Technics SL-7 Linear Record player. Operation, Stylus and Cartridge change. Edited.

[@empanadilla10]

Proud owner of THREE SL-QL1s..serviced the last one I got myself (with a bit of online guidance) so anyone can do it! These early Linear tracking Technics TTs are virtually indestructible!!! I graduated to Ortofon OM30s which are heavenly...

[@nickadams5411]

Good one. Keep Spinning. Nick

[@felixfranzen7318]

Great demo! I just managed to pick up one of these. Very nice player! And the engineering behind it is just amazing. They managed to get the same specs/performance as the bigger SL-1200, but with full auto. The performance might even be better than the 1200's due to the linear tracking tonearm. Just imagine what this player would cost today if some posh hifi manufacturer were to develop the equivalent of this from scratch now! I payed approx. $250 for mine which some might consider a little steep. But it came with a virtually brand new Jico SAS stylus and those are apparently quite I'm told.

[@kevinatkab5219]

Thanks for playing the Parlophones. It confirms my belief that that original Beatles tapes had good treble. That was all lost in the mono reissues that came out a few years ago, showing the detrimental effects of aging tape.

[@therealchickentender]

Had one of these for about 9 years now. One of the most surprisingly good tables I've ever owned (once I did a few minor repairs). Stellar table.

[@nickadams5411]

I agree. Also it is a good looking deck. More attractive than the square block SL-10. Keep spinning. nick

[@mescko]

@@nickadams5411 I am a confirmed linear tracking nut (ok, to use your own language, an anorak) who has read with amusement on forums how many people have been surprised how good linears sound, in particular several of the Technics p-mount versions. I have an SL-7 that is cosmetically challenged with doesn't bother me much, but unfortunately will not track the grooves. I need to get cracking on it as I may be moving house this summer and will have a bunch of tables to flog. I hope its something simple like a bad optical block in the lid.

[@baxrok2.]

Fascinating. I had a Technics when I was younger and it was a quality item. I didn't know that they made linear players. Great video. Thanks!

[@warrenkeppler9217]

I love the SL7, bought three of them, gave two to budding audiophiles, kept one for my bedroom set up. Really like them, they are hugely underrated. The SL7 can also be used with a 12v power supply so useful for a motorhome or tailgating. How cool would it be to show up with vinyl for a tailgating party? The p mount cartridges are easy to find as Grado and Ortofon both still make them. I got an old shure p mount and had it retipped, lovely sound.

[@stephendeluca4479]

I own an SL-L2 unit (~1983), which is larger, but mechanically similar to this one, except it can only play while face up. It's a quality turntable and honestly a lot of fun to use. I bought an Audio Technica P-mount cartridge for it, which sounds fine to my ear. Technics made really good, exciting components during that era.

[@chrissyman77]

The original P22 or H202 is actually a very good sounding cart ,I use one in a SL-QL1 with a jico SAS stylus and it sounds great.

[@jacknjill3000]

Beautiful turntable and love these tts and have 3 SL-5. I’m thinking of picking up a non working Technics SL- 6 with the programmable feature like a cd player. But wondering how hard they are to fix. There still seems to be many of trees units for sale if great condition bc many were made and bought originally. Yup solid machines and they were very advance and made well when they were designed and made. Just wondering what I’m gonna do with all the 10 tts I already have. Perhaps learn to fix them and open up a vintage audio shops like they have in Japan.

[@travisburich499]

Hi Nick! I have one of these SL-7’s and it’s almost in perfect condition, perhaps even brand new! It was my dads and I discovered it a few years ago in a sealed box, I opened the box and discovered this SL-7. I already had a newer audio technical turntable that I was using so I never tried it out to see if it was in working condition. I’m about to be moving into a new loft here soon and have no use for it and would like to sell it to someone who might get great use out of it and cherish it!

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Travis I am interested, please contact me directly [e-mail]. Thank you. Nick

[@lisbethvandenberghe7323]

Keep that bundle of joy, mine is 46 years old ( as old as I am)and plays like it's made yesterday! I am an ex DJ and this is my favorite home use recordplayer ever!

[@stevengagnon4777]

​@@lisbethvandenberghe7323thinking about giving mine a Stanton 680 EL P-mount. Just can't stay away from the moving iron magic. Not sure those 700 series are the same as I believe those are moving magnet. The Ortofon tm14 just doesn't have that deep sound stage like my Stanton 680 that now has EE . Used up my EL-II 😢.

[@carlhess512]

Great video and walk through of this table, I’m looking at buying one and your information will help me a lot. Great work thank you for all the info that so many miss , like how to change the cart and needle

[@nickadams5411]

Hi carl, thanks for the feedback. Hope you find one. All the best. Nick

[@jeremytravis360]

Great information Nick. Thank you. I have 3 of these turntables. One of them was broken well 2 actually but my old Audio engineer friend came by and fixed one of them for me. The linear tracking motor had seized and it needed a new tracking drive belt which I managed to obtain. I just need to buy a better cartridge now. I do have one of the EPC203Mk 3 cartridges with the Boron stylus arm which sounds fantastic. The turntables were a heavy lump and having the original packing is important to stop the plastic parts in the lid breaking.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Jeremy. You are lucky. I have the SL-7 and a boron which came with the SL-10, which also had the inbuilt preamp.. I think the SL-7 is a better looking player. The SL-10 is a bit of a featurless square. I find the boron cantilevers are very fragile and break easily, so I hope yours stays in one piece. Keepspinning. Nick

[@jeremytravis360]

Hi Nick saying that mine started sticking in one area of the LP. I think it's remnants of the old grease on the track rod. I will try swabbing it off with some other type of lubricant. I did notice, having not used the deck in some time, If the arm is down and you hit stop, it does life up the arm and returned to the start. I also found out that holding the buttons in, increases the speed the arm moves at. From memory the SL10 came out first and had the advantage of running off 12 volts, it also came with a moving coil cartridge option. It's a shame even the grey plastic is so brittle . @@nickadams5411

[@nickadams5411]

@@jeremytravis360 Hi, Yes 12volt portable, could be played from your car on a picnic. Now the Boron cartridge is worth a fortune..

[@stevengagnon4777]

Pulled a cord out dumpster fishing a couple decades ago and this little whale was attached to the other end ... tough little thing too😊. Just needed new RCA plugs. Looking to replace the Ortofon tm14 with a Stanton 680 , my SL-D2 has a Stanton 680ee mounted and keep going back to it because of the sound stage being wider and deeper. Moving iron magic.

[@noelwatson6865]

Hi ijust bought a SL7 in really good condtion. The only problem is it only has a signal only one channel I swapped the rca leads over and that changed the speaker without the sound. There is a hum and really low level of music on the problem side. Any ideas what that could be? Cheers

[@hughbetcha436]

I hope that a company will manufacture linear tracking turntables again one day.

[@bulldozer42003]

Hey Nick, it's a great demo! I have just bought a nearly new SL-7 from a Fench couple in Sydney. According to them, they got it from their dad in French and took them to Sydney in 1987, which they had not used it. It looks great, its stylus looks exactly the one in this video. Can you give me the name and link to buy a better stylus replacement as in this video? To make the sound better, do I need just replace its stylus or have to replace its cartridge too? As it has not yet been serviced for a quite long time, do I need to have it serviced? at the moment, it still play very nice! Many thanks indeed!

[@Wiikender]

That issue where it won’t stop and return the arm when it’s cued up confused me at first too haha. I have the SL-3, not quite as nice as this but I’m very happy with it, about £70 on eBay and the guy threw in a new stylus (Not a very good stylus, mind, but good to have something ready to go out of the box)

[@ttheone3518]

I got the black one for 50€ with everything working fine in a record/thrift shop. I’m planning on switching the cartrigde with an audio technica p-mount cartrigde, just because it’s cheaper than buying brand new stylus for the original one.

[@nickadams5411]

You did well. It is a very good player when fitted with a good cartridge, and the tracking arm moving smoothly.

[@jeremytravis360]

What is the modern lubricant you used fort his deck Nick ? I just cleaned my SL7 and have not put anything on it. My BBC engineer friend gave me a container with graphite great in it. It looks she same colour as the stuff I cleaned off but I don't know if it's the same stuff.

[@nickadams5411]

Yours is probably graphite grease. On the sliding tubes, I would use a very small amount of teflon oil. The plastic parts slide well on the metal tubes, even without any grease.

[@pef1960]

Ive got one of these, great little TT. I also had an SL-QL1, the full sized version which looked great but sounded like crap because it didn't have the centre puck, and there was loads of ringing:::

[@redrobbosworkshop]

Nice decks, I have one in my collection. For a plentiful supply of P Mount cartridges just grab an old Audio Technica P Mount body and fit a current production stylus as, for example all of the current VM range from basic conical right up to micro line and shibata will fit. The tracking weight increases a little but thats fine as it suits those styli better.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Robbo, that is good information. Thank you, Nick

[@andersbarke]

Thanks for the good information! What pre-amp du you use? I play through a Sony STR-6800 and I never used a pre-amp, but I have always felt the input signal is a little low.

[@marcelogancedo8766]

Hi there. I've got a SL-6 model which is 110V 60Hz but I am using it in a country with 220V 50 Hz, so I get a little bit slower RPMs. Do you know if there is a preset to modify the motor speed? Thanks.

[@stephenjerome4135]

Great video. I have a Technics SL-3 linear tracking turntable. Got it about a year ago and I love it. I found that the Technics cartridge in it though really sounded bad, there was a lot of sibilance and it sounded terrible, but I replaced it with a new Audio Technica P-mount cartridge and now it sounds great. However the turntable does still have a bit of an issue. I have found that when I play some of my 45's, the tonearm isn't quite getting in far enough so when it drops down the stylus slips off the edge of the record onto the turntable, which obviously can't be doing the stylus any good, but also I find that if I play a record that has a very tiny run out groove at the end, it ejects and shuts off before it's reached the end of the last track, which is rather annoying. I'm wondering if this can be fixed. Maybe the tonearm itself needs adjusting in some way, I don't really know. Can you help with this please?

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Stephen. On the back of the unit, to the left of the right hand hinge, there is a screw. Turn it a small amount "clockwise", which will move the set down point towards the centre. This will also move the return point nearer the centre, which should fix both of your problems. Adjust until it is in the best position . All the best. Nick

[@stephenjerome4135]

@@nickadams5411 Hi There Nick, I've got my Technics SL-3 turntable working perfectly now. The stylus no longer slips off the edge of the records and it's now managing to play LP's right to the end of the last track as well. Your help is very much appreciated, thank you. All the best. Steve.

[@jonathanjuillerat2115]

​@@nickadams5411 Hey Nick, great video. According to the service manual those adjustments are made individually with two separate screws underneath the "surface plate" on the top of the unit, not on the back of the unit. The surface plate is the black/clear plastic piece that has the Technics logo on it on top. You have to carefully pry up the surface plate on the top of the unit. It's held on by two-sided adhesive. It can be very challenging to remove without cracking. Once it's off there are two holes marked on Photo 13 on page 12 of the service manual. The manual tells which direction to turn them for the desired affect. I'm not sure how Stephen "fixed" his turntable with your technique, but at least it worked!

[@nickadams5411]

@@jonathanjuillerat2115 Hi. Thanks for the feed back. Very useful information. Hopefully the arm centreing will not be a problem for many users. All the best. nick

[@lisbethvandenberghe7323]

@@nickadams5411 I had the same problem with my The Normal( T.V.O.D.😋) 7" on my SL 7 ( I think on selling my SL 5 btw)

[@billh4968]

great job with his video. I need to adjust the start and stop on my SL7 because the stylus does not start at the beginning of the album and it does not return when it gets to the end. Instructions tell me I have to remove the cover plate which has double-sided contact adhesive. I’m afraid I’m gonna crack it if I try to pry it off. Do you have any recommendations for how I can remove the cover so I can make those adjustments

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Bill The surface plate is a tricky one, as trying to bend it off will damage it. If you can get a thin piece of metal wire under it, it is possible to cut through the adhesive tape, by sawing back and forwards.

[@SoddingaboutSi]

These decks were great. I have the 5 but the 7 was better i think. I used to work for a distributer for Stanton, A company called Wilmex lLTD in New Malden.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Simon. Good memories. The SL-7 is a very pretty design, my favourite, even thogh I have the SL-10. All the best spinning. Nick

[@schoendoer]

Thanks for this video! On this week i bought this Kate Bush maxi :)

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Attila. Yes, I test my hifi with this Kate Bush maxi single. It really shows up the kick of the drum.

[@gypsism]

Not much scratching with this deck tough 😅

[@saadch]

I have a SL-L2 model and the needle wont drop, the tonearm just glides over the record. I was wondering, if you can guide me to what might be the issue be.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi. The belt that raises and lowers the arm may have stretched or broken. You will need to take the black plastic cover off to get to it. Have a look at my other video about the SL-10 which shows how to get at the belt.

[@pascalherte1518]

Hey Nick, any idea on how to make the platter spin with lid opened,? I'm asking this because I actually like to wipe the dust of the record while it's spinning, if you know what I mean?

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Pascal. It is not possible with the SL-7.

[@jakemortlock]

Hi Nick, great content, thanks for taking the time to post. I’m lucky enough to have an SL-10 and both a silver and black SL-7 and I like the 7 better too, less arm noise I find. A question for you if that’s ok please - is it possible to remove the perpex, separate from the cover behind? I’d like to switch the two over, as the black unit has a catch missing and that’s the one I use more often. I had a good look through the service manual but it was inconclusive. Thanks, Jake

[@gotthefeelin]

Jake Mortlock You can remove the Perspex cover from the metal hinged lid but it takes the black mechanism cover with it. They're all one part. You have to remove the black screws in the cover. It's easy to take off, but make sure you have the record size selector in the right place when you replace the cover.

[@pascalherte1518]

Hey Nick thanx for this great usefull video. I would love to get one of these Stanton cartridges (NOS), but I cannot find any on the internet, maybe you can send me a link or an adress where I can buy one? Also, I see a D74s on sale on eBay, only with a L747S P-MOUNT, does this body fit on an SL-7?

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Pascal. KZbin made me edit the music out which is very annoying, as the sound was superb. I bought the Stanton by searching the Ebay.com American site. You will have to search the internet. All P mount cartridges will fit any deck with P mount arm. All the best and keep spinning. Nick

[@pascalherte1518]

@@nickadams5411 Actually I think the Technics P202C that came with my SL-7 sounds extremely good. I just bought this SL7 last frday, used for 130 euros, including the cartridge that came with it. I compared it with other cartridges (on my other TTS, a Garrard 301 and Thorens TD124) that are worth more than 10 times more and I must say I was bluffed. Maybe I have one that is in very good condition, I checked it under a lense and must say it looks new. So, for now I feel now need to change. But thanx anyway for this information!

[@nickadams5411]

@@pascalherte1518 Hi Pascal. Yes you have a good bargain. The ears don't lie. Some cartridges etc are overpriced. All the best spinning. Nick

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

Is this better than the modern audio Technica AT-lp60?

[@nickadams5411]

Hi, It is a different design, but as far as the sound of the music, the new AT-LP60 has rave reviews. If you have a good amp and speakers they will both be satisfying. The SL-7 is very small and has the very expensive cartridge for very serious listeners. For most people the AT-LP60 with the conventional swinging arm is what they expect to see with a vinyl record player. The actual sound quality will depend more on how good your speakers are. Both will be a great to listen to your records. All the best. Nick

[@MichaelBeeny]

Not really a deck if you play many 45s. All abit slow in use. Because it's parallel tracking should sound better near the end of the disc.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Michael. I agree. I have A technics deck with stacking spindle for my 45s. Otherwise too frustrating to keep swapping the 45s. And you are right about the linear tracking , since the original cutting head was on a linear track. Keep spinning, Nick

[@Triangulove]

Sir at 7:38 you begin to speak of potential anti-skating errors. I do not understand this point of your commentary, as you said that without resolving the commentary. Are you saying that these Linear Tracking tables had anti-skate issues? Not sure what to make of your comments. Thanks.

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Clay. I agree, I was not clear about the antiskating of a normal player with the linear tracking error correction. Linear tracking does not suffer from the skating effect of a normal record deck with an arm set at an angle to the record. Due to the offset between the cartridge's axis (which is approximately tangential to the disc) and the tonearm's pivot, the force applied (through friction) by the rotating disc to the cartridge tends to draw the tonearm toward the center of the record . However linear tracking can suffer from excessive side pressure on the needle, if the tracking motion is not set correctly. The linear tracking relies on sensors to detect when the arm is not perfectly at right angles to the groove. There are two sensors to detect when the arm falls behind or goes ahead of the perfect position. The sensitivity of these can be adjusted so that the arm moves as closely as possible to keep it at right angles to the record. Thank you for the feedback. All the best spinning. Nick

[@heman691]

Theirs no reason to change the 202c as it’s a high quality boron cartridge with the original stylus or a JICO sounds better than Stanton.

[@lisbethvandenberghe7323]

I love my sl 7 more than my sl 5 for sure you cold play the sl7 in a car by the sigaret lighter , my sl 7 is from 1975 tough

[@madardy5]

Thanks 💪

[@madardy5]

www.amazon.com/dp/B077QG5QSJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_CxaJFbB7XYHZX Does this cartridge fits the SL-7 ?

[@vonster22]

CARTRIDGE CHANGE STARTS AT 10 MINUTES

[@lauracorbett4577]

I'm gonna get an Audio Technica LP60 Bluetooth record player when I get paid

[@nickadams5411]

Hi Laura. Good choice. Keep spinning. Nick

[@moodyga40]

good turntable i own sl5

[@Mr.E.Shoppa]

you can definitely play it upside down

[@nikollutc7106]

У меня 2 Technics SL-5 по 200$, конструктивно ничем не отличаются от представленного, за исключением незначительных усовершенствований и картриджа, не сильно влияющего на качество звука. В целом, планка SL лучшая из Technics.