Technics has unveiled the new SL-1200MK7 Direct Drive Turntable. Wait what? You heard that correctly. The dead – undead – dead – undead – dead – undead for audiophiles at $4000 – dead – now undead new model inherits the traditional design of the DJ favorite, while adding a coreless direct drive motor and other sound-enhancing technologies. It also features new DJ play functions, such as reverse playback.
The SL-1200 was launched as a popular direct drive turntable in 1972, becoming a best-selling model with cumulative sales of 3,500,000 units for the series. It was supported by powerful torque, easy operation, and high durability. It became greatly admired by both audio enthusiasts and DJs who helped to unleash the DJ culture in areas such as electronic dance music. The series is still highly acclaimed by DJs worldwide today – just check the used market.
The direct drive system uses a slow-rotating motor to directly drive the platter. This system has various advantages. It offers performance, such as rotation accuracy and torque, does not require replacement of parts and maintains high reliability over a long period of time. However, the direct drive system was said to on occasion produce a rotation irregularity called cogging. For the SL-1200MK7, a new coreless direct drive motor was developed. This motor employs a coreless stator. The removal of the iron core from the stator eliminated the root cause of cogging. Furthermore, the magnetic force of the rotor magnets was improved to the highest possible level, and the gap between the coreless stator and rotor magnets was optimized, thus achieving high torque performance equalling that of the SL-1200MK5. Boasting smooth rotation and powerful torque, this motor reproduces sound accurately and faithfully from the groove on an analog record.
The tonearm, which is responsible for accurately reading the signal by tracking the groove on the phono record, is a static-balance universal S-shape tonearm, another Technics tradition. The tonearm tube is made of lightweight, high-rigidity aluminum. The bearing section of the gimbal suspension construction tonearm consists of a machined housing and high-precision bearing to assure excellent tracking performance with minimum stylus jumping, even in harsh playing conditions such as scratching.
Two-layer Structure Platter with Improved Vibration Damping Performance: The platter on which a vinyl record is placed features a two-layer structure with deadening rubber on the entire back surface to eliminate unwanted resonance in the aluminum die-cast platter. The platter offers high rigidity and outstanding vibration-damping characteristics to prevent harmful vibration from being transmitted to the record and delivers clear sound.
High Rigidity Cabinet and High Damping Insulator for Thorough Shut-out of All Vibrations: The chassis, an essential part for reducing external vibrations, inherits the audio quality enhancement technology fostered through the development of high-end turntables. The aluminum die-cast chassis is rigidly integrated with a special material consisting of ABS mixed with glass fibre to achieve a two-layer construction. The combination of this special high-rigidity material and a metal chassis raised the rigidity and vibration-damping performance to higher levels, realizing a robust cabinet for beautiful sound reproduction. The insulator is comprised of a spring and rubber to provide optimal frequency characteristics. This not only assures high sound quality and superb howling resistance, but also effectively shuts out external vibrations under high sound level conditions.
Detachable Power/Phono Cable Terminals Prevents Cable Discontinuity: The power and phono cable terminals allow detachment of the cables. The phono terminals are gold-plated to minimize sound quality degradation. Since the terminals allow disconnection of the cables, maintenance of the cables is easier, and your favorite phono cable can be connected to let you enjoy the change in sound quality resulting from a different cable.
Technics SL-1200MK7 Specifications:
» New Technology for Rotational Stability
» Coreless Direct Drive Motor
» High-Precision Motor Controller
» Construction for Vibration Tolerance
» High-Dumping Turntable Platter
» Rigid Cabinet Construction
» High-Dumping Insulator
» High Quality Parts
» High Sensitive Tonearm
» Detachable PHONO Terminal
» Technics Definitive Design
» Drive Method: Direct Drive
» Turntable Speeds: 33 1/3, 45rpm (with switch 78 rpm)
» Starting Torque: 0.18N?m / 1.8kg?cm (1.56 lbs-in)
» Build-up Characteristics: 0.7 s. from standstill to 33 1/3 rpm
» Wow and Flutter: 0.025%?W.R.M.S.
» Turntable Platter: Aluminum die-cast
» Diameter?332mm (13-5/64″)
» Weight?Approx. 1.8kg (4.0 lbs) (Including slipmat and slipsheet)
» Tonearm Type: Universal, Static Balance
» Effective Length: 230mm (9-1/16″)
» Overhang: 15mm (19/32″)
» Tracking Error Angle:
— Within 2° 32′?(at the outer groove of 30cm(12″) record)
— Within 0° 32′?(at the inner groove of 30cm(12″) record)
— Offset Angle: 22° • Arm Height Adjustment Range: 0 – 6mm
— Stylus Pressure Adjustment Range: 0 – 4g (Direct Reading)
» Head Shell Weight: Approx. 7.6g
» Applicable Cartridge Weight Range:
— [without auxiliary weight] 5.6 – 12.0g (14.3 – 20.7g (including head shell))
— Head Shell Terminal Lug: 1.2mm? 4-pin terminal lug
» Audio Output: PHONO (Pin Jack) x 1, EARTH TERMINAL x 1
» Power Supply: AC120 V, 60 Hz
» Power Consumption: 8W (Approx. 0.2W (Standby))
» Dimensions (W x H x D): 453 x 169 x 353mm (17-27/32 × 6-21/32 × 13-29/32 inch)
» Weight: Approx. 9.6kg (Approx. 21.2lbs)
» Accessories: Turntable, Slipmat, Slipsheet, Dust cover, EP record adaptor, Balance weight, Head shell, Screw set for cartridge, PHONO cable, PHONO earth lead, AC power supply cord, Owner’s Manual
Starting Torque/Brake Speed Adjustment Function: The SL-1200MK7 employs the newest motor control technology refined through the development of Blu-ray disc products. Utilising a microcomputer, this advanced motor control technology ensures high performance in normal rotation and also responds accurately to a wide range of DJ play styles, such as scratching. The starting torque and brake speed can be adjusted individually to suit the user’s preference.
Pitch Control Function Enables Accurate and Stable Pitch Adjustment: The rotation speed can be set to 33-1/3 rpm, 45 rpm or 78 rpm. The pitch control function allows fine adjustment of the rotation speed within ±8%/±16%. This function achieves accurate and stable pitch control thanks to full digital control with improved tracking performance and accuracy.
Reverse Play Function Expands the Breadth of DJ Play Styles: The platter rotates in the reverse direction when the speed selector button and Start/Stop button are pressed simultaneously. This expands the breadth of DJ play styles. To use the reverse play function, the switch on the main unit must be turned on and the phono cartridge used must support scratch play.
Stylus Illuminator Featuring a High-brightness and Long-life LED: The stylus illuminator features a new push-type structure and employs a high-brightness and long-life white LED. The illumination area and intensity were reviewed to provide improved visibility of the stylus tip compared to previous models even in a dark environment. The SL-1200MK7 sports black buttons and a black tonearm while retaining the SL-1200 Series’ button layout. With the matte-texture black body and black parts, the new all black design presents an attractive, refined appearance. The LED light can be set to illuminate in either red or blue, further enhancing the DJ play environment.
No availability or pricing has been announced.
Technics
