Turntables — Technics SL-1200MK7

The SL-1200MK7 is a direct-drive record player from the Technics DJ series, the model that brought the SL-1200 name back to club use. It combines a coreless direct-drive motor with digital motor control and supports scratch-style handling as well as reverse play. Its US list price is USD 1,299.99, which places it well below the Grand Class models of the brand.

Key specs that matter

Standard speeds are 33 1/3 and 45 rpm, and a switch enables 78 rpm. Pitch can be set in ranges of plus or minus 8 and 16 percent by digital control. Starting torque is 1.8 kg-cm, or 0.18 N-m, and it can be adjusted in four digital levels, while build-up time from standstill to 33 1/3 rpm is 0.7 seconds. Rated wow and flutter is 0.025 percent W.R.M.S., and the aluminium diecast platter is 332 mm in diameter and weighs about 1.8 kg including slipmat and slip sheet. Its universal static-balance arm offers an effective length of 230 mm, an overhang of 15 mm and a 22 degree offset angle, with arm height adjustable from 0 to 6 mm. The deck measures 453 x 169 x 353 mm and weighs about 9.6 kg. Power consumption is 8 W in operation and 0.2 W in standby.

Engineering and use context

The coreless motor is designed to eliminate cogging, with improved magnetic force and an optimised gap between rotor and stator, while microcomputer current control keeps normal rotation stable and responds to DJ techniques such as scratching. The chassis is a high-rigidity structure of aluminium and glass-fibre-reinforced material, standing on damping insulators. The strobe indicator can be switched between red and blue light, and a push-down high-brightness white LED stylus illuminator lights the groove in dark booths. Phono outputs are detachable gold-plated terminals, so the signal cable can be replaced rather than being fixed to the chassis. Reverse play lets the platter run backwards, a function used in DJ performance.

Pairing

The package includes a rubber slipmat, dust cover, 45 adapter, balance weight, headshell with cartridge mounting hardware, a stereo RCA cable, an earth cable and an AC power cord, so a user only needs to add a cartridge. The output then goes to a DJ mixer with phono inputs or to a separate phono preamplifier in a home system.

Alternatives

For home listening Technics also offers the SL-1200GR2, a direct-drive turntable with Delta-Sigma Drive motor control and a 2.5 kg aluminium platter.