Technics Grand Class SL-1200GR2, SL-1300G, and SL-1200G
Listening Part 2 – the Turntables
SL-1200GR2
With huge anticipation, I started with the SL-1200GR2. Given its relatively modest price point and considering it is the baby of the Grand Class collection, I wondered if it would pull up much ahead of the SL-1200MKkII. But pull ahead, it did!
SL-1200GR2 and the classic SL-1210MkII side by side
The SL-1200GR2 is much more fluid and delicate, more highly resolving, and very significantly more musical. It remains foot-tappingly enthusiastic, very linear, and very neutral, but, in comparison, the classic 1200MkII sounds rough, flat, grey, and relatively quite messy as well. The latter aspect did not leap out so far because it gets masked by its upfront and exciting nature, but the new SL-1200GR2 is so much more refined that it’s not even funny.
This is only the first and most affordable of the three players. Still, it already illustrates the effectiveness of the countermeasures Technics has taken to eradicate Direct-Drive motors from their traditional downsides, such as restlessness and lack of flow. Sure enough, the SL-1200GR2 has shed a good portion of the classic player’s “hifi” nature and has become more mature and massively more musical.
Compared to the two Thorens players, there are differences in character, and that’s only logical. At first glance, the GR2 could be said to sound more neutral than the more full-bodied and more deeply saturated Thorens players. On balance, however, compared to a wide range of turntables, I would say that the GR2 moves beyond the strictly neutral middle and verges to the lean and tonally pastel side.
Tonality and body are personal aspects, and the balance of these also ties in with personal taste and the rest of the audio system. However, much to my surprise, the new Technics player effortlessly illustrates a similar level of liquidity and flow as the Thorens players. I find it quite telling that even the baby Grand Glass exhibits certain qualities that, so far, were more typical for belt-drive turntables.
It should not be brushed over that Direct-Drive also has its unique perks, such as its excellent bass control and -precision and impeccable pitch stability. In these fields, even the baby Grand Class player outperforms the best belt-drive alternatives. Thanks to the new techniques implemented in the new player, these advantages are no longer accompanied by the typical downsides that have plagued the Direct Drive system for so long.
The net result is a turntable that eclipses the performance of the classic SL-1200 series, providing a detailed, refined, and engaging musical performance at an attainable price point. If it weren’t for the other two turntables to be reviewed, I would already have been impressed with the improvements.
SL-1200GR2 and SL-1300G side by side
Having mentioned the Denon DL-103R cartridge and the Denon DP-3000NE Direct-Drive turntable, it is fair to expect a comparison between the two turntables. Making solid conclusions without having the two products side by side is tricky. But for what it’s worth, from memory, the two players sound different but perform on an overall similar level. I would describe the Denon as sounding fuller, warmer, and more relaxed, while the Technics offers a more open and detailed sound.
SL-1300G
Whereas the platters of the classic SL-1210MkII and the new SL-1200GR2 rest on the spindle without further fixation, the SL-1300G’s platter is assembled differently. With this player (as well as the SL-1200G), the motor magnets are fixed to a sub-platter assembly, and because of this, the platter itself has to be screwed in position. As I found, it is crucial to have the three screws in place. Sure enough, the platter rotates just fine without them, but the sound is not the same as with the screws in place. Precisely as one might expect, given the analogy, the number of screws used and the torque are directly proportional to the perceived tightness and control of the sound. Contrary to my advice for the arm height lock (see Sidenotes), I would recommend against experimenting with the tension of these three screws and just screwing them in hand-tight.
After hearing the SL-1200GR2, I thought the rest of the range would sound more or less similar and predominantly just enhanced in certain areas. But I could not have been more wrong, as the SL-1300G is an entirely different animal! Clearly, there’s more to this player than a simplified top panel.
Coming from the SL-1200GR2, the SL-1300G sounds so much fuller, smoother, and tonally richer, as well as more relaxed. Whereas the SL-1200GR2 still has a remnant of the SL-1200 series’ “Hi-Fi” origin, the SL-1300G most assuredly starts to enter the high-end arena. Timbres are riper, more natural, and more realistic, and the player manages to unveil yet another layer of resolution. With its full-bodied bass and overall smoothness, any trace of leanness has vanished; instead, the player sounds more like a heavyweight mass-loaded esoteric specimen. Also, quite impressively, the SL-1300G paints a broader and deeper soundstage with an even lusher and more free-flowing liquidity.
No strobe for the SL-1300G; instead, a cleaner aesthetic with no distracting lights
Its voluptuous bass is impressive and addictive, and the deeper tonal saturation eradicates any preconceived notions of how the classic SL-1200 series used to sound. The SL-1300G is calm, well-composed, and relaxed and sounds a little dark compared to the SL-1200GR2 and the classic SL-12010MkII, as well as the two Thorens players.
One way of looking at this is to assume that the SL-1300G has hitherto unmatched low levels of distortion. However, I think it is more likely that the SL-1300G is specifically tuned for maximum musicality, making it sound even less stereotypically “Direct-Drive-esque”, and, in the process, smoother, darker, and more relaxed than earlier Technics players.
In any case, the SL-1300G is massively more musical than the SL-1200GR2, and incomparably more mature, emotionally engaging, and lyrical than the classic player.
In part 1, the cartridge comparisons, I mentioned using the AT-VM750SH Shibata MM cartridge to form my initial baseline conclusions of all turntables while using the AT-VM740ML MicroLinear counterpart as an alternative. The SL-1300G is where this alternative cartridge came into play.
The Shibata variant worked superbly well with the SL-1200MkII and SL-1200GR2, providing an outstanding balance between precision and smoothness. With the SL-1300G, however, I found that my preference shifted. The Shibata cartridge could still be ideal when looking for the most liquid and most satisfyingly smooth musicality. However, I found that the AT-VM740ML provided similar refinement and a bit more bite and bounce to lend more spriteliness to the sound. Meanwhile, the player’s full-bodied nature successfully counteracted the cartridge’s slight tendency to sound lean or dry.
With either cartridge, however, I have to hand it to the player for having a similar level of tonal saturation, calmness, relaxation, and flow as the Thorens players, something I sure did not expect going into this review. We’re talking Direct-Drive versus Belt-Drive, after all.
Although again diminished, a difference in house sound and particular strong suits remains. Between the TD1601 with either TP-92 or TP-160 tonearm and the SL-1300G, the latter provides the most stable, incisive, and robust bass, along with an overall level of confidence and solidity that is hard to obtain with a belt-drive turntable. On the other hand, the TD1601, especially when outfitted with the TP-160 tonearm, has a lusher and more delicate quality and a certain emotion-eliciting quality that is hard to define. In terms of resolution, delicacy, and precision, however, it is very, very close.
Relative differences aside, it is essential to highlight that while the classic SL-1200MkII can be criticized for not sounding lyrical or lacking soul, the SL-1300G confidently wipes these arguments off the table. Clearly, the situation is not as straightforward as it once seemed.
Next: Listening continued, AT-OC9XML cartridge, and Conclusion
