I did see your later post and appreciate the updated information. Sorry you're having issues with your turntable. How are you liking it apart from the cueing operation?
I mainly just wanted to comment on the word "janky." I think this is only the second time I've come across it, and the first was in a comparative review of the Pro-Ject Debut Pro and the SL-1210GR (at the Darko Audio YouTube channel), and that reviewer described the Technics cueing mechanism as "super janky" while the Pro-Ject was "buttery smooth." One website told me janky is regional slang originating in New Jersey. Always fun to learn new words!
It's been great otherwise. It has a classic look and a solid, well built feel to it. It also does a much better job than any other turntable I've had of damping vibration. I have some sorbothane pads under the feet for a little extra dampening. My SP-25 in cheap plinth would jump the needle out of the groove if you sat down in the chair too hard.
There are a few things that made me go with the 1210GR instead of the other similar Technics models. It was the model with all the things I wanted: the strobe (it looks cool and serves as a visual confirmation that you have your speed set properly), the hinged dust cover, the cue light, and the pitch slider. The SL1200MK7 was so close, but I didn't feel like putting the dust cover on the floor or leaning it against the shelf every time I wanted to play a record. That was just asking to get broken.
Paired with the VM540ML, it tracks the inner grooves wonderfully.
In terms of the "sound" of the turntable itself , I don't put a lot of stake in turntables really "sounding" different. I think for the turntable itself, the mechanicals are much more important: speed stability, vibration dampening, good rumble characteristics, proper adjustments for anti-skate, azimuth, tracking force, etc.
The cartridge/stylus/arm working together together provide good tracking. Matching the appropriate input impedance and having low capacitance from the cartridge to the phono stage has a much more pronounced real-world impact on the tonality of the playback than anything else. When I finally got my Yamaha C-4 preamp up and running with its adjustable input capacitance/loading, I could flip between them in real time and really hear the differences it made.
As for the word janky, I never knew it was a regional thing. It's quite common here in Pittsburgh, PA too. It's interesting that the Darko Audio channel and I came to the same conclusion about it even though I never saw his video.
My MK7, which is over 2 years old at this point, doesn't have that problem with the cue lever dropping at the top. It only moves when I want it to. Not sure what is causing these problems. I have seen the gear mechanism apart and understand the differences in design, but I don't know if the design was changed over the production cycle, or if something else is off. Again, I don't have this problem. My cue lever stays put.
Can you take a video of you lifting the cue arm all the way up and letting go of the lever? It doesn't make sense how a bunch of people can say they have the same problem, yet a few people don't. I'd love to see a video of one working properly.
