Best Turntables: Technics SL-1210GR2 Review | TM Reports...

[@Gk2003m]

Man, I loved audio back in the day. 3 way speakers with 12” woofers, those awesome turntables, powerful receivers with flywheel tuning, reel to reel tape machines… it all looked as good as it sounded.

[@djcrystar]

My 1200's are 30+yrs old and they still kick ass

[@paulrogers7067]

No detail . They just look good and that's it.

[@fakeklg]

@@paulrogers7067 🥱

[@fakeklg]

@@djcrystar absolutely! Rock solid performers.

[@justanaverageguytoday]

@@paulrogers7067bullshit

[@mwencil]

Great review Tom! I just purchased this turntable earlier this year replacing a Music Hall Ikura.........I have been so impressed with the Technics! I had the Ortofon 2M black installed and have really enjoyed my early listening sessions. I enjoyed your review as you articulate in words some of what I was thinking in my head while listening. Bravo!

[@JumbleTasteSpinning]

I have the original 1210GR made in japan and it's my forever turntable for sure. Still in love 4 years later.

[@adrianalexander2651]

Good review I like the explanation of the piano notes - I do appreciate you explaining things in a way that I can understand them and make sense to me.

[@georgekost7967]

That picture you inserted at 0:33 was not an SL-1200, but an SL-1100. I DJ'd on a pair of those at a club back in the mid-70's.

[@TASmagazine]

Great catch, thanks. How was DJ-ing? Any cool stories?

[@georgekost7967]

@@TASmagazine the club DJ scene back then was great... especially before Saturday Night Fever. Mostly I remember the sound system - JBL 4520 bass horns with compression driver mid horns and piezo tweeters, all powered by a rack full of Phase Linear power (700s for the bass horns, 400s for the highs). JBL L-100 monitors in the booth. Meteor Clubman 2 mixer with the 2 SL-1100 tables (whose speed control pots wore out once or twice a year from all the mixing we did). Stanton heavy-duty cartridges. dbx compressor on the mains, and a Urei electronic crossover dividing the frequencies to the different amps. Back then Technics didn't have the isolation feet worked out yet - we had to put the tables on concrete foundations.

[@SAGNI0971]

Why can’t all equipment reviews be this well articulated and direct - bravo!

[@TASmagazine]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.

[@edbrumbaugh9202]

Thanks for the review and your impressions ... just ordered the SL1210GR2. Going to start it off with the MoFi UltraTracker cartridge and see where I go from there. As you suggested, I'll be putting the savings into more vinyl ... thanks again.

[@ramblinginmeath4950]

I am edging towards ordering the 1210GR2 -- rather then the SL1500C which also offers a good deal plug and play (includes the Ortofon Red- which I think is fine but I would aim for Blue or Bronze) - I am just not sure which one to pull the trigger on

[@andrewweis5857]

Your discussion of noise level was appreciated. It’s pertinent that you are using AudioQuest cables. I discovered those cables, signal and power, audibly drain noise from a systems of all price points, including the most humble. The musical manifestation I clearly perceive is a lovely decay not heard with other cables that is quite impressive. If I am not mistaken you were complimentary about the Thunderbird analog interconnects in another review and I agree. I have been equally impressed by the Diamond digital coax (I have no affiliation with AudioQuest). I look forward to your future reviews.

[@johnandlynnklaber2534]

Well done. Appreciate a review of a product that I can recommend to my kids, whose resources are more limited.

[@ERRORFACE1]

Ordered the same tt in silver with the om2 black cart and it's awesome . Couldn't be more happier . Thanks for your insight .

[@meganoid_9001]

Can you detect with your ear a real difference in sound quality between the GR and the GR2? I suspect that this difference is detectable using technical instruments only.

[@stimpy1226]

As a senior, much of my equipment is becoming classic gear yet I have no desire to upgrade as I am quite satisfied with the SQ and synergy of my entire music system. I am very familiar with the Technics Turntables and I would purchase one if it were years ago but I’m going to stick with my original SOTA Sapphire TT with Graham 2.2 tonearm and my brand new (believe it or not) Koetsu Black Goldline cartridge which I just purchased and it may be one of the last new Koetsu cartridges available in the US. Thanks for the great review.

[@jeffreypicciolo7706]

Beautifully done review. Articulate and concise. Excellent.

[@fakeklg]

@@jeffreypicciolo7706 yes indeed!

[@TASmagazine]

Thanks for watching!

[@fakeklg]

@@TASmagazine thank YOU for making it. Love the reviews.

[@chriseggroll]

my next turntable is probably going to be either the technics sl-1500c or the SL-1210GR2. I have to have a removable headshell - had a disaster with a pro-ject turntable in the past, tonearm wires are very delicate. direct drive appeals to me as well - belts tend to get loose over time and you have to keep adjusting the speed to compensate or replace them. belt is a bit of a fancy word for what amounts to a rubber band basically.

[@wa4aos]

Thanks for the review. I have been using a Well Tempered Reference table for ~20 years and so far I have not found any table which sounds as well-defined/open as the WT table. I was wondering if anyone reading this comment may have any thoughts.

[@DrNoahBoddy004]

Very excellent reporting, and thank you. Technics is definitely a corporate, darling son, of Japan.

[@andrevanstiphout]

Great review. Pity about all the crap on the turntable that wasn't cleaned off prior to photography. Nit picking you might say. Hey, that's what we do!

[@Trojan0304]

Very nice, still rocking with my old Technics 1600mk2 automatic, Technics MA1 rosewood plinth & computer control arm, SL-V5 vertical model for my picture records

[@gsherlock]

I've honestly never heard the so called cogging issue with direct drive turntables. I currently have a mint example of an SL1200 Mk2 and a modded 1200GR and unsurprisingly they both sound very similar with my GR sounding less opaque, but when you have the arm rewired I think you'd expect that. Direct drive and belt drive clearly have different presentation with the former perhaps sounding a little more alive to these ears. Add the unflappable pitch stability and attack on the leading edges of the beginning of notes and I think it can come as a surprise if you and used to belt drives which I was previously using for about 20 years. I transferred an SME V tonearm from my Avid Acuctus SP onto my GR and to me the SL1200 was better in just about every way, no softness or smearing and a much less diffuse sound stage and imaging. Of course not everybody hears or likes the same thing but the cogging thing on Technics always leaves me scratching my head !

[@thomasmartin2219]

Could easily be a stuck meme more than a sonic reality. But it was enough of a thought pattern for Technics to engineer a way to ensure it couldn’t happen.

[@gsherlock]

@@thomasmartin2219 I think you hit the nail on the head.

[@iant7964]

Had a Rega Planar 6 which is a great turntable, BUT I am much happier with my hew GR2, excellent sounding TT, can't see me changing it anytime soon, engineering and build quality are right up there. You will ALWAYS get DD haters and Belt drive haters, but at the end of the day it's your ears that decide which is best for YOU. There is no saying that universally one is better than the other, I myself now after owning 3 belt drive tables and now my GR2 will NEVER go back to belt, as long as YOU enjoy your own TT is what really matters.

[@sidvicious3129]

If the opportunity presents itself, can you please review the Denon DP-3000ne turntable as it seems to be a direct competitor to the GR2 as it seems they both use the same system pulse wave modulation in their power supplies.

[@scottstrang1583]

The Denon is made in China. The Technics is made in Malaysia which is far better.

[@sidvicious3129]

​@scottstrang1583, where it's made, isn't as important as how it's made, with quality parts and the attention to detail. Just because something is made in China doesn't make it bad.

[@ElektroMessTechnik]

You read them to us from..Auto Cue ?

[@chrisstronach5495]

I'm currently saving up for this one. I spend so much on precious vinyl, that I feel I should do it justice! Hopefully it will be the kast turnrable I need. Which cartridge/stylus would anyone recommend? Also will I need a seperate preamp, or will it connect directly with mt Cambridge Audio amplifier? I'm not an audiophile, just a huge music fan. Many Thanks.

[@CopperleafCLC]

I bought a GR2. I recommend a Nagaoka. I have the MP-500 which I found one on eBay for a killer deal at about $650. The MP-300 shares the same cartridge body so you could buy that one and upgrade to the 500 stylus (needle) without buying a new cartridge. Unless your amp has a phono input you’ll need a pre amp.

[@winstonmcgill6667]

I thoroughly enjoy my GR2. I did a very basic set up. Investing in the Wally tools for average consumer who may only use once or twice is very practical. Do you know of a business that would provide the set up using the equipment you used.

[@edosborne8324]

IIRC…way back when Harry and TAS led the crusade against DD turntables and for those that were belt driven, and talked about cogging. Wish I hadn’t listened and kept my gorgeous Denon DD with a white ash base…coupled with a Technics arm that had adjustable arm height while in use. Now TAS is touting DD tables.

[@AudiophileToday]

Well done review. Quite informative with respect to the noise floor and how it impacts frequency decay. FWIW though, I have a suspicion that the "cogging" myth was perpetrated by a certain paranoia within the belt-drive manufacturing sector. Can't let a cheap Japanese direct drive turntable run us out of the game can we? Knives out!

[@QoraxAudio]

Nope, it's not the best 1200 turntable. The best 1200 is the SL-1200G. Been running one for over 6 years and yes, it's good. Even its mundane looking tonearm is much, much better than any of the similar looking tonearms on other 1200 turntables...

[@CopperleafCLC]

I’m pretty content with my GR2 for now. I’m waiting on a G2 or better yet a GAE2 which may come out soon enough.

[@bpalpha]

Man, CAM just trashed Audio Technica on one of his episodes. Glad to see some more refined reviews.

[@agarber1932]

is what you are hearing a function of the cartridge?

[@TASmagazine]

It has to be, at least in the sense that you can’t listen to a turntable sans cartridge. But even more, cartridge compliance and tonearm mass will interact. That’s one reason to favor removable headshell arms that come with multiple counterweights. Like the Technics. We try to choose a cartridge that suits the tonearm and/or adjust the arm to suit the cartridge. What you hear (or measure) is also a function of setup, which is why we run measurements of all the relevant parameters. No procedure is perfect of course.

[@thelowprofile9767]

What does the 'GR2' refer to?

[@fsarfino]

Really curious how the GR2 would compare with my old mk3d and if the difference is worth the cost 🤷‍♂️

[@CopperleafCLC]

I bought a set of mk2 in 2001. I recently upgraded to the 1210GR2 and love it. A huge bonus is being able to put your own interconnects and power cord on. The tech in this table is really great too. Also the ability to play 78’s is cool

[@fsarfino]

Have you noticed any sound difference? I upgraded the interconnects on my used MK3d & I've thought about doing a tone arm rewire but I'm honestly not sure if it's even worth the hassle 🤷‍♂

[@CopperleafCLC]

@@fsarfino I’ll be honest the biggest difference is the needle I put on the GR2 which is a nagaoka mp-500 vs the old M447 on the old deck. The GR2 sounds better for sure over my MK2 but the biggest improvement is the cart. I sold my MK2 for $500 as it had lots of oxidation. Got the demo model from a hi fi shop for 15% off on the gr2. Here’s my opinion: if you keep your old deck don’t mod it, put the money toward a really nice cartridge. Or put the money toward a gr2 or 1300G and sell the old deck and upgrade the cart when you can.

[@dennman6]

For the 78RPM speed it is never mentioned what cartridge one should use when playing vintage records of that era.

[@fakeklg]

@@dennman6 special cart. Ortofon makes one. Others as well.

[@alkebulansan]

I'll be keeping my Music Hall Ikura thank you. Give one a go.

[@nedlowe8344]

"precision ins't the goal, but believability is"? How can these possibly be separated?

[@deadandburied7626]

In the ears of a listener.

[@alainthomas6449]

Perfect Merci

[@homersoddishe]

Sound and video are out of sync at 2:00, just so ya know.

[@TASmagazine]

Good catch, thank you!

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

I own the Technics 1210GR and I question why record quality is so poor, I have a great turntable but I don't like hearing pops and clicks and other noises.

[@fakeklg]

@@oiygfdxssfgg cartridge maybe? Different ones will have different levels of background noise. Ortofon red was great but every microscopic imperfection could be heard. Higher quality cartridge, very little pops and clicks.

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

@@fakeklg It's the records that have defects not my equipment.

[@fakeklg]

@@oiygfdxssfgg clean them, maybe? Dunno. Source material, recording quality, pressing/manufacturing, and even genre. Lots of factors.

[@oiygfdxssfgg]

@@fakeklg My point is that you buy expensive equipment only to find that the record quality is poor.

[@fakeklg]

@@oiygfdxssfgg ahhh. Got it.

[@wolfman007zz]

Dang!!!! Hitachi had those problems solved back in 1977!!! Cogless. Slotless. Coreless.

[@Darrylizer1]

I think everyone did as I remember adds in the 70s and early 80s addressing this issue from several different manufacturers. Cogging smells more of marketing than of reality.

[@wolfman007zz]

@@Darrylizer1 Pretty much everyone except Panasonic and Technics. Kenwood, JVC, Denon, Hitachi, Pioneer, had the problem solved.

[@helthuismartin]

Put it 6 Feet away from a 2X18 inch Bass Cabinet and give the bass full trottle..The styles wil skip parts on the record..The 1210MK2 doesnt.Thats why it was so populair in big discothecks were the big bass cabinets go full trottle whit hammering punching bass parts.

[@marcbegine]

Why not a knock test…

[@pauldavies6037]

And they still use a pickup design from the 1970's and no proper suspension or isolation things have moved on a lot

[@hank927]

I still have my Technics SP-10Mk3 with the obsidian base and the EPA-100 tonearm it sounds great. If you want a great affordable option I have an Audio-Technica AT-LP7 belt drive that is very good.

[@alrightnow1124]

Do you really enjoy music or are you always looking for something that is wrong with system that plays the music?

[@syazwanali7094]

Damn. Still no DJ review of these GR2s

[@scottstrang1583]

The absolute sound is doing a positive piece on a Technics product? I don’t believe it.

[@glenncurry3041]

So Technics has finally eliminated what that turntable has never had? They claimed to not cog originally, to then remove what they did not have with coreless design. Which got rid of what they did not have. To then add Delta Sigma to get rid of what already did not exist? Yet we still hear reviewers talk about the distortions cogging causes. Just as you did here. That inner detail. Linear motor direct drive like the SP10, Kenwood KD500, some Denon, do not have cogging.

[@budsmoker4201120]

Right......😂 lol

[@btsr2553]

Sorry, the story about the supposedly hearable “cogging” is so old. I could never comprehend this with my two SL-1210 MKIIs. Also in terms of measurement. Thanks to my high fidelity wife, who by the way has never noticed this either, we also own a 1200G. But there are certainly people who have such visions, believe in them and can't get rid of them for the rest of life. All the best.

[@glenncurry3041]

@@btsr2553 Sorry about your lack of ability to hear what Technics admits existed. Or they would not keep making claims about having finally eliminated it in each new model. And Tom would not acknowledge hearing it's higher level in this model.

[@thomasmartin2219]

Well, we should say a few things on these points. First, we might say that if the original tables didn't cog (I don't have a historical record of Technics' claims), yet many consumers thought they did, then Technics might wisely choose to do a new design that doesn't or can't cog, just to mitigate the continued misunderstanding. Or, if they did cog, but at a level that Technics didn't measure or consider audible at the time, they might later conclude "this level of cogging is meaningful" and address it technically. I don't talk about cogging per se in listening tests, I only point out in the product overview that people have said it was an issue and that Technics addressed it. I prefer to talk about noise, which can come from many sources in turntables including bearings, motors, signal transmission, acoustical transmission, resonances, etc. In principle, cogging should be a low frequency noise and I am skeptical that it causes the mid and high frequency masking that tends to affect soundstage and sound space. But reasoning from technical parameters to sound quality is difficult if not impossible so I don't know that I'm right.

[@btsr2553]

@@thomasmartin2219 Thank you for that statement. I am a technician from the 80s. I learnt how to repair things. I've been in analytics since the late 80s. A lot of esoteric is in the hi-fi scene or especially in the high-end scene. Not verifiable, but there it is anyway. What counts for me are facts and certainly not marketing gossip. An untruth doesn't become true just because you keep repeating it. Of course the turntables of an MK2 from the 80s are very different from the turntables of the SL-1200G from 2016. That was the intention. As we all surely know, at that time, the MK2 series was also designed for permanent disco operation. Radio stations also used them consistently. But that is history. It is not impossible that in the mass of devices - after all, it is the best-selling record player in the world - many record players had a possible malfunction. But this is not surprising given the number of devices sold. I come to the point. If only one or more device has it, then they all have it. In the scene, this is often accepted as a fact and passed on without thinking or arguing, whether it's true or not. Technics accepted it and is certainly tired of talking against it every time just because many people say so. Once again: The quieter drive and the significantly improved direct drive are definitely noticeable. But that's not a big miracle. I own two MKII and one G here. I can direct compare. Surely most of us wouldn't pass a blind test to compare more than three, four or five different turntables, including one MKII and other turntables from the 80s in direct comparison with a current 1200G and, as an example, a current Linn, Rega etc. turntable. Again, I'm talking about a blind test from five different turntables from different manufactures at the same line level with the same cartridge on the same amps etc. I had already done that here on several occasions. The result totally surprised everyone who took part. Most of the participants only got two from five right. Me too, by the way. The fun was the MKII was usually not among them. It's also hard not to see which turntable it's all about. Please correct me if I'm completely wrong. May always good music around you all.

[@kkjrees]

Wtf Taylor swift , it’s all digital, probably why old school only buy old records

[@MrPompanoman]

Keep it I wouldn't take it for free

[@Inlinefour-m9j]

Low torque, not very impressive tonearm, or dampening.. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not impressed.. At all.

[@teachermike4831]

Ha ha ha .....turntables are not even close to being audiophile labelled.

[@paulrogers7067]

This guy has no idea about turntables thats very obvious. Clearly to all audiophiles ears they are at best dj turntables or just a good looking deck.

[@matthewtaylor7355]

He has reviewed very xpensive turntables. And my GR 2 has far more weight thank my Michell GyrodeckStop repeating magazine nonsense and making assuptions

[@stevemurrell6167]

I think it's you that has no idea.....or just arrogant prejudices.

[@fakeklg]

@@paulrogers7067 what magazine do you write for, again?

[@edd2771]

One cannot plausibly "listen" to a turntable. One listens to a cartridge. The only way to assess the merits of a table and arm in and of themselves, is to use the same equipment setup and cartridge on the subject table and also on competing tables at or around the same price, and compare the resulting sound on a blind basis. Difficult to do, and I submit that two competent tables at the same price will not be distinguishable to the vast majority of listeners. But regardless, without doing this, any conclusions about the "sound" of the table and arm alone are imaginary at best.

[@fakeklg]

🙄 Where’d you get your advanced degree in pedantry?

[@biketech60]

One of the largest problems in education is when you don't know what it is that you don't know . The man in the video has a long history of experience in all things audio .

[@edd2771]

@@biketech60 One of the biggest fallacies when debating a point is to make an “argument from authority” e.g., So and so is a professor of x and therefore they must be right on all things related to x”. Or, “so and so has given reviews on audio equipment to support paid subscriptions and advertising to a (at first print, and now) on-line audio magazine, therefore he is always right”. It’s a particular form of intellectual laziness to outsource one’s judgements to such “experts” when simple common sense tells you something in opposition to what they are saying. And I will repeat, it is common sense that two different tables of comparable price, using the same equipment and cartridge, are extremely unlikely to be discernible from each other in a blind compare. I don’t care if the person telling me otherwise has been hawking stereo equipment since 1955. It’s just not plausible or likely on its face.

[@edd2771]

@@fakeklg Several degrees, but what I’m employing here is common sense.

[@thomasmartin2219]

It is a reasonable point to a degree. Cartridges certainly have bigger frequency domain variations than turntables. Setting aside arguments about blind testing and A/B comparisons and other methodology questions (which as you say tend to render any testing other than quantitative electrical measurement practically impossible), I tried to address your point by isolating as many variables as I could do by comparing the SL-1210GR2 to the SL-1210G. Same cartridge, approximately same setup on same platform in basically same location through the same system with the same LPs. The differences I heard were obvious, which is what I reported on. But, as I noted, these differences aren't in the frequency domain.

[@DAMIANCOOK-lr9gz]

no thanks give me a good belt drive any day they are true audiophile turntables for that money you'd get a good rega a 2nd hand lyn michelle just to name a few

[@budsmoker4201120]

Agree but Rega sucks IMO

[@DAMIANCOOK-lr9gz]

@@budsmoker4201120 they"re a good entry level/budget table i"d still choose rega or project over a technics

[@krwd]

define audiophile? 🤔 by the way it has nothing to do with analog versus digital

[@DAMIANCOOK-lr9gz]

@@krwd don't know what your smoking? nobody mentioned digital the discussionwas about turntables

[@krwd]

@@DAMIANCOOK-lr9gz i know i watched the video, many people confuse audiophile with all analog. the cost is not bad compared to the VPI direct drive at 20,000 and for that matter any other Watch Mike Fremer latest videos and you will see a direct drive Technics there is a reason for it