Technics Re-launching the Legendary SP10

Rega Turntables
still not ready for production. technics trying to cash in on popularity of the analog wave happening so pricing will be accordingly high, case in point new 1200 models even the stripped down version is out of reach for most of us.
 
I would not go so far to say that Technics are cashing in on the whole vinyl resurgence thing. The new SL1200 series is a ground up new table and shares nothing with the old model other than the way it looks. Everything about it is new. At $4000, it is expensive no doubt but so are many turntables that compete with the Technics. Technics are targeting the audiophile with this new iteration. No DJ scene here. You'd be mad to consider buying one of these for DJ purposes. In any case, the DJ scene has long moved from using vinyl and there are much cheaper alternatives if you need one.

The SL1200GAE is not even available for purchase. Sold out a long time ago and Technics do not plan on making anymore.

On the upcoming SP10, here is an interesting video about it that also includes a part break down of the SL1200.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bxHKxmEU3E

To me, this whole vinyl resurgence has brought out much better turntables than we once had, pressings included. Pick any price point and there is a nice turntable you could have. Far from the case back on the 80's where you were probably limited to 3-4 brands.
 
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sandeepmohan said:
I would not go so far to say that Technics are cashing in on the whole vinyl resurgence thing. The new SL1200 series is a ground up new table and shares nothing with the old model other than the way it looks. Everything about it is new. At $4000, it is expensive no doubt but so are many turntables that compete with the Technics. Technics are targeting the audiophile with this new iteration. No DJ scene here. You'd be mad to consider buying one of these for DJ purposes. In any case, the DJ scene has long moved from using vinyl and there are much cheaper alternatives if you need one.

The SL1200GAE is not even available for purchase. Sold out a long time ago and Technics do not plan on making anymore.

On the upcoming SP10, here is an interesting video about it that also includes a part break down of the SL1200.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bxHKxmEU3E

To me, this whole vinyl resurgence has brought out much better turntables than we once had, pressings included. Pick any price point and there is a nice turntable you could have. Far from the case back on the 80's where you were probably limited to 3-4 brands.
Click to expand...

am not sure about "better turntables "

I found myself looking for a new TT and though i had a decent budget, i could not find value in modern offerings.

All it takes to spin a record is a uncomplicated mechanism and to add a spin to it ( pun intended :) ) companies start using space age material and NASA terminology and charge a good sum for it.

Quite un-necessary in my view.

Things like VTA adjustment are skipped in the name of simplicity and ofcourse to sell their own cartridges.

As far as the "budget" modern TT's go - the less said the better.

( for most of them anyways )

Am reasonably sure most owners would end up feeling like a plucked chicken when they look out for turntables.

Rebuttals welcome.

regards
 
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mpw said:
am not sure about "better turntables "
I found myself looking for a new TT and though i had a decent budget, i could not find value in modern offerings.
Click to expand...

If you were to look at this way, I see no value in the asking price for a Marantz PM5005 or pretty much any Hi Fi today. Rs. 15k for a Norge amplifier!!!

The day I received my Rega RP1 and looked at it, I did ask myself if I was ripped off but then, if I wanted something much better than a RP1, it was going to cost much more. I decided that based on my casual listening, the RP1 does just fine.

It is not as if a turntable back in the 70's or 80's was cheap. For its time, they were expensive as well. We end up buying those old turntables today for cheap and then compare them to modern ones which in comparison cost an arm and a leg. It costs more to produce good turntables these days.

Manufacturers are experimenting with new materials. Watch one of those Analog Planet videos of Rega Research. You will be amazed at the effort they take in engineering their products. I won't say the same for Pro Ject though. They seem more mass market than anything else.

I have not seen too many a turntable but I will say this, a turntable with the engineering precision of a Scheu Analog Das Laufwerk did not exist.

Turntables are expensive today as every manufacturer has to invest in tooling that does not exist.

Anyway; need to get back to the SP10. Anyone buying?
 
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Having owned SP10s, I can tell you for sure that they are true master class. Spending 4-5 lakh on a turntable may be out of my bounds but for those who spend upwards of $5000 on record-playing equipment, the SP-10R may be good choice. Since most of the vinyl community around the world, are playing in the lower end of the spectrum with vintage, refurbished or used equipment, some of these with new budget equipment, banking on mostly pre-used vinyl, with the occasional new record purchase, any such offering would definitely be positioned for a niche clientele. But its great to have the SP10 back.
 
mpw said:
am not sure about "better turntables "

I found myself looking for a new TT and though i had a decent budget, i could not find value in modern offerings.

All it takes to spin a record is a uncomplicated mechanism and to add a spin to it ( pun intended :) ) companies start using space age material and NASA terminology and charge a good sum for it.

Quite un-necessary in my view.

Things like VTA adjustment are skipped in the name of simplicity and ofcourse to sell their own cartridges.

As far as the "budget" modern TT's go - the less said the better.

( for most of them anyways )

Am reasonably sure most owners would end up feeling like a plucked chicken when they look out for turntables.

Rebuttals welcome.

regards
Click to expand...

In my opinion, The fact that digital is so tolerant, and has very few dependencies on component quality masks the issues in the components.
A Good Tape deck or turn table would need very fine mechanical parts to achieve an acceptable standard of audio reproduction
I hope you have seen this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB84G_QJz-E
Both are a simple matter of balls on steel, but there is a world of difference between the two - both in price and performance. A person on the face of it might ask why does one cost 30X the other, and think the expensive one is a ripoff.
I remember having to put up with tape deck heads that wore out too easily, belts that needed to be changed far too often. pots and switches that needed to be lubed and replaced all the time. Pinch roller wheels with bad tolerances causing W&F. Sensitive upstream components picking up RF interference and playing radio in the background. bloody hiss. all the time.

Nowadays digital takes care of all that - no need for complicated discrete components. A well designed chip will do pretty much everything - Both the source and the amplifier. Noise in controls? replace them with buttons and rotary encoders which will work perpetually forever compared to their older counterparts. cd drive transport wobbling or vibrating or not steady in speed? the buffer and error correction will take care of it. That sea of TTL chips or the bespoke controller IC which took care of the DD controlling can now be done by cheap controller. But what has not changed with that pace is analog technology. You want a quality thrust bearing and tonearm bearings, you will still have to pay the older rates + inflation adjusted+ with lesser economies of scale compared to those days

You look at entry level electronics - yes you get 100$ turntables and 50$ amps, and these have actually raised the bar compared to the stuff you used to get at the price point 30 years ago,

If you are talking about indian market, be glad we have stuff available. I recall my dad spent his entire first salary on a panasonic minicompo system in the 70's.
We had to rely on importers selling smuggled goods and relatives. Now you have stuff available with bill, warranty and support - obviously this will cost more. If you take the grey market/travelling relative route, you will still find reasonable options. Or look at the other age old favourite - reach out to a local assembler. diyaudiocart, eight audio etc do pretty reasonable builds. Or buy from the chinese direct - something that was not there back then

But I do think that these new technics products are outrageously expensive. My guess is that these are targeted at wealthy mid life crisis audiophiles in Japan etc :D
 
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greenhorn said:
Nowadays digital takes care of all that - no need for complicated discrete components. A well designed chip will do pretty much everything - Both the source and the amplifier. Noise in controls? replace them with buttons and rotary encoders which will work perpetually forever compared to their older counterparts. cd drive transport wobbling or vibrating or not steady in speed? the buffer and error correction will take care of it. That sea of TTL chips or the bespoke controller IC which took care of the DD controlling can now be done by cheap controller. But what has not changed with that pace is analog technology. You want a quality thrust bearing and tonearm bearings, you will still have to pay the older rates + inflation adjusted+ with lesser economies of scale compared to those days

But I do think that these new technics products are outrageously expensive. My guess is that these are targeted at wealthy mid life crisis audiophiles in Japan etc
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, analog is addictive. Once you get used to listening to your favorite albums on vinyl, it is very difficult to go back to digital. I say addictive, as it is like a drug, just get them hooked and then they would pay :)
 
smedhavi said:
Unfortunately, analog is addictive. Once you get used to listening to your favorite albums on vinyl, it is very difficult to go back to digital. I say addictive, as it is like a drug, just get them hooked and then they would pay :)
Click to expand...
Yes. Analogue is addictive to the core. I got hooked on to analogue some 14 years back and I have enjoyed music more than my previous 50 years. I am 64 year old since yesterday. Thanks to analogue. When I got my first turntable which was a belt drive Pioneer, one friend who was into analogue for a very long time told me that everything a recording engineer wanted to record are in the Vinyl records. It will depend on how much of it you want to hear from it. This cannot be done in digital because analogue involves physical reproduction and that's where the difference lies. I want to thank my friend for the sound advice.
 
Regarding spending 4.5 lakhs on a new SP-10, I would anyday go for a EMT 938 paying about Rs 2 lakhs in good working condition.
 
You can get a mint condition LP12 the Turntable that was "King" for so many decades for much less money! Pair it will quality Linn or Naim Amplification and you have Setup that will really sing.

Oh How I miss my Sondek .... :sad:
 
I have an SP10 Mark 2. It is in a different league compared to ones used for domestic purposes. This is studio turntable. Designed for 24x7 duty cycles and accurate speed required for broadcast. The torque on this is the highest I have seen across a plethora of turntables including Garrards and EMTs. The engineering and build quality that went into making a SP10 in today's audiophile world would be easily in excess of $5K. Imagine a revised and refined SP10 from Technics. If I had the money I will blindly buy it. Btw it's just a motor. Everything else needs to be added.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
kuruvilajacob said:
Regarding spending 4.5 lakhs on a new SP-10, I would anyday go for a EMT 938 paying about Rs 2 lakhs in good working condition.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, pricing for SP10R is not yet announced.

Also it is worth reading the formal magazine reviews as well as user reviews of the new SL1200G. It's very interesting that it has a starting torque higher than the SP10/II (which was already monstrous) but lower than the SP10/III. Forget the technicalities and specs - both Stereophile and Absolute Sound said that its sound quality in stock form is comparable to super decks costing twice or even thrice.
 
Companies would always make products to take away all the money that you have ??. We can just prioritize on which company to give it to.

Regards,
Sharad Medhavi
 
Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier
Purchase the Audiolab 6000A Integrated Amplifier at a special offer price.

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