Technics SL-1200MK2 Turntable

Pros: Offers plenty of great torque and accurate pitch adjustment.
Cons: Things are changing in the DJ business due to new technology (CD's, MP3's).

Bedroom DJ’s along with Professional DJ’s want solid equipment that will not only stand up to live audiences but also works in the wee hours of the night when you are mixing music alone with your headphones. Before purchasing Technics SL-1200MK2 ...

Pros: There's no substitution for a proper replacement headshell!
Cons: Perhaps a little costlier and a bit harder to find than universal types.

OK...why write a review on a simple tonearm headshell? Well...the fact of the matter is that over the course of my long and fun run of being a hi-fi bug, I have owned too numerous to mention various Technics turntables. Although I have never owned the ...

Pros: The best in the industry.
Cons: Audio cables are part of the tables and are questionable in quality

Cool, you are going to DJ?

So what turntables are you buying? If you answer anything other than 1200s its clear you either don't know what you are doing or aren't really serious about DJing.

Technics makes two different...

Pros: built like a tank
Cons: cheap audio cords

What can I say. This turntable is the industry standard for djing. These turntables has been around since 1979 and still sell strong. I can remember when I finally bought my 1200s. It was a dream come true because I knew these were the last...

Pros: built to last
Cons: EXPENSIVE!!!!!

The technics company has been making exceptional audio products since 1969 with the release of the SP-10 DIRECT DRIVE turntable. It was the first of its kind - a direct drive motor for a turntable!

Some ten years later Technics did some heavy...

Pros: Tough, strong, under-discussed hi-fidelity, pride of ownership
Cons: Doesn't need to be so expensive, no cart/stylus included

This started out way back in the 70s as a Rolls Royce home hi-fi component. When the disco boom started, people looked to the emerging direct-drive turntables as tough enough to take the abuse of heavy party play.

Come the 1200 MK2 in the late...

Pros: Simple to use, not expensive (by audiophile standards) and very well designed
Cons: Some tables sound better, but cost thousands more

I owned one of these tables for a couple of years. I'm an audiophile and still like the sound of LPs better than any digital medium. The SL1200 Mk2 is an example of what a huge company can do at a very reasonable price point. Audiophiles will try to say that no direct drive turntable can sound good, but that's nonsense. I did end up going back into the fancy belt drive world, but for what you spend on this Technics table, you get a hell of a lot.

Pros: The best in the business
Cons: Pricey(but worth it)

What can I say?? Having been a dj for over 15 years I still haven't found anything that even comes close in my honest opinion. When I first started "back in the day" I learned to mix on 2 terrible old belt drive turntables. If you are in a similar situation then prepare to be amazed. As soon as you get yourself on these your skills will improve ten-fold. I understand that when a DJ is starting out he might have to cut corners on cost but these are more than worth the money. They feel solid, the start up is second to none, they're made to last and if you ever start playing in clubs this is pretty much the industry standard.
Overall if you asked 10 DJ's from most genres which turntable they would choose, I think all 10 would say these, that's honestly how good they are!!

Pros: Solid design; tweaker's heaven; excellent sound; clean layout.
Cons: Can hit the power dial when intense spinning; must modify to detach cables. Nothing else...

This deck is structurally similar to all of the other variations that have been developed; all are very robust. The cast aluminum and rubber base give it a very solid foundation to resist skipping from large subwoofers at home or the club. As they have advertised for years, it has a great drive system, brake system and tone arm mechanism. It does not have the latest bells and whistles as compared to decks for other companies, but it does what it's designed to do very well. With a good needle and adjustments, it makes beautiful music as any vinyl collector should require. Even better than its clean design is the ability to tweak it quite extensively. Everything from increasing braking to changing lighting to converting all of the cables to be detachable, it's definitely worth an audition for anyone who's looking for a quality deck that will last well into the next few decades.

I have a pair of black ones...