A review by bruffyboy on Technics SL1210MK2Y November 12th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Sound quality
Look & design
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
Advantages:
Rock steady and heavy duty - perfect for the club environment
Disadvantages:
the cost, and slight pitch variation around 0% pitch
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
First of all, this turntable is really for club DJs. The main difference from any other turntable is that it has pitch control, enabling users to change the tempo of a track to seamlessly blend it together with another, creating a non-stop musical extravaganza. You probably know that if you're reading this review, so I'll move on to the more important stuff.
The 1210 (in all its incantations) is the Rolls Royce of all club turntables. It's the industry standard, a turntable with 30 years reputation behind it, and a beautiful, beautiful machine to play with. I've DJd on numerous turntables, and was lucky enough to own my own 1210s, and they simply cannot be beaten.
The technical bit: Your bog standard turntable is driven by a belt, which is used to make the table rotate. The 1210 is driven by magnets, which makes it much more precise and steady. Imagine you need to blend two records together. The first is playing at 130 beats per minute (hereafter BPM), and the other at 150 bpm. The 130 bmp song is playing to the crowd who are dancing happily, but it runs out in 3 minutes, and you have that time to get the second song slowed down from 150 bpm to 130. You do this manually, with the slide pitch adjustment. Now, with a belt driven deck, the records aren't steady. You put your finger on the side of the platter to turn it down and it stops completely. It's flimsy, and the record speeds up and down slightly as it plays, due to the belt being too stretched or whatever. The result is your mix can sound wrong, out of time and horrible, due to the unpredictability of the deck.
The 1210, run by magnets, is 99% more accurate. You can be heavy handed with it, pushing your finger into the platter, and it only slows down a bit. Most importantly, it doesn't speed up and down randomly: it stays steady.
What does all that mean? The 1210 is LITERALLY 10 times easier to mix on than belt-driven decks. It costs (a lot) more, but is worth it. A pair will set you back £700, but they hold their value well (I sold mine 4 years later for £500 with a mixer and records).
So, now to the down sides. Remember I said it was 99% accurate, well it can wobble a bit around the 0% mark on the pitch adjuster for some reason. Manual tweaking of the record sorts that out, but it takes a lot of practice to know whether to slow the record down or speed it up!
Obviously a pair of these costs a lot, and you're looking at at least £800 by the time you have a basic mixer thrown in.
There are plenty of other direct drive (maget driven) decks, some cheaper and some more expensive, but none have the reputation of Technics. Go on, just buy them!
Advantages: Durability, Image, Usability, Layout, Strength, Power Disadvantages: Price (But you can work around this), Some say demise of vinyl (I dont agree)
I have to say that I completley agree with everything that the previous reviewer has written about these decks. They are industry standard and there is a reason why you will find them in every club in the world. They are one of the best investments that you will ever make.
I bought my pair a year ago as my first decks after deciding to make the next step in my love of music. The were 2-3 years old then and I have not had one single problem since ... ...to start out including mixer, headphones and a couple of basslines to start my collection. I had two options, being get some Stantons or Numarks..etc new or get some 1210s.. After seeking advise from my various mates who had decks and reading up about them I opted for the Technics.
I got mine second hand from an internet auction site and I would advise anyone starting out with a budget does this. The reason for this is that unlike other decks 1210s ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: proven track record, strong motor, good for club or bedroom deejay extremely robust Disadvantages: I dont see many although some people may want to change the look of the turntable
Recently the 1210's from technics have been under seige for the number one spot. they have been industry standard for over thirty years and every1 knows when you at the top you always have someone waiting for you to make your mistake. So Its unfortunate for the competition that technics dont really do mistakes and they are number one for a reason. They are not much to look at but the build quality and durability are out of this world, words cannot ... ...personaly have had 2 sets in the past the mark 3's and the mark 2's i own today ( my original decks are still going strong being used by a friend who bought them when i needed space ) They sell from anywhere between 500 to 600 pounds each brand new or you can pick up a second hand pair for below 600 pound. I personally picked mine up for 350 pounds from a club manager i knew who was replacing them. If you decide to buy second hand i recommend you ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...a good bet are the Technics SL1210-MK2 or the 1200's. They are expensive retailing around £350 each and in this day and age probably no the best available (technically at least). What you do get for your hard earned dollar is an extremely well built record player, that can take some serious wear and tear.
The decks are available in two colours silver(sl1200) and black(sl1210), but they are essentially the same. Both units are direct drive, with ... ...robust.
In my opinion Technics are definetly worth the money, I would consider buying second hand if you can't aford a new pair. I have owned mine for 7 years and never had any problems what-so-ever, apart from having to buy new needles and slip mats. Other decks are now coming into the fray such as Vestex and Stanton, but how will they perform over time, is a question not answered as yet? ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Sound quality
Look & design
Range of Features
Durability
Value for Money
very helpful
26.11.2000
(13.02.2001)
A workhorse. Review ofTechnics SL1210MK2Yby
mmachump
Advantages: The durability and quality of build. Disadvantages: The centre click of the pitch control.
I've owned my 1210s for nearly 8 years. They were and still are the industry standard for many professional DJs. I used to DJ in clubs and only mixed on these. If you want to take your DJ'ing seriously then you can't go wrong in purchasing these. The sturdy build allows them to be knocked around a little to and from gigs, the parts are easily removed and replaceable (should you ever need to) and the quality of the mechanism is second to none. The ... ...control. If you are beat matching a record which falls in the middle of the pitch, then you may have a harder time finding the perfect BPM due to the centre click. The solution is simple, alter the speed of the other deck slightly. I use my 1210s for beat matching, scratching and just playing records. Look at the prices second hand for these, they hardly lose value. This is how good they are! If you want reverse pitch, pitch bend, digital displays ...
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Advantages: Sturdy high performance workhorse with classic looks and superb response Disadvantages: Flying leads for audio/ground/mains; bastard heavy
The Technics SL1210 (and it's nearly identical twin the 1200) has remained the industry standard for DJ's practically since it's release...ongoing demand has meant Technics threaten to stop production every twelve months; when the protests flood in they 'give in gracefully', but justify another price hike by blaming product sourcing or something. But the 1210 is the king of turntables for many reasons, and still holds it's crown with ease.
For a ... ...is a superb piece of kit. I personally do not know the relevent technical figures, but my hi-fi enthusiast friends can quote them with ease, as most of them agree on the superiority of the 1210 and own one themselves. Suffice to say the sound quality is as high as one can realistically expect from a record player, and the pitch control and motor are superbly accurate. The tone arm is sturdy and well balanced, and is less likely to skip (with decent ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
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