Technics SL-1200

Technics SL-1200

Inventor	Matsushita
Inception	1972
Manufacturer	Technics
Available	Ceased Production
Last production year	2010
Website	Technics SL1200
Notes Production ceased in late 2010

The Technics SL-1200 MK2 MK3 MK4 MK5 M5G MK6 LTD & GOLD are a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. S means "Stereo", L means "Player". Originally released as a high fidelity consumer record player, it quickly became adopted among radio and club disc jockeys. Since its release in 1978, SL-1200MK2 and its successors have been the most common turntable for DJing and scratching. The MK2 presented several improvements, including to the motor and casing. Since 1972, more than 3 million units have been sold. It is widely regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced. Many of the models manufactured in the 1970s are still in heavy use. Rappers have referred to the turntable in pairs as "1200's", "Tee 12's", "Technics", "Tec 12's", "wheels of steel" and "the one and twos". In the autumn of 2010, Panasonic announced that the series was to be discontinued due to marketplace conditions.

At the London Science Museum, Technics SL-1210 is on display as one of the pieces of technology that have shaped the world we live in.

Features

Some of the features that set the SL-1200 apart are:

• Magnetic (no wear), direct drive (low slip) mechanism.
• High torque (1.5 kgf·cm or 0.15 N·m), which means the platter will spin at the desired speed almost immediately (0.7 s to reach 33 ¹⁄₃ RPM from standstill), and will very rapidly reacquire the desired speed, without "overshooting", if the platter is dragged or nudged. This aids beatmatching.
• Very low wow and flutter (0.01%), which means that the platter will stay within 1/100 of 1% of the desired speed.
• Heavy base (12.5 kg), and increased isolation of platter from base, reducing the likelihood of feedback or stylus jumping.
• Variable pitch control, allowing the rotational speed to be adjusted from -8% to +8% (for the purpose of beatmatching).
• High reliability: many examples of SL-1200s lasting well over 15 years of heavy use and withstanding physical shock without functional impairment.
• S-shaped Tone Arm: Although no longer popular on high end hi-fi turntables, the S-shape arm demonstrates a better tracking of the groove, especially during DJ tricks like cueing, spinbacks and scratching.

Technics turntables & mixer shown in a common DJ configuration.

Models

Original model

• SL-1200 (released in 1972) has a silver finish, this model was originally marketed as a hi-fi turntable for the home market.

MK2 models

The MK2 models were sold in Europe with different model numbers indicating a different colour; the 1200 (silver) and 1210 (matte black). This was the same in the USA (and Japan) initially, however later the 1200 was available in both silver and matte black finishes.

• SL-1200MK2 (released in 1979) comes in both silver and matte black (see above comment). Technics improved the motor and shock resistance, added a ground wire, and changed the rotary pitch control to a slider style. This is now the base model and is the oldest still in production. The older version of this model which was sold in the 1970s and 1980s has a large 4-inch-diameter (100 mm) plate where the RCA and ground wires enter the unit, while the newer version has a smaller 2-inch-diameter (51 mm) hole in the rubber where the RCA and ground enter.
• SL-1210MK2 comes in matte black only (see above comment), and is exactly the same in function as the SL-1200MK2 although some of the circuitry inside is updated to use fewer different types of pots and resistors. It used to be unavailable from official Panasonic dealers in the United States.
• SL-1200MK2PK has a glossy piano-black finish, and was only available in the USA.

MK3 models

• SL-1200MK3 (released in 1989) has a matte black finish like the MK2, gold RCA plugs, and a small gold-foil technics label on the back. It was destined only for the Japanese market.
• SL-1200M3D (released in 1997) has a silver finish like the MK2, adds a quartz lock button which resets pitch to 0 immediately (purpose being to remove the detent ("click") at the 0 point of the fader to improve the accuracy of the pitch fader in the zero area).
• SL-1210M3D is the same as the SL-1200M3D except with a matte black finish like the MK2.

MK4 models

• SL-1200MK4 (released in 1997) has a matte black finish like the MK2, and is only available for sale in Japan. This model is aimed at the hi-end audiophile market rather than for DJs. This is the last model made with the detent ("click") in the middle of the pitch adjustment slider. It has a third button added for 78 RPM located to the right of the 33 RPM and 45 RPM buttons. It is also designed to be used with regular removable RCA cables (along with a removable ground/earth cable) rather than having hard wired RCA cables like all the other 1200/1210 models.

MK5 models

• SL-1200MK5 (released in 1 November 2002) has a silver finish like the MK2, increases the range of anti-skate settings from 0–3 grams-force (0–30 mN) to 0–6 grams-force (0–60 mN). Also has a white LED target light (previous versions only had a globe and burnt out over time). Current MK5 models have a removable lid with magnets as opposed to the MK2 and MK3 removable hinged lid.
• SL-1210MK5 has a matte black finish like the MK2, and is exactly the same as the SL-1200MK5.
• SL-1210M5G (released in 1 November 2002) has a glossy piano-black finish with silver speckles, was a special 30th-anniversary edition. It was initially launched in Japan only (together with the MK5) but is now internationally available. The difference from the MK5 model is the ability to switch between ±8% and ±16% ranges for pitch adjustment, and the pitch control in this model is completely digital. It also features blue target lights and blue pitch-number illumination. The brake strength potentiometer, although still located beneath platter, can now be adjusted, unlike previous models, without the need for a screwdriver thanks to the addition of a small plastic knob. Minor improvements over Mk2, Mk3, Mk4, & 1200LTD also include improved tonearm mounting and oxygen-free copper wire being used for the signal, improved vibration damping in the body, improvements to the pitch control accuracy and better LEDs.

MK6 models

• SL-1200MK6-K & SL-1200MK6-S (released in February 2008 in Japan) with minor improvements including improved tonearm mounting and oxygen-free copper wire being used for the signal, improved vibration damping in the body, improvements to the pitch control accuracy and better LEDs. -S model has a silver finish like the MK2.
• SL-1200MK6K1 is the same as the SL-1200MK6 except with a matte black finish like the MK2. Released in 12 December 2007 (in Japan) as a special 35th-anniversary edition, in a limitation of 1000 only.

Special models

These were limited edition versions, with 24 karat gold plated metal parts including tonearm and buttons.

• SL-1200LTD (released in September 1995) wholly based on the MK3, it has a piano black gloss finish with gold speckles, and its production run was limited to 10,000 units only.
• SL-1200GLD (released in 2004), another limited edition model, with only 3,000 units manufactured. The GLD has a piano black gloss finish without the gold speckles of the LTD. It is based on the MK5G model, with blue (instead of the regular white) target lights.

Determining the age of an SL-1200

It is possible to tell the year (and the month) when the SL-1200 was manufactured from the serial number on the back or bottom of the turntable. SL-1200 serial numbers are in two different formats, depending on the date of manufacture. It isn't exactly possible to determine the decade in which the SL-1200 in question was manufactured, as the serial number contains only the last digit of the year. If the year digit is 8, the turntable may have been manufactured in 1978, 1988, 1998 or 2008. If the year digit is 0, the turntable may have been manufactured in 1980, 1990 or 2000. One rule of thumb is that old-format serial numbers belong to SL-1200s manufactured during the 1970s and 1980s, while new-format serial numbers belong to SL-1200s manufactured during the 1990s and beyond.

Old-format serial number: NHOJF20765 (SL-1200 manufactured 1982)
The first digit shows the year when the turntable was manufactured. These serial numbers contain no indication of the month of manufacture. It should be noted that serial numbers in this format contain no letters following digits.

New-format serial number: GE4FB001154 (SL-1200MK2 manufactured June 2004)
The first digit shows the year when the turntable was manufactured, while the month of manufacture is indicated by the letter following it. Months are coded as letters between A and L inclusive; A indicates January, B indicates February, and so on, so F indicates June.

In addition to the above, all the SL-1200MK2s from the 1970s and early 1980s have a 4-inch-diameter (100 mm) plate where the RCA and ground wires enter the chassis in the rubber base of the unit. The later models have a smaller hole through which the wires enter the unit.

The SL-1200 design strengths

The SL-1200 series was developed as a special project by Technics parent company Matsushita in an attempt to solve many of the problems related to the difficult task of turntable design. The task included minimizing acoustic feedback, unwanted resonances, wow & flutter and speed errors.

This was achieved by designing a remarkably heavy plinth made of a non-resonant composite sandwiched between a cast alloy top plate and a solid rubber base. In addition, the adjustable rubber-damped feet ensure that the Technics SL-1200 series are well-insulated against acoustic feedback, which can be a serious problem when operating a turntable in close proximity to PA loudspeakers (a common situation for DJ's).

The drive system designed by Matsushita is of the direct-drive variety rather than the more commonly found belt-drive type. This design was developed in order to virtually eliminate the problems of wow and flutter and produces a very quiet turntable which, for a direct-drive turntable, has minimal motor and bearing noise, (although the bearing rumble does tend to become characteristic in well-used turntables). This was partially achieved through the fact that the SL1210/1200 was the first (and only) turntable to actually make the platter a part of the motor mechanism as opposed to just being attached to it via screws or magnets as is the case with most direct-drive turntables. On the underside of the platter there is a large magnet which, once placed over the spindle, surrounds the coils and forms the motor drive thus eliminating loss through power transfer. The SL-1200 utilizes a Frequency Generator Servo Control Quartz Lock system that is claimed to produce the most accurate and consistent speed possible. The system is immune to static and dynamic stylus drag which would otherwise cause unwanted speed variances that change the pitch and tempo of the music. Due to these strengths the SL-1200 lends itself to both Hi-Fi reproduction and demanding DJ usage.

Modifications and upgrades

Some of the features that made the SL-1200 MK2-A an Industry standard can be improved in quality:

• Better & more stable, lower DC noise & ripple External Power Supply for reduced magnetic EMI RFI CMRR interference with cartrides, Better than the common Laboratory Grade DC Power supplys.
• Higher torque than (1.5 kgf·cm or 0.15 N·m), which means heavy copper mat platter can be used and will spin at the desired speed almost immediately, and will re-acquire the desired speed very rapidly.
• Even lower wow and flutter (<0.01%), which means that the platter will stay within less than 1/100 of <1% of the desired speed.
• Better Bearings.
• Fluid Tonearm damping.
• Different Tonearms.
• Higher Quality Inner Tonearm Wiring.
• Higher reliability for Dubplate recording.
• Different Colors.
• Motor Dynamics Feedback Loop modiffication, to Technics SP-10 or more stable control signal.
• Masushita 2SD1265 bypass/upgrade.
• Different speeds for 78rpm records or Half-Speed Dubplate recording.

Two leading modification manufacturers include:

• Kabusa.com
• Sl-1200-mk2.com / TimeStep / SoundHifi.com

Two leading Dubplate recording upgrade manufacturers include:

• Vinyl Recorder
• Vinylium

Technics SL-1200 Production Ceased

On 1st November 2010, Panasonic made the following statement on the DMC World DJ Championships home page.

Panasonic has never officially made any statement about discontinuing technics 1200's. Every statement made was posted on 3rd party websites. It's an internet rumour.

Panasonic reactive statement - Production of analogue turntables has ceased

"Panasonic has confirmed that it ceased the production of its Technics-branded analogue turntables this autumn.

After more than 35 years as a leading manufacturer of analogue turntables, Panasonic has regretfully taken the decision to leave this market. However, Panasonic will continue to sell headphones under the Technics brand.

We are sure that retailers and consumers will understand that our product range has to reflect the accelerating transformation of the entire audio market from analogue to digital.

In addition, the number of component suppliers serving the analogue market has dwindled in recent years and we brought forward the decision to leave the market rather than risk being unable to fulfil future orders because of a lack of parts.

Panasonic employees who have been working on the analogue turntable range have been redeployed elsewhere within Panasonic - many of them continuing to work in Panasonic´s Audio Video Business Unit."

External links

• Panasonic (Technics) product page
• Frequently asked questions on Hyperreal on the Technics SL-1200MK2/SL-1210MK2 Turntables
• Technics SL-1200 MK2 at Vinyl Heaven - a hi-fi perspective
• Technics SL-1200 MK2 at TNT Audio - an audiophile review
• Technics 1210 turntable information - reviews & information on technics 1210 turntables
• Technics SL-1200 History - With timescales and images.