Good video! I have an SL-10 that I bought when I was stationed in Germany in the late 1970's. Amazing piece of technology from a long time ago. Still plays great, and I'd never give this one up. When I was really limited for space I'd load a disc and stand it up on edge on the shelf to play.
The Japanese ladies, Okada or Shibata or Youshida or Kuroda etc , who worked for Panasonic , did work very very hard, tried to please the US servicemen in Europe, really amazing. the price in 1981, about 100,000 yen ( I still keep some Japanese audio magazines ), PX price should be very very cheap.
I own a Kenwood linear tracking turntable from the mid 1980s and I absolutely love this piece of equipment! I still use it to this day and it still plays flawlessly without any issues! This was very cool technology for its time back in the 1980s.👍 It's like having a CD player's functionality for playing your vinyl records!
Really great video - I followed this to fix aTechnics SL-10 that was skipping after the 3rd song on every LP and now it works fine. One tip - if you take out the bar to clean it as shown, when putting it all back together, the tonearm part has to clip onto the rail next to the glass. I missed this part and spent 2 days wondering why it didn't work. All came good in the end and I was surprised how good this turntable can sound
So glad to see this repair! I'm the proud owner of a SL-10, bought in 1982. Having a similar problem with the tonearm not tracking all the way to the end of the record. A buddy had a look at it several years ago (he loves to take older equipment apart for repair, and he sure loved this one). It was playing OK for a while, unfortunately the turntable saw little use, and it now needs a bit more love. This video sure helps, thank you! BTW, buddy has tons of old Audio magazines, and he found two ads for this turntable in "Sound" magazine from Nov 1981. He framed them for me as well. The SL-10 was Technics 10th aniversary of their linear tracking turntables, and at the time I was able to get one at a low low price of $500 (the original price was closer to $1000) purchased in Canada. When I get a chance to have a look at it, I'll let you know how I make out. I'm pretty good at this, but knowing what to expect is indeed fortunate.
Hi Dave, Thanks for doing this video. I've got a Technics Direct Drive SL-6 that's similar, so I should be able to use your video as a general guide when I need to service mine. I wear a Casio Wave Ceptor/Tough Solar watch that's not as fancy as yours, but I like it a lot. It uses the rechargeable battery as well. Eventually, it did finally wear out and I had to replace it. The tip off was that the watch wouldn't illuminate when I'd push the Light button. I found a replacement battery on eBay that was a lot cheaper than what I could source locally, so I went with that. The replacement battery was around $10.00 US. Once I installed a replacement battery, it worked perfectly once again. It's been about 4 years and it still works perfectly. Regards, Tom
Awesome. A friend's parents had one of these in the early eighties in Tsawwassen and I remember going over to their house and seeing it wall mounted - it was right out of sci fi for me! So cool to see one again for the first time in ~40 years -- I had almost started to wonder if it was a false memory!
Nice job! A quality player + cartridge ready for an happy customer. The major problem with a Moving Coil or MC cartridge is you can't change the stylus by yourself when it's used. These are still considered as the best ones, but few were manufactured in P mount (or T4P) standard. You can still find many very low cost ones in entry level MP3 players, what can't be qualified as Hifi most of times. Some MC cells used to benefit from a factory retrofit program, for a good percentage of the initial price, but the market for these went so low your only choice is normally to buy a new cartridge. However, some specialists can retip and even enhance these cartridges, but it's always a budget question. A decent entry level MM cell is a 30 / 40 $ budget. Quality standards say a minimum 100$. For a MC cell there is some minimum 5 to 10 x money factor, nowadays exclusively in 1/2" standard. These jewels are also demanding in amplifier quality, as their output levels are really low. You need a special low noise preamp, and you generally won't find that on many modern budget amp. The solution could be a good vintage amp, some like high end Sansui, Sony ES series, Denon or Pioneer... You can also try top class Accuphase or Macintosh preamps... If you absolutely need to replace a high grade P mount (or T4P) cartridge, you can still find high quality few Moving Magnet ones in every remaining brands, but it's somehow easier to find a Audio Technica or an Ortofon... If you have no budget problem, a vintage (used) MM exact same model Technics can be found around 500$. How many hours remaining? A retipping service will depend of the diamond shape, type of cantilever. Say 350/450$ for an elliptical standard mount, but you can get a specific diamond cut mounted on a high quality boron cantilever for much much more. As for tangential arms, it's difficult to find a new record player with this technology. You can still find some good Technics,Sony or Pioneer vintage ones. Note most were similar, and shared the same technology, so very few were considered else than a gadget. Another problem was the cell mount, as the supplied T4P cells were not considered top quality... This SL 10 is apparent attempt to conquer quality. It's however far more easier to get a more classical and easier vinyle player. Most record player produced nowadays are far more simpler, even in top high budget and quality. In most high end HiFi salons, you can still have plenty of models with much more elaborate tangential arms. You can drool on some models who combine clock making know how with fast and delicate opto electronics. I've seen complete systems at a "record" 100 000 € +. Much more than the exclusive Japanese laser reading and decoding of records... In HiFi markets, there's an expression "no budget limit!"
May I testify as an audiophile since the 80s? Regarding sound quality, the SL7 was introduced after the SL10 and, though less impressive aesthetically was tweaked to improve the sound. Depending on the cartridge sound quality is best with the SL7 or the top of the range SL-15 which added track selection to the SL10. These Technics linear trackers perform wonderfully compared to the belt drive usual suspects such as the ultra high end Linn Sondek range. Almost maintenance-free once set up and highly kid/enthusiastic visitor proof... What's not to like???
This is my favorite video. I have 4 SL DL1's and this video helped a lot. On one of them it had the Technics bump so I had to replace tonearm drive assembly pully, shaft, worrm gear, belt, spacer. Loosen the tonearm bearing that was locked up.
Thank you very much for doing this video. I just recovered one that has been sitting in my family's deposit for more than 30 years and this video has been very helpful to disassemble, clean and change the belt on my unit. I do have some questions about cosmetics so if you have some free time I would appreciate it if you send me a message. Thanks and greetings from Peru!
I acquired a whole vintage Technics package from the original owner and it included one of these tts, an integrated amp, an eq, a dual cassette deck as well as a Philip's 4 disc carousel, kenwood fm tuner with all the cords and manuals. The package also came with a pair of Cerwin Vega D7s in excellent shape except I need to replace the old dried out foam surrounds.
Well this is one of the one of the stuff that you don't want to mess with if you are newbie. Great video lesson! I doubt i will find something like this anymore at all, but sure it require another set or two of eyes :D
Nice to watch. I guess very rare machine by todays standards, and it has internal RIAA preamp. I still think mechanically the most interesting audio equipment was made in 80s and 90s. Even the battery powered clocks that have mechanism made in Japan from 90s are less power hungry than the current production Chinese copies. I knew someone in Ottawa who had older Goldmund Studio DD 'table with servo controlled T3 Linear tonearm. Of course like every hi-end gramophone it required very precised adjustment and care. MC cartridge of course. The DD motor was manufactured by JVC. Beautiful machine. I don't own records, because of storage space and other requirements associated with owning 'table, but it's cool to watch what's inside - nostalgia, maybe. In my teens we played music through them - even the music is very familiar. I remember in the 90s someone made a hi-end table that used Laser pickup and D/A conversation to play records and avoid record wear out - most likely to expensive to produce and the idea never got adopted.
I have SL5 SL7 SL10. I think the SL6, mech same as the 5, but with auto track selection, is the best for daily use. The SL10 wins for hi end purposes coz the MC cartridge is so good. SL7 is for those who don't want MC carts but then most SL10 nowadays have lost their Technics mc310 cart, so an SL7 will do if you don't need the 310 cart.
Thanks, just got the SL5 with Technics original cartridge, bought AT85ep cartridge as unsure of stylus quality, I will replace the small servo belt and grease the tracking rod with your help,thanks, Mike ,Manchester UK.
Many people called this model a close and play. The turntable worked on any angle, even upside down. You can put it on it's side while the record is playing, and it won't skip a beat.
Your workbench is just like mine! I keep pushing things to the side so I can work on the next thing that needs fixing. This is despite my having loads of workspace. I just keep filling it up, and I never, ever, tidy up for some reason. Maybe I'm a lazy slob?.....
I have never known any of my frends to have any kind of linear record deck, but i knew they existed. Smashing job dave, the owner will be thrilled with that :-D.
I have the front loading version of this where you push a button and it opens a tray (like a CD player) you place record on the platter, press play and closes tray. The linear tracking system scans the record and knows how many sound tracks are on the record.
I have a Technics SL10 sitting in my basement. Bought in Saudi Arabia c1980. I think my dad paid $1000. Hasn't been played for almost four decades. Technology was changing and needles were expensive so it just stopped being used at a certain point.
with the resurgence of high quality vinyl and the DJ scene, some company's are reissuing some of their old equipment, including turntables (Technics SL1200) and phono cartridges. us old vinyl files are digging out our old discs.
Denon still makes some, Smith, Clear Audio - but good MC's aren't cheap. The thing is that in many MM cartridges the stylus and cantilever are replaceable, not in MC.
Thanks for the rundown - light and breezy! My SL-10 has developed an issue where it will 'skate' and drag the needle between the 10" and 7" playback mark while playing a regular 12" record - very nasty. Original 310MC cart as well... just as well it tracks light! I've cleaned around the LEDs, the platter windows, and the photo sensors using isopropyl, and unfortunately there has been no improvement. Do you have any suggestions around what I should look at for that kind of issue? I've put this out for professional repair once before to correct frayed/worn tonearm wires that were responsible for problems with audio playback. Only one side of audio would playback until about half way through a 12" record, at which point stereo would kick back in. A good tip if you ever experience that issue working on one of these.
Very slick looking device, gotta love the size sensor system. Those are unusually blue fluoros up on the ceiling, is that a bug lamp by any chance? Doesn't look like one... Maybe just the camera white balance made it look bluer than it is.
hello great video! I own an Sl15 however I have a problem with the motor it turns left to right, as if it was looking for its position. do you have any idea of the breakdown?
Yo tengo una igual, en la parte posterior donde están los cables de alimentación y los RCA existe un tornillo que controla el sensor, posiblemente requiera un ajuste en el mismo para controlar ese problema, suerte!
Hello! I just obtained one of these in great cosmetic condition. It turns on and the platter spins and the tonearm drops and begins playing, but then begins to skip. I think the tonearm is not being pulled across the record. Also, the cueing does not work. The tonearm does not move when the button is pushed. If you can let me know what might be the problem, I'd appreciate it!
Hi, I have some issues with my SL10. 1-The cartridge drops hard on the record. 2-the arm movement is copied by the cartridge and you can hear it on the speakers. Can be the rod dirty? Can I put graphite grease to lubricate it? 3- I need to change de cord, but I don't understand how to fix it, the SM is not clear...
You are a master at this stuff and this student needs help. I just purchased a SL-10 Can I ask a question. How did you polish the clear plastic lid? Is there any advice you can give ? Cheers
@@patricioruiz1187 unfortunately not. I did purchase some plastic scratch solution cream, It hasn't really made much difference. Still looking for help
Those Matsushita caps look like they have the dreaded leg corrosion on them. Especially the 2.2uf and the other 16v cap. Guarantee they're both shot. Just re-capped a Yamaha T-7 tuner from 1980 and every 10uf/25 Matsushita cap was corroded and shot. Surprised the thing even turned on.
Owner didn't want to spend money on it. Brought it to get the sticking arm done and nothing more as he is selling it. He buys and sells old stuff. So I only do what asked and nothing more.
@@ElectoneGuy 50 sounds about right except for thorens when replacing with an original belt as that costs over 40.00 from the only shop that sells them. Problem is this guy that owns this stuff has a 30 limit or he will go to his "other" guy that will do it for 30. So I work at a loss. I do it just to shoot the video and nothing else.
Hello 12vvids! What would you think of instead of putting lith lube on the linear rod , putting dry Dupont ceramic lube. I did that with my SL-7 and just seems to glide along with no future gum up possibly. I did lube the platic gears with lith white .
Many 12" I have are 45RPM. What happens when I play them on that type of turntable with automatic speed selection enabled? Edit: 22:04 Nevermind, questioned too early 😆 For anyone wondering what the record was: Tilt - Twelve
For anyone that has a broken cantilever or worn out stylus on one of these MC cartridges, check out ebay for a rebuilding service. I had mine done by cartridge_retipping-5 and he did a great job on my Azden cart for my SL-10.
Hi, I wonder if you could point me in the right direction to sort my issue? Mine is now working perfectly on LP's but when adding a single, the arm moves into the right position but doesn't lower down. The only function available is 'stop' and it returns back to rest.
I had a cheaper linear tracking tonearm that seemed to rely on gaps in a circuit board trace to sit the arm down. The darn thing would always sit down in too far no matter what I did to try to fix it. Finally one day the turntable started running so fast it threw the belt off. At that point, I decided I would hold a grudge and move on.
This video was super helpful in servicing my sl-10. I have two questions. Would you happen to know what bulb I should order to replace the Cue lamp? Mine is burnt out. Second, whats up with the big hands and tiny screwdriver approach? Lol. I guess I don't have your patience. Maybe that's why I break stuff.
I've never used a linear tracking turntable, but I read somewhere (in an old Hi-Fi magazine, I think), that higher end models used linear motors for tracking. I assume that solution would introduce less rumble. It would be nice if next time you work on a linear turntable, put on some classical music (so no copyright strike), with some longer, silent parts in it, and record it directly from the preamp (not through speakers and mic), so we can hear, how much rumble the tonearm transport generates. I have a feeling it might be quite substantial. That wormgear transmission produces audible noise in fast tracking mode, so it will also produce noise at the normal tracking speed, just at a much lower frequency. Then, that steel string can carry it directly into the cartridge.
Rumble was generally caused in rim drive and belt drive TT. The direct drive was developed to reduce that. Linear tracking was devoloped to address a different problem. Tone arms that form an arc do not keep the stylus perpendicular to the groove. As the arm moves in the needle rotates slightly off axis. Generally the cartridge is mounted at an angle so the needle is perfectly aligned mid way through the record. So tracks at the outer and inner circumferences are a few ' off axis. This can introduce inter-modulation distortion. The linear tracking TT was designed to eliminate that. Don't be sure of classical not getting copyright strikes. I played a pre-recorded DAT tape once to demo the quality and not only did it get a strike but Sony music had it taken down completely.
@@12voltvids I know what the linear tracking was developed for, but I still think that this type of gear driven tonearm transport will introduce additional rumble. Also, according the (probably the same) HiFi magazine, some DD turntables has more rumble than higher end belt driven ones. When the control loop kicks in to compensate the speed, it can introduce audible rumble. The rotating mass of the platter and the time constants of the feedback loop has to be very precisely engineered to minimize that. Sony Music (and Sony in general) is a bastard nowadays. I hate them since their rootkit 'copyright protection', and since they sued a guy who modified the firmware in HIS OWN Sony DVD player, and since they reduced their service manuals to disassembly instructions and flowcharts for board level repairs, ordering the service personnel to smash the Sony specific chips with a hammer on the replaced boards, to prevent anyone using them for component level repairs. They still make some excellent products, but they are utter bastards.
Greetings. My faithful Technics SL-7 turntable works great mechanically . However for some reason no audio is being produced. The receiver is operating normally. Do you have any experience with this or ideas of what I should be looking for? Regards, William J
Great video. I have an SL-6 that I bought in the early 80's. Working well until recently. It plays through a portion of the first or second song then starts skipping and won't go any further. Any advice on how troubleshoot the problem will be greatly appreciated.
@@12voltvids Thank-you so much for such a quick reply. I watched your video and thought that very well may be the issue but I don't have any experience with turntable repair and am so grateful for your input. Thank-you and Happy Holidays.
@@donnapreli3396 usually, the first item to check out is the tonearm motor belt. This is usually what goes wrong in these units in the first place, as far as skipping in the first few minutes into the track. I have 3 of these and two of them came with this very same problem. Changing that belt did the trick.
I used to wonder how they tracked the groove. Now I can see it looks like a delicate spring allows the needle to track the groove while the screw turns at a preset rate I suppose. The delicate spring is the key to this all working. Not a laser based groove tracking servo.
@@12voltvids So if a cleaned slide and new belt (all cue buttons work perfectly as well) drops the cart but then takes off towards the center, skipping all the way, would that possibly be an issue with the voltage adjustments on that or the sensor?
HI DAVE I JUST BOUGHT A BRAND NEW SL-L3 TECHNICS TURNTABLE STILL IN THE PLASTIC WHAT SHOULD I DO TO IT ,PAYED 50 DOLLARS FOR IT ITS NEVER BEEN PLUG IN JUST WOUNDERING WHAT TO LOOK FOR,THANKS TINA
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.
Hi I hope you can help lp me. I'd need to adjust the arm position when I select to be able to play a 45rpm. The 33rpm is ok. When I put selector on 45 to be able ti play a 7", stylus didn't match the beginning of first trace and risk is to break the needle. Can you helo me please to solve this issue? In other words I need to adjust arm/stylus right when I choose 45 rpm. Thanks and best regards. Giuseppe Giuseppe
It's cool but I will stick with something I can easily replace the cartrage on.
5 лет назад
The modern Moving Magnet is pretty much the best choice especially by Audio Technica with their Technology which almost made MC obsolete..but Moving Coil has a certain 'charm' but it's not 'better'.
Just wanted to thank you for the great info. I have secured one of these via EvilBay and it needs work so this vid will be invaluable. My plan is to eventually use this in the vertical aspect. I want to Bluetooth it to my Technics amp. Yeah, I'm not expecting miracles and I'm no audiophile. Quick question. The unit I'm getting has a Ortofon TM20H cartridge. Not sure if its MM or MC, any info I find is sketchy. My question is depending on whether the cart is MM or MC will I still need to ground the turntable to my eventual choice of Bluetooth transmitter if in fact I'm utilizing the internal pre-amp of the SL-10. Or indeed will I still need an external pre-amp before the BT Transmitter, no matter the flavor of the stylus? Hope this makes some kind of sense. Many thanks in advance...I know you are a busy guy, so any info is greatly appreciated.
There are P-cartridges available, but I don't know how well they sound. My hearing was destroyed by SFU frequency a long time ago. ("SFU" means Signal Frequency Unit, it emitted 2600 Hertz in an idle condition to indicate that a trunk line was idle. My colleagues used to put up suspect signals on an audio monitor at a rather loud setting to listen for dropouts. We called that "memorizing a tone" and would usually pummel them behind the building if they left it up for too long.)
P mount sounded every bit as good as any other cartridge. They were designed to replace conventional cartridges, and all the table manufactures had signed on to them as did most of the cartridge manufactures. Then a thing called a compact disk came along and basically killed the turntable business. Why these things are even relevant these days is anyone's guess. Oh wait, the MP3 came along, and compression ruined music so that these old wiggly grove disks actually sounded better than the crap mp3 sound and they made a comeback, and have pretty much saved the record industry, because it is pretty hard to bootleg a vinyl. I'll still take a good CD for my excellent CD player any day of the week. Vinyl is fine for my old recordings though.
Try being the bass player in a band when the 2 guitarists amps wouldn't go below 11. OK that was a long time ago when I was a teenager, but as the bass player my place was next to the drums with the cabinets behind me. We were so young and dumb that we didn't know what a power soak was so it was ear splitting for practice. By the time I was 14 I had permanent hearing damage. Those were the days. Police would show up pretty much every day we had a practice as I am sure we could be heard for 2 blocks.
@@12voltvids Yah, the MP3 sound is highly compressed, but that's no excuse for the music industry to compress the sound of a CD to that level. A piano that sounds like a hammer blow is hard to listen to. Even more so with my tinnitus. A properly recorded CD with its low noise floor sounds heavenly, but you won't hear that nowadays. I've listened to the master tapes of Loggins and Messina and compared them to the vinyl and I can hear a big difference. When they "remaster" them that wonderful subtlety disappears into the compression. I hear you on the loudness of being next to the amps. I do miss being able to hear high notes anymore. It's said that at 70 DB for a long duration, (office noise), the damage is done. Best of luck, OM. 73
@@15743_Hertz The biggest problem with CDs in the early 80s was engineers at the time didn't know how to master them. They took the analog mixed tape that was already EQ'd for vinyl and just recorded that straight to digital. What needed to be done was a totally separate mix made from the session tapes and of course this was not done for the pop music of the 80's. It was done for most of the jazz sessions, especially GRP records. Their CDs sounded fantastic.
@@12voltvids Agreed. The engineers had to relearn how to take advantage of the new lower noise floor and dynamic range. We didn't see them really come into their stride until the late eighties/early nineties. What really ticks me off is the fact that the engineers knew what the new medium had to offer and gave in to the pressure of the execs selling "product" instead of music with the result of taking the music and pushing the loudness of it until it literally distorted. I still cringe at the harsh sounds of all the "remastered" sounds that sound like they were pushed through a noise gate and clipped to a distortion that's capable of making a person's ears bleed. Ah! I'm ranting. The modern scene is nothing more than pushing "product" to a dead audience with tone-deaf ears. I know that's been said by all the previous generations, but I really feel that popular modern music is just dead. I'm glad for the local bands that keep it alive although it's not easy finding one that doesn't subscribe to the "louder is better" sound.
You will love this... the person who owned it before me didn't realize it had a built in 45 adapter, and the extra one had migrated to the top... it fell out and all was right with the world.
Any recommendation on where to purchase a good quality assortment of belts? The ones on Amazon and eBay seem to be thinner and of lesser quality vs OEM. Thank you.
Nope. The shite ones I got off eBay is what I have to work with. Higher w/f and all. When I needed an exact belt for my tascam da40 I ended up paying over 30.00 us for a single belt. I used to have a local supplier but they went out of business. If someone brings me a tape deck they get what I have available. Note that there are sellers on eBay selling "OEM belt kits" which are still the same thin belts you can buy in Mukti packs. They are just sizing and selling as a kit for big bucks. Unless you can find someone selling an nos factory sealed package. For those you will pay a premium which on many cases ends up costing more for the belts than I charge for the entire job. I saw an RCA VCR belt kit for the Hitachi made VCRs of the 80s. Came with 5 belts. 2 loading, capstan, reel drive and play reduction. Price was 35.00 plus 25.00 shipping. 60 us for a belt kit to fix a VCR worth 10.00 tops. When new those belt kits retailed for 12.95
I never saw many of them when they were still relatively new. Not many were sold because they were a hassle to cue up to play an inner cut on an album. Only good for playing the entire side and we all know how record companies would usually put the good songs in the middle sandwiches with crap on each side.
Dave love the video I have a linear tracking Technics sl - L3 that I picked up at a thrift store I cleaned it up but when you cue the needle down one channel comes in before the other any ideas, kind of weird like it's dropping in the groove to one side or the other how can that be if the groove is a v thanks
The cam gear that lowers the arm also operates the mute switch. One side opening before the other. It mutes before pick up and after dropping so you don't get a thump.
So how do I fix it? when the tonearm is lowered one channel comes in before the other channel not both at the same time, I had this on another linear tracking technics many years ago that I sold on eBay and unfortunately I had the same situation and had no idea how to fix it, one channel plays audio before the other one a second or so after, k lyrics on cueing down
@@equalizr1958 you can try to replace the switch but no guarantee that will fix it. I've see a few and I tell people to live with it because if I change the switch they are still paying even if it doesn't fix it.
So it's a physical muting mechanical switch both channels play When the tonearm is dropped it just one starts playing before the other one, cueing up is perfect. Why would one channel start playing before the other one when the needle is dropped
So when the tone arm is dropped does a relay come into play for a second or two? it is that a sealed relay? Can that be sprayed or is it sealed I would think it would be a double pole of some sort. please advise as you seem to be the one to help me
I've been a subscriber to channel for about a year now and enjoy watching what you do but there's one thing has been bugging the heck out of me can you tell me what kind of Casio watch that is that you're wearing
Model is 3023. Waveceptor tough solar. Tunes the radio signal wwvb to set itself. Solar powered. Have had it about 15 years now. Never needs a battery because it recharges itself. This is a very rare watch. There were similar ones with plastic case but this is all stainless with mineral glass and electro luminescent backlight. I have been looking for another one since I got this one. Bought the last one they had in the store and have been looking since for another but haven't found one. They come up once in a blue moon on eBay but the ones I have seen are well worn. Good luck finding one. They are very collectable.
When you change the belt, are you irritated? It is impossible for me. XD Panasonic is great about technique, but it is difficult to maintain for service men.
