Unboxing and Setting Up my New Turntable - Technics SL-1000R 

A lot of us always end up back to Technics or end up buying technics again, they are IMO, the best value for the money. I own a 1210gr and would never give it up for anything within my budget. It's the last turntable I will ever buy until it breaks down. Congrats!

I am so glad you mentioned taking the dustcover/lid off your table when playing records. Always!!!!

I've had a 1200 forever. The following is a complete list of issues I've had with it:

12:21 “Fractionally better” when an addict is self aware 😅

Congrats for this beauty. I am a Technics Turntable Nerd since the 70s. 1976 i changed my Dual Turntable to Technics. Since this time i am Technics obsessed. Now i have the SL-1200gr2 with an Ortofon black System. I love it. My dream is the SL-1000R but over 20.000 Euro unfortunately I can't afford it. But who knows, maybe my dream will come true after all. Greetings from Germany🇩🇪 and have fun with your new Highlight.

Congrats on the new disc spinner Mike. Looks a beaut. Can't beat that Technics build quality and reliability. I can imagine this table going for 50 years+ without a hitch. I have a vintage Sl1700 mk2 with At150sa cartridge.

Mike, thank you for taking the time to do longer form videos like this and not be so obsessed with video being only 15 minutes or so.

Congratulations. As someone who works with five and six figure turntables on a daily basis, I agree 100% with this move. I have often said that this is a top contender for my desert island turntable. I have done a number of arm swaps on 1000Rs, including mounting a Kuzma 4Point in the right position, moving the stock Technics arm to the rear.

Welcome to the Technics turntable club ! With a proper calibration and configuration of the table, tonearm, and cartridge; this table is an END GAME table that will last DECADES !! diaclaimer: I currently am blessed to have a 1200G

Have same cartridge, sounds stunning very very transparent and un-biased neutral sound

I have mine turntable sl 1200 MK2 over 30 years 0 problems the real tank 😂

The SP10R platter handles are a must because without them, you'd have to drop the platter onto the bearing by handling it at the rim! This tool-based platter handling was established with the SP10Mk3, and before that the SP10Mk2 had holes in the top side that you could hook fingers into. Just had a peek under my Mk2 mat to make sure. Stick a second arm on and find a nice high end passive switch/pre for A/B!

I love technics Great video Michael Have a wonderful day

Nice choice Mike! I have the 55th anniversary SL1210 GAE, it’s an awesome deck.

I have a 1210 with Origin Live Silver tonearm, Isonoe isolation feet and cork mat and it's a keeper. I'm done with replacement belts!

I have owned a SL-1000R since 2019 and love it too. I recently changed the platter mat to the Origin Live “Strata” and believe it’s a worthy upgrade for the TT and recommend you give one a try. BTW, great video and review!

I adore my Pure Fidelity table but man, THIS is my dream turntable.

I have the SL1200 G table, and it also uses a magnesium arm tube. But it's the 9" version.

I replaced my Walker Proscenium with the Technics SL-1000R and never looked back. The convenience of use and the elimination of maintenance procedures and problems are major advantages in favor of the Technics and the sonics are a wash relative to the Walker (depending on your preferences). I use a Soundsmith Hyperion on mine.

Awesome turntable. I have it with a My Sonic Lab Signature Platinum cartridge. Give that a spin one time. You should do a cartridge shoot out for that table. That would be awesome.

Technics was the first to make a direct drive turntable,first 3 head cassete deck even one of the first to use solid state.Honeycomb disc speakers and power amplifiers.Even the first to produce home THX sound systems.A legend in hi fi equipment.

Congratulations on your new Technics. It's looks to be a beauty. I've heard nothing but great things about the SL-1000R. I had no idea the boxed weight came in at over a hundred pounds. That's some heft.

A complete system video would be nice!

That's badass, I owned a mark 3 sp 10 for a while incredible deck

I have the SL 1210G and I love it. Had a Rega P8 and the difference is fantastic. This table is my dream table. Thanks for the video.

I have always wanted this turntable, ever since I first started collecting! I have a Technics SL-1200MK2 with a Denon DL103. All my records sound so distorted and harsh. Thanks for the review, I will have to get my own now.

The new Denon 3000 NE is also a spectacular direct drive turntable at a great price.

Cool table. In my 40 plus years of listening to and buying gear and sources the biggest lesson I have learned is if it doesn't sound good to me on the cheapest source it will not sound much better no matter how much cash I throw at it. What I do now is listen to the least revealing source first such as MP3 etc and if it sounds decent than pursue from there. Tables are cool but isolation etc as well as carts and phono stages in my experience matter more. Love the looks.

That is a stunning table, an old dj friend of mine always said that technics were the best all rounder tables available. Don’t take this the wrong way but there was a lot of ASMR in this video!

Sweet rig, congrats! That’s a bit above my pay grade though (or I seriously need to narrow down my hobbies!). Funny how I’ve gone full circle since starting my journey in the early 70’s. Going from direct drive being the great new thing to belt drive being the only choice and back again. Post divorce while waiting to reclaim my stereo I built a new one. I shopped a few spinners, and finally decided on an SL-1200G. I never would have considered such a move until I heard it. I could have spent the same or more on something sexier and much more finicky, but at my age I want to plop an LP on and listen with zero fanfare. I also dig the chance to finally swap out carts with relative ease. My one complaint is not enough vertical adjustment, necessitating a crystal mat. Other than that, drama free bliss. [edit] 1200G retails around $4k IIRC.

I use a Technics SP-10MKII. Just had the Krebs Upgrade and recap done last year. In the past few weeks, I purchased a new tonearm to use with my SP-10, The Wand carbon fiber 12" unipivot tonearm made by Design Build Listen in New Zealand. Hope to someday own a MKIII or a 10R. Really enjoyed your video, thanks Mike!

Still have my 1200-mk5 and it's playing right now.

I have been a DD fan forever. I looked at the Denon but have never had issues with the Technics so I added a 1210GR-2 to my Music Hall Stealth (also a nice table). Enjoy!

Nice vid Mike, cheers. Enjoyed that on a Sunday afternoon.😊

That was awesome Chad! I saw the Hollies at Soldier Field in Chicago, when Graham returned with them for an album and tour!

Even the way you open a cartridge box has class my man. Good to learn you opted out of 150k range

I had (and I hope I still have) a Technics turntable and dual cassette tape deck (along with a old Pioneer receiver) that I built my system around back in the early 1980s. Technics was my first choice.

As a Lyra Etna owner, I wouldn't describe it as "hyper detailed" ... its a very well balanced, full-bodied" to my ears

Occasional viewer; didn’t know you sold audio gear as well. Nice table. I just bought the new Denon DP-3000NE - love it!❤️🎶

Congrats Mike well deserved I love my Technics 1200G

I wish they made the 1200GR2 without the speed control so it didn't look like a DJ table.

Enjoy the table Mike, great video. It’s a gorgeous table.

I've been slowly upgrading my pretty basic fluance tt with a shibata stlus and schiit preamp so it was cool to see what I may be doing decades down the line haha

I like that wooden wall art. Very unique!

Nice one, Mike. Congrats.

When I was a teenager back in the 70's my parents bought me my first component system for my birthday. I kicked in $100 of my own money to upgrade the system's turntable to the MCS 6601 direct drive semi auto, and it lasted me more than 40 years and never a single issue. Of course, I stopped listening to vinyl around 1985; I just couldn't hear that subjective "warmth" that everyone claims is there vs the cd. I never had to worry about removing the lid either because if you really want quiet, switch to digital media, right? And when it comes to convenience, a cd wins over a vinyl record every time! I love my Yamaha MCX-1000 digital music server with it's gui and I can sit in my chair and flip through 1200 nicely arranged titles in uncompressed PCM. I can even search the catalog and que up the next title while the current one is playing. And I can't in all fairness omit the miracle that is surround sound! Good lord, it's better than being at a live show! Seriously my entire second hand mid-fi digital system (Yamaha RX-Z9, Oppo 103D, and some Polks and a Velodyne) cost me 1/10 what you paid for your new turntable and I can't imagine a more versatile and satisfying way to enjoy my music!

Beautiful turntable, Mike. Nice choice. Are you gonna keep the stock arm, change it, or add one? I wish Jelco didn’t go under, but at least SME started selling arms separately again. A vinyl record isn’t supposed to have pops n clicks, so when someone hears a clean record on a super quiet turntable, they think it’s a trick or something….

I’ve had the 1200GAE since it came out, and I think it is a fantastic turntable. Incidentally, the GAE came with a magnesium tone arm. My dream deck is the SP-10R. Add a TriPlanar 12” arm and a Lyra Etna…….

Spinning Kennelmus Folkstone Prism … have the Black and Purple versions from you …. Soooo Great! Hope you put out more stuff! Northern New Jersey loves you :)

Very cool Mike, thanks for the insight 🤘

Absolutely wonderful turntable ❤. Thanks for this video👍

Pure Love for this turntable. Thank You for this Video.

THIS VID IS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR COMPARED TO THOSE NEW LP ARRIVALS VIDS. MORE PLEASE!

Congratulations Mike and good video!

That thing is sweet! Been drooling over those for a while. Way outta my budget though, but maybe I'll grab an old SP-10 mk2 or mk3 someday.. perhaps the next best thing. 😎

the 1210 G uses a magnesium arm i love mine

Mike, do you also sell the SP-10R? If so, can you get a plinth for it?

Thanks for making my Project X1 feel like a Fisher Price turntable 😂

What cartridge setup tools do you use? Protractor, microscope, etc.

All I’m gonna say is thank you for NOT pronouncing it incorrectly as TEKNEEKS as I hear a lot of people say 😄 Enjoy your new TT!

Where can I get one of these wooden walls behind you? It looks amazing.

Just imagine the damage you could have done to your floor if you dropped the turntable whilst turning it around! Amazing setup, though I'll have to file this under 'aspirational' for the time being...

I had a 1980 Technics SL-1200 MKII I bought brand new in Fresno California. I remember the commercials and the name Technics was pronounced as Tech-Neeks by the manufacturer. And that's how we pronounced it in the 1970's and 1980's. You say Tech-nicks. It must be a Boomer generation thing-Tech-Neeks!

Love technics tables!!

I owned an SL1200 for years, yes an SL1200 not the beauty in this video. Anyway swapped it out for a Music Hall Ikura, same cart same everything. Such a wider more detailed soundstage on the Music Hall. Night and day. So much better. And it's now 10 years without a hitch. Great turntable.

“Ooh, maybe that’ll be my next table.” (Googles) Nope.

Speaking from the old Technics vintage camp (75-85), when we had the original SL1000mk2 which came with a 🌋 volcanic obsidian base, and EPA100 ruby equiped bearing tonearm. It was an absolutely overwhelming broadcast ready monster. Yet, sonically speaking it wasn't much different than the toned down automatic SL1300mk2 and SL-1600mk2 which shared much the same genealogy. Why am I mentioning this? Because those "record players" also came with a price tag that most everyday blue collar John Doe's could swing. Now, $20K is twenty-five times dearer than those pedestrian ones, but I ask. Is this new GR twenty five times better? 🤔

Thanks, Mike for pronouncing “Technics” correctly. The other pronunciation ends in “Que” which is another word. It’s like people who mispronounce “Porsche” as one syllable.

Nice table MIke, sure beats my oldie Technics SL1100 A. That main bearing quality looks excellent and nice heavy platter. Is that an EPA stock Technics tonearm? Technics has a legacy of some great tables like the SP10 which many considered high end but not esoteric.

Hey Mike, my experience was similar to yours. But, having a few more years on life's odometer, I was around in the 70s and 80s when Technics was all rage in home audio. One thing I noticed as the 80s rolled around was that some of the consumer Technics models got very flimsy and cheap, especially many of those with P-mount cartridges (which were entry-level). I got so disgusted with the wretched Pro-Ject I owned (second from top of the line, no less) that I traded it for an SL-1210G. I had to wait a while since, due to COVID, my dealer would get one in and it would immediately sell. But I finally got it two (?) summers ago and it's been fantastic. My main criteria was rock-solid speed stability, and now I have that. And like you say, the rhythmic drive due to the speed stability and high torque of this motor sends it to a higher level. And I also wanted a no-fuss way to play my records. I did make a couple of modifications. I added an Achromat in place of the stock rubber mat, and while it's not that popular, I also use a center weight and a periphery weight, which remove any remaining "vinyl" noise and makes for an inky-black background that lets only the music through. I've never heard records this well in my system. I envy your new SL-1000R...but it's a liiiiiiittle outside my budget 😁 and it's not available in black. But if cost were no object? I'd take that over any of the overpriced boutique tables out there that look like they were built in a mad scientist's basement.

Nice system. What's the wall behind you?

A black sedan sits in the alleyway, the Kuzma Stabi on the back seat rolls up the window to avoid the stench of Japanese electronics. "What do we do now boss", the driver says. "We wait. He'll come round in a couple of weeks. They always do.", "Should we call the guys from SME?". "No, we've got this".

Coolest wall ever?

Super nice ! > $20K is a ton of $$$ though... My upper limit is probably $5K as we all have our own priorities...Gorgeous !

Wow, that cartridge setup looks more complicated than a front end alignment. 😊

Technics turntables are a mix of pro audio and HiFi so they can be used in any environment, thats why they're built like tanks.

Please more gear vids That was Awesome!!!! 💯💯💯💯💯💯

Mike are you going to continue doing live streams, albeit possibly solo now?

Sorry about your hair loss...

I bought one of the earliest production units and added 2 extra arm boards, on the left a 12in Sorane and on the top a 9in SME type IV. After 2 years I was not using the 12in arm at all, mainly for the fact that it was not practical at all and took it off. I do use the regular arm as well as the SME.

according to google, thats a 20,000 dollar turntable. good going man

Please how you would compare the Lyra cartridge vs. Ortofon's Cadenza Black? Different, yes, but how? A clear preference? Thank you Mike and all! :-)

welcome to the direct drive side.

Boughten?

I love my SL-1200MK2

FYI: Magnesium is great for reducing noise. My Continuum uses a mix of magnesium and zirconium.

due to placement of your turntable and amplifier, how long are you speaker cables?

I would watch a 2 hour cartridge adjustment lol

Nice!

Awesome. Thanks for sharing! What head shell did you settle on? Was it the AT? Also, do you use the rubber washer between the arm/head shell interface?

Beautiful turntable, not a good idea to have a table in front of the speakers, you’re going to be picking up resonance, between the speakers or behind is best.

Fantastic!😮

Lovely!

Mike, I have a Technics SL1500 TT, should I remove the lid completely or just make sure the lid is in the up position while spinning a record??

I guess the techdas was not worth the price increase. If i could afford it , i would get the kronos turntable. How is the tonearm on the technics? I know the original 1200 tonearm was average.

Mike, $20,000.00? Come on man! I.m not a Stereophile, but what is the difference between that and a $1300.00 Technics?

I thought they were delivered in big wooden crates…

How much better is the Technics SL1000R to the 1200G ?

And it can be yours for only 20K! 😀😀

Do you have a conversion service with this table? or know anywhere that sells a good conversion services?