Wheels Of Steel (Technics SL-1200MK2)

Member Name: Sparkyspark

Product:	Technics SL-1200MK2
Date:	09/03/01 (2755 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful

Disadvantages: None

The Technics SL 1200 turntable! it is art, it function, it is science, it is history, it is poetry, it is a classic. The timeless deck boasts faultless direct drive and pitch pefect quartz timing,

Many years ago (possibly 8) I borrowed and begged to buy my first turntables, wanting something to spin my burgeoning collection of waxtastic dance tunes on(it looked so easy), I was determined to realise my dream of blending repetitive beats into a seamless, flowing soundscape. Unfortunately my pocketmoney dropped short of the majestic Technics, I settled for the woodenbox Ariston, beltdriven turntable. This was not cool!

For those of you who are unaware of the difference between Direct and Belt drive I will attempt to explain.(If I get this wrong feel free to correct me)

Direct drive turntables involve a complex motor with a magnetic field for high torque. A belt drive turntable involves the coupling of the motor to the platter with the help of a limp rubber belt. The main problem with the belt drive is that it does not start and stop quickly when the record and platter are held manually, while direct drive motors regain their speed very quickly. This comes in very handy when cueing up a record at the same speed as another and releasing it into a mix. Also over time the rubber belt may stretch making fine pitch adjustments tricky as the turntables revolution speed fluctuates.

Anyway getting back to the point, I had purchased an inferior turntable, and though not upset, I was not completly satisfied. However looking back when learning to mix you need to be able to "fiddle" with the deck to get the required speed out of it when mixing a record, for this purpose the belt drive was perfect.

The technics turntable has a lot of torque, thus when you push it, it pushes back. For example, if you have "dropped" a track into the mix with another and it is slightly out of time, you need to ad
just it slightly to compensate. With a belt drive turntable it will let you do this almost while holding onto the pin and twisting. With DD it always pushes back to it's normal pitch unless you adjust the pitch control.

However once you have mastered the art of beatmatching, the beltdrive becomes obsolete. The features that made it useful for learning suddenly become a hinderence. You are ready to graduate to the real deal, the mean machine, the mackdaddy the Technics SL series.

Unfortunatly, by this time I was a University student, with just enough money to destroy any will to learn or get out of bed before 4.00pm. Now one afternoon I got lost on my way to a lecture, took a wrong turn and found myself looking at a newsagent advert, with picture of two Technics SL1200 turntables with mixer included....£500.00. That very moment a friend walked by, now it turns out he had just come into alot of money, how? I asked, Student loan. He said.
This was fate the wheels were mine, the rest is history....

There is often argument over the choice between the SL1200 and the SL1210. The only functional difference is that when you hit the start button on a SL1210 it stops immediately, while the SL1200 is a fraction slower. In practice this makes little or no difference in the mixing world. What does make a difference is that the SL1200's are black, a rather cheap and ordinary black if you ask me. The SL 1200's shine like two silver jet engines powering the mix. This classic styling gives them the edge over the SL1210's everytime. The desks are solid, heavy, smoothly crafted, they are a label and a design not to be messed with.

Now we have many new direct drive turntables on the market, boasting "performance as good as Technics". I have tried some of these pretenders, they felt tacky and wrong. Sure they worked well enough and got the job done, but the feeling that you get from the technics was
not there, no fun. The difference in feel and touch is the difference between a Mazda and a Ferrari, the latter oozes passion. The technics design is unchanged in almost 20 years. It still rocks the discoteque...

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