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Audio Upgrades for the Technics SL1200 and SL1210

by: mgc200( 4362Feedback score is 1000 to 4,999) Top 5000 Reviewer
7 out of 8 people found this guide helpful.
Guide viewed: 1772 times Tags: Technics 1210 | Rega | Upgrade | DJ | Origin Live OL1


The Technics SL1200 and SL1210 Turntables have found great favour with DJ's. They are robust and have motor system that can withstand much abuse, making scratching and mixing the art form that it has become.
However from an audiophiles perspective the deck in its standard form lacks the detail and clarity expected of a high performance turntable and this is mainly due to the type and construction of the original tonearm.

Replacing the tonearm with a different unit may seem a bit extreme, but the rewards to be had with an upgraded tonearm such as the Rega RB250 or Origin Live OL1 in standard form just have to be heard, the deck is transformed, reproduction is much more musical, with a wealth of detail and clarity revealed  from the vinyl, and the bass clarity and weight, especially at high listening levels (what Technics isn't used at high levels!) is amazing, and of course you can always upgrade the Rega or Origin Live arms further with upgrade kits. The replacement Rega/Origin live arm will also still perform properly for DJ's and its improved tracking abilities will help ensure the stylus remains in the groove even in extreme situations.

The improved arm can also be fitted with a high quality Hi Fi cartridge rather than a heavy duty DJ style cartridge (although back-cueing would then NOT be recommended!) and the deck makes a fine transcription Hi Fi unit, and if transferring your precious records to your PC or MP3 player the quality of the audio transfer can be much improved.

In order to upgrade you will need to remove the original arm and fit a replacement armboard adapter onto which the new arm can be fitted, and the Origin Live DJ armboard enables this, so you can use a Rega RB250, RB300, RB600 or any Origin live arm with your Technics SL1200 or SL1210 turntable.(It does not fit the Technics SL150 unless you are prepared to drill the 4mm bolt holes yourself.)


The armboard is not only functional, but in itself is designed to massively improve the performance of your arm over other types or alternative boards. This is due to the extensive and renowned design experience in energy transmission that Origin Live have applied to the design - what seems a simple design has an almost infinite number of variations in configuration and materials used - the importance of the arm / turntable interface is critical - don't forget that any excess resonance gets magnified over one million times into the signal to your speakers. Eliminating excess resonance results in a vastly improved clarity and purity in the music.
Full fitting instructions are provided and you only need a normal DIY ability to do the job yourself - no electrical skill whatsoever is required.
You can also order the threaded VTA adjuster as an optional extra if you require easy and highly accurate VTA adjustment. However our DJ arms come with two 1.5mm thick spacing washers that you can use to set the height of the arm.

Once fitted, a Rega or Origin Live OL1 arm can then be fitted with the cartridge of your choice



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Guide ID: 10000000004033062Guide created: 19/07/07 (updated 21/06/08)

 
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