Technics SL-1200GS Review: Bomb Proof Standard

The SL-1300G comes equipped with a lightweight, durable aluminum pipe tonearm. It’s 9 inches long, and the standard S-shape Technics balance has long been chosen. It uses gimbal suspension and high-precision bearings, and includes a multi-stage counterweight, adjustable anti-slip mechanism, lift, and tonearm lock.

The RCA sockets you’ll use to connect your SL-1300G to the amplifier are a) gold-plated, and b) buried deep under the body of the deck. It seems Technics is tight-fisted to offer an expensive, well-specified record player like this with the kind of humdrum, run-of-the-mill stereo connections your $50 CD player came with, but at least there are connections there on the box. , and high power lead. You can’t find a cartridge and this, I would suggest, comes close to “unforgivable” as an omission.

No Cartridge

For this amount, I not only expect the manufacturer to research and identify the cartridge they think is best suited for use with their record player, but to put it in the front of the cartridge for my convenience. As it stands, you’re looking at about $500 (minimum) for a cartridge that can do the SL-1300G justice, and who knows how long installation and calibration might take—cartridge installation is a notoriously tricky craft. one is looking forward to it. I honestly think it would serve their customers better if Technics supplied and included a decent cartridge and then added the cost to the asking price.

However, as far as the sound of the Technics SL-1300G is concerned, there is only one aspect where it is not exactly right. This isn’t a cheap turntable and it gets pretty expensive when it’s ready to run, but the way it works goes a long way in making the output sound good enough.

Great Sound

Both in terms of sonic performance and the type of music it’s comfortable handling, the SL-1300G has what sports fans like to refer to as “all-court game.” It doesn’t matter whether you ask it to play Orff’s version of “Carmina Burana” as performed by the Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus, and Boys Choir under Michael Tilson Thomas or the James Holden disc. Think This Is The Biggest Space Of All Possibilitiessame goes for Techniques. All in all it’s a well-rounded listen, one that’s endlessly musical, deeply analytical, and a fun, hassle-free listen.

On the analytical side, the SL-1300G approaches forensics. At all points of the frequency range it can identify and integrate the most transient, transient, and/or smallest events in the recording, give them the right weight, and place them confidently on its large and open stage. Wherever harmonic variations that are overlooked in voice or instrument are concerned, the Technics jumps over you like its life depends on it. This does not hold at the expense of the overall image, but when you get closer to it, you find that we are alive with fine details that make it complete and harmonious.