The Technics brand is the best known turntable name, and without question it’s been copies and imitated, but not other company has come close to the kind of popularity and durability of the SL-1200MK2. Released in 1978, it is still available for purchase in some form even today. Sure, there have been advancements since then – as of this publication, Technics has gone digital and embraced the MP3 revolution. Three million units later, is popular opinion correct? Or is the Tec 12 an overblown victim of its own hype?

Durable Stand, Mindblowing Sound

Probably the biggest compliment you’re going to hear about the SL-1200 is its ridiculous durability. Honestly, beyond casing the whole thing in sheet metal, there’s no way you could make a more reliable machine. The deck is super heavy, as is the plinth, and it sits on four feet that are adjustable for height. There are literally hundreds of stories of DJ’s dropping their Tec 12 on the floor by accident, heart stopping because surely the turntable is broken – only to find that their machine is perfectly fine without so much as a blemish.

This is a direct drive motor turntable with a big “Start/Stop” button that controls the action. Cartridges are easy to swap in and out thanks to the headshell, which is separate. The tonearm is smooth enough in action and even adjustable.

The turntable comes with the one headshell, a metal plate and alignment gauge for the headshell, and of course the screws to put it all together.

The sound is nothing short of amazing. Your beats will erupt from this machine full and round and precise. Even the old models can pound out with the best of them, though there are definite limitations to the dynamics and the sound can be a bit warm at times. Still, especially for the price, the noise this puppy can make is mindblowing.

Amazon.com lists the SL-1200MK2 at $583.31 and Ambient Weather has it for $565.45. That’s chump change as far as turntables go.

Limitations . . .

The SL-1200 has its fair share of detractors, who have criticized everything from its aluminum platter to its included mat. Some feel the felt padding unnecessarily limits the tonearm. New models offering the MP3 capabilities are also easy targets: as an MP3 involves compressing data, unavoidably the sound quality is going to be reduced. This is not acceptable for audiophiles and purists.

Everyone can find something to complain about if they look hard enough, right? But what’s the honest, objective truth?

Conclusion: Affordable, Built Like a Tank

The Tec 12 is built like a tank, as durable as any turntable can be, and it can power a mean sound that still keeps the world’s dance grooves hopping thirty years after its introduction. Though nitpickers can whine as much as they want, no other machine in the market supplies a DJ with as solid a foundation as the Tec 12 – which is all you could want from a turntable.

Comments are closed.