I think that one of the main difference between legendary Technics 1200 and 
all the others cloned turntables based on this design is in lack of good 
motor/speed control. One can compare i.e. wow and flutter values for 
Technics and all Stanton, Audiotechnica, JBSystems, Numark etc. tables and 
find that these values are up to 10 times better in case of original table. 
Also, I can only think that all the others details such as main bearing, 
tonearm tolerances and final finished surfaces, as well as all other parts 
are incomparable for theirs ruggedness, longevity and building quality.

It was terrible day when I first heard Technics stopped their turntable 
production, and it is still unclear if such decision happened or we are in 
some kind of vacuum until next step.

To my mind Technics 1200 MK4 with 78rpm included and also with special RCA 
connectors (instead of cable attached) was the best thing for everyday 
archival work on heavy 78rpm records (the only lack of usage is, of course, 
as this turntable is not being suitable for 16" transcription discs) - lots 
of torque and speed stability, fine tonearm, excellent quality in general. 
But, for everything else it was - killer model, far better than some 
el-cheapo ProJect, than to some so called "Thorens" (made in Austrian 
ProJect facilities, no single connection to the old brand), Rega 78 and so 
on.

Best wishes,

Milan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, March 12, 2011 1:49 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Possibly another reason why Technics is exiting the 
turntable business


> Quick update on this ...
>
> I had a chance to check out a Stanton ST150, which is a step up from the 
> T92USB.
> http://www.stantondj.com/stanton-turntables/st150.html
>
> This shares some of the same stuff as the T92, including SPDIF (but no 
> USB) output. To my ears, the built-in preamp sounded identical, so my bet 
> is it's the same circuit board and SPDIF driver. The tonearm itself looked 
> similar but the counterweight was an upgrade, felt and acted more like a 
> Technics part, and there's an arm-lifter mechanism not present on the 
> T92USB. Also present on the ST150 is an arm-height adjustment, which is 
> useful if you're using a taller- or shorter-than-average cartridge. The 
> whole arm pivot/gimble and lifter mechanism was much more Technics-clone 
> and than Technics-like. Apparently this turntable is so close to a 
> real-deal Technics 1200 that a couple of high-end places have started 
> offering souped-up versions as low-end "super-tables." Such things as a 
> wooden box and disconnecting the digital circuitry and replacing the feet, 
> which may or may not actually effect sound quality. In the case of the 
> T92USB, the two most audible improvements I made were first and foremost 
> swapping in a better cartridge than the stock Stanton 500 (but keep the 
> 500 to play 78's, swapping in a 78 needle of course), and junking the 
> cheap fabric "slip-mat" for a Technics heavy rubber mat. This killed off a 
> metallic resonance that was audible on all records, but more so on thinner 
> records. The mat, combined with a KAB push-on spindle clamp, really 
> quieted down any "wiggly vinyl" noises and also made the turntable more 
> impervious to tapping on the surrounding surface.
>
> I concluded that the ST150 is a really close clone to a Technics, but may 
> not be as mechanically rugged. It supposedly has a more powerful motor 
> than the T92USB, but its overall build, while good, did not seem as 
> bulletproof as a 1200. But it costs half as much as 1200's were going for 
> before they were discontinued, and requires not modifications to play 
> 78's.
>
> Given that very similar units are sold under other brands, I suspect one 
> Chinese company is behind all of this, and they caused mighty Pansonic to 
> surrender by driving prices too far down for a Japan-made product to 
> compete. One final point -- build-wise and ruggedness-wise, that ST150 ran 
> rings around comparably-priced belt-driven models from Eastern Europe, 
> sold under the Pro-Ject, Rega and MusicHall brands. The Euro-tables 
> usually come with better-grade cartridges, though.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>