Scored this direct-drive beauty from a second-hand store for $20. Underneath 22 years of grime & dirt lay one magnificent sounding turntable. Soundstage is very deep, precise, & nicely detailed. Excellent mid-range and very clear & open top-end, with pianos & horn sections sounding just right. Bass response very tight & punchy, with bass guitars nicely rendered. I love this turntable for jazz & classical music, as it seems to make that type of music really shine. Stability of speed is very, very good. All in all, a really nice turntable, which apparently can be tweaked to sound even better.

Speed is very stable. Decent tonearm

Resonant base (plinth) and platter somewhat lightweight.

I have owned the SL-D2 since I bought it new in 1979. It has performed flawlessly.
Not a top of the line for sure but a very decent performer for your average Joe the plumber. Since I also own a Technics SL-1400 which is direct offshoot of the famous SL-1200s, I will compare the two. Yes, the SL-D2 in not made for DJ use. It is aimed for home use. It has a plastic top plinth instead of metal like the 1400. The platter isn't as massive but the motor and tonearm seem to be essentially the same. I don't think that there is a significant difference in sound quality between the two. A couple of simple mods can help either turntable: 1. apply some sort of damping like plasti-clay to the underside (inside) of the turntable to reduce motor vibrations from reaching the tonearm and 2. experiment with different record mats.

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Technics SL-1400
Rega P2

GREAT SOUNDING TURNTABLE-DIRECT DRIVE-SEMI AUTOMATIC OPERATION-GREAT CUEING MECHANISM.

NOW THAT THE STROBE SPEED IS CURED,NOTHING AT ALL.

I bought this turntable way back in the late 70's and it is still playing great.I was going to buy a new direct drive turntable because i was having a problem with the speed drifting really bad,it just would not stay locked in.I read another review of this turntable,and he said to spray the strobe locking mechanism with some contact cleaner,which i did.Now it plays like the day i bought it.I just installed a new audio technica cartridge,and my old record collection of about 100 lp's never sounded better.This is not a high end turntable like the SL-1200 that the DJ'S use,but for home use i think it might last another 25 years.What a bargin.

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NONE-THIS IS THE ONLY TURNTABLE I EVER OWNED.

Rock solid speed, dead nuts on. Zero variation of strobe walk. Set it and play away. Cheap as dirt used now. Not as nice looking as a Pioneer, but every bit as good. Accepts the Pioneer screw-on, 4-pin headshell, easily, which looks a little nicer actually.

This one had a broken RCA jack, and was only playing out of one channel, which is most likely why I got it so cheap, and why it was retired at one time. Easy fix though.

I've been spinning vinyl for around 35 years. Own 2 other Pioneer turntables and 2 other Technics turntables. They are all belt drive. Saw this at a friends garage, said he'd take $10 for it, brought it home. Left side didn't work, turned out to be a bad RCA connector. Found it by removing the bottom, and checking both cables with a cheap Radio Shack multimeter I have. Took the connector apart, the center wire was broken off the solder on the plug end. Cut it off, spliced a new connector on. Presto. Plays great. It had a cheapo needle/cart on it, so I plugged in the high-end headshell/cart/needle assembly from my "best" table, a Pioneer PL-516. Guess what, every bit as good sound as any of my other turntables. AND GET THIS, MUCH MORE STABLE on the speed than my other tables. Rock solid actually. The belt drive tables I have walk around pretty much, and will never be rock solid. Also the belts melt away after 5+ years, esp. if stored in hot attics, etc. And belts aren't cheap, either. I consider myself a low-end audiophile. This fills the bill nicely. Having a good ear, and can hear things in music most others can't, this is a great turntable. Will most likely be selling all but 1 of my other belt drive turntables now, no need for them, that's just how good this is.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PL-516, 2 other Technics, one other Pioneer.

To the guy above me, Please never write a review agian, Thanks. I picked this up for really cheap at a flea market, no problems with it, except it sends an especially quite signal to my amp, I think it might be loose phono cable, or the needle. Other than that these tables are great for me, wouldnt pay over $35 for them though

when I first got it it had some instability in drtive speed, some contactspray on the pitch control solved this, and it is very steady at the moment, I love the sound

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sl 1200

always works

not prety and made of plast if some one wil pay me 50 £ i sell

good but not a plesure for your eyes easy to ajust and verry steddy

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Rega Planar, Thorens

Apart from the cables it is totaly reliable. Good tone arm. Good resistance to feedback.

Awful phono cables. Poor start time and torque mean these are no good for DJing. The automatic return mechanism will kick in if you only want to play the last track of an album. This is extremely annoying.

Had this from new in about 1981 and it's been in constant use since. I threw the Technics cartridge away years ago though. Apart from the phono cables which are terrible, it has been totally reliable. These cable seem to go intermitent at the phono plug end and replacing the plugs only seems to fix the problem temporarily. Its a fairly easy job to change the whole cable if you're handy with a soldering iron.

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Most of Technics range

Good all around turntable, not high end, but good bang for the buck

Interconnects,

Purchased new in 1980''s , has been a workhorse. Actually had it in the attic for 7 years, ( cd crazy ) pulled it back out, got the vinyl out, and it did not miss a beat. I use it with my H-K and klipsch klf-30''s, am currently using it hooked to my PC, archiving lots of vinyl to CD, then back to the H-K it goes ...

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has been the only turntable I have ever owned, outside of an old BIC

sound for the price

direct drive, interconnects hard-wired to back of unit

Not bad at all for a turntable. Has direct drive motor, but still good bang for the buck if you can find one cheap.