Differences Among The Technics

I have been DJing for about 2 years now and I think I'm finally getting good enough to justify an upgrade in turntables. I really want to pick up a set of Technics. I've done a ton of research, read the specs, seen reviews, but the last thing I want is for some personal opinions.

Is there preference between the Technics 1200 vs Technics 1210? Some people say they yearn for the 1200s when they have a perfectly good set of 1210s. What would be a reason to choose one over the other if money wasn't a problem?

Has anyone found that they like one over the other?

I've found great deals on both sets and I really want to upgrade soon, I just want to make the most informed decision possible.

Thanks for your help, gentlemen.

1200s - silver

1210s - black

thats the only (to my knoweldge) difference between the codes....

the technical differences are in the mk's

although i dont think there are much in them, MK2's are older and are fine for professional use. MK5's the newest models and are good too.. (i presonally didnt like the pitch button on the MK3D)

in all fairness any pair of Technics 1200/1210 will be more then enough for any dj!

The Mk3/M3D and subsequent models have no center detent on the pitch fader which helps for small adjustments.

there are 1200's that come in black as well.

the difference in the 1200 vs 1210, is the 1210 has a voltage selector under the platter. (110v and 220v)

There are 1200s with the voltage switch too, so the colour is not a guarantee.

Shame you're not in the UK. I'm about to put 4 recently modded 1210's (White, with Red and Blue LED upgrades) for sale on DJTT.

I've also got some 1200 stickers if anyone has a preference... :p!

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Originally Posted by papo

there are 1200's that come in black as well.

the difference in the 1200 vs 1210, is the 1210 has a voltage selector under the platter. (110v and 220v)

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There are also silver 1200s that have a voltage selector, go figure.

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Originally Posted by Xonetacular

There are also silver 1200s that have a voltage selector, go figure.

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lol....

wikipedia has a nice write-up about them and their differences

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_SL-1200

I did not like the feel of the m5g and mk5. Aside from that any technic turntable is gonna feel similar. I have not noticed a wow and flutter difference between models or much of a torque difference. Most technics tend to range from between 1.4 to 1.7kg.

The difference between m5g and mk2 in terms of wow and flutter is noticeable if you measure it - it's pretty significant if you compare a mk2 to m5g on Traktor for instance. But it's really not enough to hear anything and it probably translates into only a tiny fraction more of attention span that needs to be focused on matching beats. Hellnegative what don't you like about the feel of the m5g/mk5? The m5g doesn't feel that much different from the mk2 to me other than the tonearm (and in that case I vastly prefer the m5g).

I literally just dont like the feel. The tecture of the plastic, the lower weight of the tonearm, the shininess of it. I prefer that rugged feeling. I also hate when people get those damned metal tops for their techs.

1200 - silver

1210 - black

most of the time anyway. seen a couple 1200 blacks

then again, 1210s seem to be more rare

I have 2 black Techs... one is a 1200 and one is a 1210. :: shrug ::

yeah I have a set of black 1200 mk2s.

Personally I can't understand peoples' obsession with Technics TTs now that there's so much Super OEM stuff on the market these days. It all just seems to be a case of Apple-style obsession to me.

There's plenty of discussion around on the Supers, and as they all use the same motor there are bound to be some shared drawbacks:
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/sho...d.php?t=398523

As with Macs, it is much safer to go for something tried and tested rather than opting for a cheap knockoff/alternative. Vestax are one exception - they actually put in the effort to design and build their own turntables rather than hovering over the Technics patent expiry date to make a clone.

In case anyone is wondering, this is the original which all the SuperOEMs are built around:

http://www.hanpin.com.tw/Products/02_DJ-5500.html

And a pretty good review by DJBooth of a SuperOEM deck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_ciHwI96Lc

The main thing I like about the SuperOEM stuff is that they've got triple the Torque of the 1200s; it's about as close to instant-start as you can get with a TT.

Good to know since I always try to push button cue with my TTs.....

Anyone know how to test the torque on Technics, When I compare mine to others they always seem low.... :confused:

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Originally Posted by Rukks

Good to know since I always try to push button cue with my TTs.....

Anyone know how to test the torque on Technics, When I compare mine to others they always seem low.... :confused:

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I assume you'd have to actually fit some sort of device onto the spindle to test it accurately. Sticking your hand on the bare metal always worked for me when buying 2nd hand gear, but it's hardly scientific. There's an insane bit in that vid at 7:23 where he spins the record back through about 20 rotations and the platter doesn't even slow down slightly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mdcdesign

I assume you'd have to actually fit some sort of device onto the spindle to test it accurately. Sticking your hand on the bare metal always worked for me when buying 2nd hand gear, but it's hardly scientific. There's an insane bit in that vid at 7:23 where he spins the record back through about 20 rotations and the platter doesn't even slow down slightly.

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Have you figured out a way to get the SuperOEM turntables to make that "whooshing" sound that comes from sarcasm flying directly over your head?