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Has anyone ditched their belt drive deck for a SL1200G?

allthingsanalog

pfm Member
I've noticed several people on various forums have replaced their belt drive decks for a Technics SL1200G as they got fed up with the all the 'fiddly' stuff with belt drive decks.

Has anyone here done this and not regretted it. I only ask as had a wobble a couple of weeks ago when my Linn developed out of the blue a noisy suspension. It was soon rectified but at the time I was like "that's it, had enough"! Although it's back to fine fettle after only half an hour at the dealer there's always just one more upgrade!!

I had one before and sold it for financial reasons but could have easily lived with it if it had have been my only deck, Fitted with an AT33PTG.

I'm purely interested if anyone hsd changed and not a debate what is the best deck from anyone not interested in them!
 
Not all belt drive turntables are as ancient as the Linn system. I have a spare belt for my TT and was told by the designer that the original belt should last for 20 years, longer if it was not turned off. No oil nor springs to play with. Not cheap mind but for me a lot better value than the top Linn setup.

Cheers,

DV
 
Yes I went from a Lingo'd, cirkus'd, khan'd LP 12 to a SL 1200G and I thought it was a huge upgrade.
A year latter I'm still happy, I don't think I could get a better turntable without spending serious money.

Stock arm?

My spec is Lingo 3, Kore NIMA, Delos, Uphorik Phono stage But the Lingo 4 is just more money.... I was very impressed with the AT33ptg, even into my Yamaha As3000 phono stage.
 
I used a Jelco SA 750 on the Linn, carts in use were DL103R, AT33EV and a Benz Ace SL. I moved the Jelco arm onto the Technics due to VTA problems.

Same arm and carts on both decks and I feel the 1200G is the better turntable.
 
I’m waiting to take delivery of a 1200G to replace my Xerxes. I’ve also ordered a AT33 PTG to use in it - I currently use one in the Roxsan.

The other deck I considered was a Rega Planar 8 (yes, two more different turntables probably don’t exist), but decided on the Technics for its extra flexibility.
 
I used a Jelco SA 750 on the Linn, carts in use were DL103R, AT33EV and a Benz Ace SL. I moved the Jelco arm onto the Technics due to VTA problems.

Same arm and carts on both decks and I feel the 1200G is the better turntable.

When I had mine I managed to get one of the 6mm Technics mats which solved the VTA issue with carts below 17mm.
 
No, it's a decent TT however for me, it sounds way too much like a CD to my ears and I don't like the place that most DD TTs stick the " Vinyl rush" noise as I am personally sensitive hearing wise around that area. To be honest, i feel there's some "I've paid 3 grand for it i am going to like it" going on with the Tekniks

No matter their cost , by dint of the very technology used, all TTs are a compromise, you choose what you can afford and what doesn't offend your own sensibilities and that's about it. In the modern world, TTs are about romanticism and irrationality and I say that as someone whose main source is a fairly costly one.

Past a certain level of engineering competence arguing over "what is best" is akin to arguing over which central defender had the best game when their team lost 8-0. TTs are really about an unwritten and unspoken social contract between buyer and artist whereby many feel, buying albums shows genuine appreciation for an artist's work and that, it's not instantly disposable in a way that dls and even CDs seem to be.

It's completely irrational however, that's the nature of being human, we often do utterly irrational things.
 
FWIW I've just happily used a Technics DD turntable for decades. The only time I used a belt drive was for a show where we felt the visitors expected it.
 
I ditched my LP12 38 years ago, as it always needed constant 'retuning' to stay at it's best, for a DD Trio L-07D. It sounded much better from the outset and it has run perfectly ever since with only one minor service in all that time.

I did the same thing, though much later. I had an LP12 for 27 years until the Keel was introduced. The cost of that upgrade made me re-think my turntable strategy: I ended up with a 2nd hand Trio L-07D in 2010, had it fully re-built by Vantage, and it's been untouched and trouble-free since. There's been a lot of cartridge re-tipping since though, as the L-07D certainly gets a lot of use.
 
The problem with these "DD vs belt" threads is that there is an assumption that all belt drives and all DDs use the same designs and therefore sound the same.

They don't. A low torque Motus STST DD uses different tech to a Trio. An SME20/3 is a very different design to an LP12.
 
No matter their cost , by dint of the very technology used, all TTs are a compromise, you choose what you can afford and what doesn't offend your own sensibilities and that's about it. In the modern world, TTs are about romanticism and irrationality and I say that as someone whose main source is a fairly costly one.
Agree with both comments but it's not just about romanticism for me. I find music played through my turntable to be quite a lot more enjoyable than any digital source I've yet to hear, and that enjoyment is nothing to do with romanticism - I simply can't put up with digitally sourced music for more than an hour at best, by which time peace and quiet becomes prefereable.
 
I put an SL1200G up against my TD-124/II & 3009 and to my surprise clearly preferred the latter. It just sounded more ‘alive’ and fun somehow even if not as amazingly quiet. It served as a useful benchmark to assess my 124 rebuild anyway, if proving a rather costly exercise (I actually bought the 1200G).
 
Not a belt drive, but sold my well-sorted Garrard 301 and got the 1200G. Wanted something more compact and despite what many might believe, idler wheels always impart a slightly higher noise floor which I did notice at times (usually classical or film soundtracks). It’s been nearly a year of ownership so far and I’m still absolutely delighted with it. My only complaint, the blue leds! Would look so much better red. Other than it’s iconic looks, haven’t missed the 301 at all in terms of sonics. Great deck!
 
...idler wheels always impart a slightly higher noise floor which I did notice at times (usually classical or film soundtracks).

I certainly acknowledge that and I’d prefer to listen to say Bach’s solo violin works on CD than my TD-124, but on most more normal stuff I really don’t notice it. Comparing it to the absolutely silent SL1200G was very interesting. I made my decision mainly on jazz vinyl, as that is the very best vinyl IMHO. If my priority was 100% noise-floor I’d certainly have kept the Technics.
 


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