Technics SL1200mk2 Prices these days

I'm looking to scoop up a nice TT. I have never been a DJ and only used really cheap ones in the past for sampling.

I know these things can go for ridiculous prices these days and I don't want to get ripped off.

I want a really clean one but just wondering if any of you DJ heads could enlighten me on what an acceptable price range would be. I've seen them go for $450-$950.

Also would ANY DJ mixer do or should I buy just a separate phono pre.

also i'm in Canada so I would expect they would cost a little more than USA

Expect to pay $450 and up for a 1200 these days. But if you only need a good deck to sample with, I can suggest a lot of other Technics models that'll sound just as good. If you want a fully manual deck, go for the SL1500, SL1800, SL-D1, SLQ1, SL5100, and many others. Those are fully manual, direct drive, and have S shaped tone arms for the same overhang measurement of the 1200s.

Prices vary with all those models, depending on the condition. You could find a cheap deck that'll work just fine for sampling and listening to your albums for around $50-$150. What you save can go towards a good cartridge and a preamp. Most mixers have shitty preamps. I've seen some decent preamps for $50. You can get them cheaper, but anything less expensive is not gonna sound as good. These are good for the money...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/191276351191?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I would say 450 is a very decent price. If it's a mint one, i would say 950 is still ok, but that has to be like new, without a single scratch and barely ever used, including original box, etc.

I think many of the technics 1200s MKII at the moment are overpriced. I would not pay more than 600, and that has to be mint. Consider thos prices are without a cartridge.

People think just because they are discontinued, they are worth their weight in gold now. Look at the MPC2500... people are selling them already with descriptions like: "Most thought after MPC, not available new anymore, blabla..." and then they want 1000 bucks for a model with 16MB, no HDD and no CD-drive.

There's people in switzerland trying to sell their techs for over 1000 bucks.

I wouldn't pay more than 600, no matter the condition. I bought mine a few years ago still sealed in the box for 550. Was from an audio store that never sold it and closed the business.

As far as preamps and mixers go... if all you want to do with the turntable is to listen to records and sample them, consider a regular preamp or hifi-amp with a phono-pre. Those will usually sound much better than a regular DJ-Mixer.

I recommend the Cambridge Audio 640p. Or maybe they came out with a newer and better model for less money, it's worth googling a little... When i bought mine a few years ago, you could read in countless reviews how it sounds as good as many other phono-pres that cost a thousand dollars or more. Best bang for buck is an understatement with this one.

I'd consider getting the new Pioneer deck over a used Technics.

Coz wrote:I'd consider getting the new Pioneer deck over a used Technics.

Excuse me for being the skeptical guy here...

I've had a Stanton ST-150 for a few weeks this year. Bought it new and sold it again after using it instead of the 1210MKII. Mind you, i only use it for listening and sampling. I used it once for scratching shortly before i sold it (and i am a complete beginner at scratching, so can't really say a lot in this regard).

So, i wonder how this Pioneer TT will hold up in a direct comparison to the techs.

When i started using the Stanton, i was thinking: "Woah, this thing is just as solid as the 1210! And it sounds great too!", etc. I mainly bought it for the higher playback speeds compared to the techs. However... as soon as i switched back to the 1210 i could notice the difference again.

The Stanton has a very nice build quality, feels solid, very very similar design to the techs, etc. But in a direct comparison, the 1210 wins by faaaaaaaar.
Play around with the tonearm a little, feel it with your hands, feel the build quality, etc.... one feels like a swiss army knife, like a perfect sculpture modeled out of a solid block, like something built to last forever. The other feels not as nice, not as solid, almost "cheap" in a direct comparison... I'm sorry to say it, but the one that feels solid is the technics 1210.

Again, i'm a beginner at scratching, but the technics performed better here as well. Both turntables were correctly calibrated, the technics performed better (better feel, less needle skipping, etc).

The most obvious difference: The Stanton has HORRIBLE platter noise compared to the 1210.

I'd be happy to try those Pioneers and to be proved wrong.

EDIT: And please don't say: "But Qbert said they are good!". We've all seen enough videos of Pete Rock and friends praising the Renaissance.

jibber wrote:So, i wonder how this Pioneer TT will hold up in a direct comparison to the techs.

Pioneer make industry standard gear so they know what they're doing, and I'm sure it'll be comparable.

I never got misty-eyed about Technics turntables to be honest, and when manufacturers starting upping the specs in the 90s (higher torque and pitch range) I lost what little interest I had.

The Stanton ST-150 makes for a far better sampling deck IMO... higher torque, wider pitch range, plays 78s, reverse, digital out, key correction. Each to their own though.

It actually sounds better if you pitch the samples with an S950 or something like that. So 78rpm mode was pointless for me after hearing how it sounds actually.

And well, our opinions might differ here. For sampling, the most important thing IMO is sound quality. I prefer less platter noise and a better sounding signal over a "modern" TT with blue lights to blind me.

It's not misty-eyed by the way. I had both the Stanton and Technics side by side for a few weeks. All people who visited and tried them hands on in the time i had both, agreed without a doubt, Stanton feels cheap and sounds inferior in a direct comparison. I was ready to ditch the 1210 in my music setup, use it only as a listening turntable connected to the HIFI system and to put the Stanton in its place as a sampling turntable. It wasn't misty-eyed at all. I simply went for the better product in the end.

I'm not a brand guy at all. I got an Opel (Vauxhall) speedster for a car. It's a "copy" of a Lotus Elise, basically the same chassis of an elise, produced in the same factory as the elise, but with a different body, an Opel badge, and a few grand cheaper than an elise. It's arguably the better car (engine, gearbox, etc) than the elise, but has an opel badge. Many people prefer to pay more and have a Lotus badge on the car. I bought the Opel/Vauxhall because it's the "same" (better) car for less money. I would have kept the Stanton if it was actually better than the Technics.

But hey, i know you got a Stanton ST150...

EDIT: Did you ever try the line out of the Stanton? Even worse audio quality (i used the phono out, just tried the line out once to hear how it sounds (also the tempo shift function in line out mode where you can change tempo but pitch will stay the same, sounds pretty awful). Can't say anything about the digital out tho... I admit it's not a fair comparison with the line out, since i ran the phono out via a good phono preamp that is obviously going to sound better than the built in phono pre of the Stanton.

Anyway, i'm out. Just wanted to share my 2 cents because i had both the Stanton and Techs to compare to each other. This is why i'm very skeptical on these Pioneers. But you are right, Pioneer actually makes quality products, so i might be wrong.

jibber wrote:But hey, i know you got a Stanton ST150...

Nope, I got a STR8-150 actually.

I got it dirt cheap a while back in pretty grubby condition, but it's cleaned up well. Sounds like you bought a dud with the issues you're describing. I've never heard noticeable platter noise with mine, and that's with decent studio monitors 2 feet from my ears.

I proper jump in sound quality would mean moving away from DJ turntables and into audiophile stuff, but I can't see that happening any time soon.

I'm sure the Pioneer's will be measured inside out and back to front against the Technics. We'll see how that pans out...

jibber wrote:I would say 450 is a very decent price. If it's a mint one, I would say 950 is still ok, but that has to be like new, without a single scratch and barely ever used, including original box, etc.

Agree with your there Jibber, but I wouldn't pay more then 900 for a pair tho.

Lampdog wrote:I still have xmen and isp battle on vhs tape. Long time fan of both.
RIP Roc Raida.

Same here Lamp

Coz wrote:the new Pioneer deck

Thanks for the video, remember DJ Q-Bert letting it slip out a while back in an interview that pioneer where releasing a turntable, looks quite nice

Tag One The Fader Fiend wrote:Jibber, Coz

It's horses for courses I'm afraid fellas I've used Technics 1200, 1210, Stanton STR8-150, Numark TTX1, Vestax PDX 2000, PDX 2000mk2, PDX3000, QFO, QFO LE DX and a few more that have skipped my memory. I have to say I feel at home on the Vestax turntables, sure they are not as well built as the Technics and don't have the same durability and reliability that the 1200/1200 have but to me they feel comfortable to use and I enjoy using them. Have a friend that won't spin on anything else apart from Technics, but at the end of the day it's each to their own

Coz wrote:
Nope, I got a STR8-150 actually.

I got it dirt cheap a while back in pretty grubby condition, but it's cleaned up well. Sounds like you bought a dud with the issues you're describing. I've never heard noticeable platter noise with mine, and that's with decent studio monitors 2 feet from my ears.

Yeah but that's the same except for the straight tonearm?

It wasn't a dud. It was working and sounding as it should. Don't get me wrong, i'm exaggerating how bad it sounds. It actually sounds quite ok! But in a direct comparison... platter noise from the Stanton!! The overall signal sounds better on the Technics too (better definition/dynamics, better stereo signal). I tested both tables with the Stanton cartridge and with a Shure m97blabla, as they are interchangeable. I also calibrated them for each cartridge using correct weights and stuff with a tonearm scale, etc. It wasn't a dud. Technics sounds better (not worlds apart, but clearly better with less platter noise).

PS: I believe we have the same studio monitors. So can't be the AX7s fault either.

PS2: The question is who will test the pioneers against the techs. A reliable source or "private" DJs who just bought a pair. Before i bought the Stanton, i've read many reviews from people who bought them. Even the guy in the store told me again when i asked: "Yeah man, they sound even BETTER than the Technics! A lot better!". That's why the qbert video does as much for me as the video of Pete Rock saying the MPC Renaissance is the shit.

i got my technics 1200 mk2 on ebay for 400 + $45 for shipping. but if I had gotten payed a week sooner I could have gotten one for 350, a collector guy sold 3 good looking ones for that cheap. you could hold out and pay bottom dollar for a clean one.
and i payed 250 for a technics sh-dj1200 mixer on ebay, free shipping.

Whatitdew wrote:. I've seen them go for $450-$950.

At first I thought ya'll crazy, but I checked and indeed
they go for 400 euro's and more here in the Netherlands.


Ridiculous.

I bought a vestax pdx 2000 when they just got out for like 500 euro.

I bought 2 vestax pdx 2000 a few years back for 100 each.

I am not a pro but the Technics are not that much better than those vestax.

peace

I was at the pawn shop about a week ago. Them shits was selling for $400 like it was 1991 or something. The price never seems to go down. I have been using the same pair 1200's for about 15 years now. They are built like TANKS.