feet with felt disc under. Sorbothane can stain wood surfaces.
These Lab 4XX and 5XX series tables may be under appreciated due to Realistic name.
 
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teartags said:
I think I am a member. I'm signed in at least. The "Thread Tools" does not have an edit title option. Oh well.
The SL-D2 is a direct drive model. I built a cabinet that houses my TT and it's got a built-in lid, so the dust cover is not even on.
Click to expand...
Might have to be a subscribing member, $25 a year, but well worth it. And yes, your right, I was thinking about the B2.
 
I have a Lab 400 with a Pickering XV15 D625E cart and new Vivid Micro line stylus. Sounds so close to Sony PS X7 with same cart I can’t tell the difference, so the table to my ears is very good.

Isolation on the other hand is night and day. Not familiar with the Technics but the Lab 400 is bit sensitive if poorly isolated. Not a big fault or surprise, just noteworthy in comparison to the Sony, which is my current benchmark for higher end.

I really like the Lab. It has been trouble free since day one when I picked it up from a classified ad. Play it daily and appreciate it more every time. Hope this helps.
 
My first "real turntable" when I was about 13 or so was a Lab-400 and I really loved that thing. People I went to church with owned the local Radio Shack in our town and I went to school with their son, too. I did get a little bit of a deal on it because of knowing them, too. They were great people and he really knew and loved his audio stuff and always had the latest and greats from RS at their house. I've always kept my eye out for another Lab-400 around the area. No clue what I ever did with mine from way back when. But I was a teenager and it was the 80's so it's anyone's guess.
 
Lab 400 and the Technics SL D2 are pretty close when it comes to quality and sound. While many think of Realistic stuff as low end and poor quality, this TT is a completely different case and is comparable to some of the other well known brands. Wow and flutter for the 400 is 0.03% which is pretty respectable. You could also upgrade it with a better cart like a Shure M97xE..This is one of Realistic’s gems (well, C.E.C) and I highly recommend getting it.
 
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