Not long ago, I did a service call at Lincoln Center Library of Performing Arts in Manhattan-Media Conservatory Department. They have a large number of turntables for archival purposes and I was called in to service quite a few of them. They are Technics model SP15 tables. These models were sold as turntables only. The purchaser had to select a tone arm and a base (plinth). This was because audiophiles each had their own specific preferences and Technics specialized in the turntable alone.
Turntables have been making a big comeback in recent years and the manufacturers were not prepared for the demand. Technics, one of the most popular names in turntables during the last years in production. In 2010, the company stopped making turntables, including its famous SL1200, but were forced back into action in 2016. There are two different models being released: a limited 50th Anniversary Edition and a non-limited edition.
Technics claims many technical improvements in the SL1200G, primarily having to do with the elimination of “cogging”, which means a smoother movement. When the tables became available to the public in Japan, the company greatly underestimated the public’s interest. At an approximate cost of $4,000 US, rumor has it that the entire available inventory sold out in less than a day…some claim as fast as 45 minutes.
Note: The SP15 turntables are depicted here. I have not seen the new SL1200G in person yet.
Midnight Bob Shuster
Was “cogging” ever actually a measurable and audible phenomenon with good direct drive turntables like Technics made? I can understand how a cheaply made imitation might have such a problem, but the SP15 goes back to the 1970’s, and I have never heard of anyone actually proving that it had problems caused by “cogging”.
While I never noticed it, some may have and Technics wants you to believe that their new tables don’t have or have reduced this problem. A table like the SP-15 was better than the 1200 to begin with. There were many cheap tables out there that had problems and gave many excellent direct drive tables a bad name.
What type of service are you doing to the SP-15’s? Recap or more?
Although west-east roads do not run through Lincoln Center itself, the Metropolitan Opera House is parallel to the block from West d Street to West h Street.
As a result, the Opera House is the only Lincoln Center auditorium that has not been rebuilt because of acoustic problems.