SL-1200 Record Player FOR LESS! TECHNICS SL-1500C Turntable Review

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► SL-1200 Record Player FOR LESS! The TECHNICS SL-1500C Turntable Review

Technics new SL-1500C direct-drive turntable is more than just a SL-1200 lookalike. At $1200 (USD), the SL-1500C may just be worth its asking price, not for its performance (which is fantastic), but rather for its ease of use and robust construction. Can this Technics turntable compete with more expensive record players? I lay out the details of Technics new record player in my latest review.

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[andrewrobinsonreviews]

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[dennismaher]

Thank you for the review. I bought the SL-1500C a few years ago and am very satisfied. I did upgrade the cartridge from the 2M Red to the 2M Blue and it made a huge difference in the sound. I am now using the 2M Bronze and love it as well, but the difference between it and the 2M Blue is not as significant as the upgrade from the Red to the Blue. I do look forward to all your postings. Keep up the great work.

[tubularbells]

Found this in 2023 while looking for a new turntable and having the 1500C on my list of choices. Your thorough and passionate review convinced me to double-plus my budget and buy this turntable. I hope in the interim since you made this video you were finally able to obtain one for yourself!

[RunRisk]

I love that you include your emotional connection to some gear you have had in the past (like the 1200) which influences the criteria you develop when considering new gear. How well that new gear can ellicit the feelings the old one did is a valid criterion in my opinion. Music is an emotional phenomenon, after all, and we do become emotionally drawn to the earliest gear that first elevated the sound to new heights beyond what was coming out of radios, and nowadays phones, etc. For some, it became the trigger for becoming an audiophile in search of audio perfection however we define it. But we never forget that early gear and how it made us feel. Of course specs matter, but many reviewers downplay or exclude their emotional attraction to gear (maybe in an effort to seem hyper-rational an maybe more unbiased?). You decribe the features and qualities of the gear that made you feel that way which to me is more powerful than a dry recitation on specs (which of course are important but not the sole reason some of us decide on a certain piece of gear). A great review!
P.S. My first "real" turntable was my 1978 Technics SL-1800, bought new when I was eighteen, which gratefully I still have and use daily. Ironically, because of long work hours, few expenses, and heavy research that first system was my best. Because of a life not staying in one place for long, I often did not have an audio system. But that turntable always rode to my new address in the passenger seat of the car, carefully wrapped in a blanket, never being moved by anyone but me. When I finally settled down and put a system together in my mid-fifties, my SL-1800 became the crown jewel of my system which I'd describe as "budget audiophile" due to a low income resulting from chronic health issues. Now sporting an Audio-Technica VMN40ML cartridge, and never having required a repair, I am still in love with that turntable and would be severely bummed if anything happened to it.

[adampoll]

"INfamous" Sl-1200? Really? Also, as far as I know it was never originally built as a DJ turntable, it was adopted as one. 1200s still out-measure many modern "audiophile" decks due to the damping in the chassis, platter etc and the outstanding speed stability and torque. Very few decks that aren't going for ridiculous money are built to the standard these were.


Managed to acquire an SL-1210mk2 (the black one) a while back for a very good price which had suffered a decade or 2 of DJ abuse. Works like a swiss watch.


Opened it up to restore the ground wire (a common DJ mod is to ground via the phono leads for convenience - but if Technics made it with a separate ground wire, they did it for a good reason) and was amazed at how it's put together inside and all the mass and anti-resonance efforts. No wonder they decided to stop manufacture when the tooling wore out - they must have cost a bomb to make, which is now reflected in the price of the new lines.


BTW - love those orange covers on the JBLs :)

[cameronkrause]

this is so well explained that I felt that I learned something not just about this turntable, but I learned a little bit more about hifi at the same time. One of the best reviews I have watched from anyone!

[tholt]

You aren't alone on this one. I sold mine for a few bucks in college and regretted it ever since - until I snagged this. Won't be selling this bad boy. Great video!

[jeffsloane]

Great review Andrew. You did an excellent job of articulating the product characteristics and "place in the market" for this turn table. I've been hunting a SL-1200 Mark 3, or later, for years.

[The_Mister]

Probably been mentioned already but with so many variables in the chain, the weakest link here seems to be the cartridge...The 2M red is a fine cartridge but I can’t imagine anyone spending $1200 on this table but hobbling it with that cart. I would’ve loved it if this review provided a little more perspective by swapping out the Ortofon with a few other cartridges, like the Nagaoka MP-200, to get a clearer picture of what this table is capable of or what it’s real characteristics are.

[GaryL]

I've had one of these for nearly a year now, and would echo everything you say. I fitted upgraded leads, and a blue Ortofon stylus which made quite a difference. All in all, a very good and easy to use turntable.

[ScottHillllman]

Just like to say thanks for this video. I had been looking at the 1500 for a while and your review helped me decide to purchase one.
What a great table. My model came from Turntable Lab with the 2M Blue upgrade.
I immediately got the lack of warmth but exchange the stock rubber mat with a rubber/cork composite mat that added warmth and did not sacrifice the energy.
I’m looking forward to getting to know it even more…
Thanks again,
Scott

[mikemoroney]

Im still burnin my Technics sl 3300 i bought in 78. My first and only table i have ever owned.

[poetryonplastic]

The 1200 was never designed to be a DJ table, DJs merely adopted it. It was an audiophile table when it came out, but through the 90s and 2000s DJs were the only thing keeping turntable sales alive, which is why Technics didnt do any major redesigns.

[chronojae]

Probably the best tech review I've ever watched/heard! Your detailed way of analysis and creative descriptors is honestly unique. I just subscribed today and really look forward to exploring the rest of your content & future videos :-)

[thorenshammer]

The way I would describe the bass response of this turntable and cartridge, having one myself, is tight... you can hear the individual strokes of a kettle drum on a symphony recording, or the tightness in the note structures in bass cords on a bass guitar in any Jazz, Blues of Rock performance, which I find pleasing, because it doesn't overdrive the rest of the soundstage.

[kevinmoor]

I enjoyed the presentation and it pretty much summed up how I feel about this turntable. I'm not a fan of the 2M Red so installed something I prefer from scratch but overall I just love this 1500C. I picked the silver colourway.

[Lee.Higginbotham]

Been a technics fan since 1976!! Thanks for the great review and personal comments! The price alone for this would enrage the audio technica people!! They prefer to disassemble and try to improve the lack of quality parts and engineering while I prefer to doing a needle drop and enjoying my technics!!

[ericochoa]

Honestly though all the technics tables sold today can be used as audiophile tables. Even the 1200mk7 can be used as an audiophile table. All these turntables produce audiophile sound!

[Kevin_Carlson]

Another great review Andrew! I've always love the sound as well as the look and feel of Technics turntables. I used a couple Technics professional turntables in the 1980's - 90s when I worked in radio. Always wished I could take them home with me:)
Enjoy the music!

[ClemFandango]

AR - watching this now because I just bought this unit. Fun to watch your older stuff, you’ve gotten so much more comfortable and camera savvy 😂. Love your stuff