There was the SP-10, which was most familiar in Mk2 form, and something pretty amazing in rare Mk3 form. The latest version is the SP-10R and likely up there with the very best.
The original SL-120/1200 Mk2 was a nice deck but I always preferred the SL-150 Mk2.
We used a pair of these with Piezo/Syntec tonearms when I did some radio DJing at school in the States.
The SP15 was a sort of SP10 “light” with perhaps more in common with the SL-150 Mk2.
Good system. Are the amps configured for biamping?
Thanks, Richard.
The photo there shows just the turntable and what looks like a cut-out for an SME style arm. I recall a deck in brushed aluminium, which had a turntable section that was smaller, barely wider than the platter itself, and with no tonearm mount. It was mounted in a massive (obsidian?) plinth with a separate (but built in) armboard, and was so heavy that it would tear any normal shelf off a wall. I recall a blank SME style cut out for the arm, but I have also seen photos with a proprietary Technics brushed stainless steel tonearm onboard. There was a power supply housed in a separate black and stainless steel box.
I have now been able to look it up. It has the model number SP 10R. (My Mac is under the weather and won’t post photos, but some kind person may be able to do that for me,)
All in all, a complete monster, which made Linn’s offering look very puny at the time. I ended up with the Linn, which I still have today, although hugely modded.
Sounds like the Technics plinth for the SP10 MK2 & 3. The whole package was the SL-1000.
Hi Graham - I heard the SL1200G a few months back, with DV 10x5 cartridge. As well as the yellow version Ian2001 showed, there’s the 1500C - £879, and the 1200GR - £1089, and the 1200G - £3499. The 1200G is the one folks think is a high end Rega/low end LP12 competitor. It has had some spectacularly good reviews from some people. I’m thinking about replacing my Systemdek IIXE with one, and should be demoing in September against an Origin Live Aurora and Gyrodec.
I think the 1200G looks amazing, and is a dead ringer for the original SL1200, the Gyrodec is also obviously a classic 
I did not have long with the 1200G - but did manage to listed to a few tracks on it, and my Systemdek. It was certainly an upgrade. Looking forward to trialing it against the OL and Michell.
I don’t know, is the Gyrodec vintage, even if you can still buy it?
It is so beautiful I want one just for display.
Yes to still available.
yeah, sorry, that wasn’t worded right, can we still call it vintage whilst it is still in production? Looks amazing either way 8)
If an LP12 is vintage then so is this.
Interesting to see the appearance of Sinclair HiFi posted by Innocent Bystander. I purchased a Sinclair “System 2000” tuner around 1973 which looked great, (in the adverts) especially the way the colour changed on the tuning dial, but everything else about it was rubbish. Sir Clive Sinclair’s quest for minimising the size of electronics meant that the tuner looked ridiculously small compared to the rest of my standard sized hi fi gear (Ferrograph F208 amp, Goldring Lenco GL78 deck and Akai 4000DS tape deck), the sound was fairly thin, but worst of all was the fact the tuner’s sensitivity was so poor, it could only receive the nearest, most powerful FM stations in the vicinity. It also made a dreadful crackling noise when tuning between stations. Awful quality, unlike the claims made in the advertisement which I suspect lured me into buying it. It was replaced by a second hand Quad FM3.
Interestingly the Sinclair Project 60, my first system’s amp, advocated star earthing, and sound quality seemed adequate (at least in the context at the time (entire DIY system costing only £60 -I guess equivalent to around £1k today), and better to my and others’ ears than systems costing twice that in the local hifi shops, other than somewhat diminished too end (limitation of the supposedly full range speaker driver). However, I suspect that if I were to try one of those amps now I’d be singularly unimpressed. IIRC Richard Dane has said on here that this amp was Julian Vereker’s inspiration - because he was sure he could do far better!
My posting of the Neoteric was for its looks, though I think Back in the day I had read some review or other that was impressed.
Originally they were when I had B&W 805ns on them, with b100 on bass and b300 on mid/top as the speakers enabled bi-wire. Tried it other way round with 300 on bass as most might run it but the b100 is so good there it was better the other way around.
These days the b100 is used as a pre and b300 all the juice as the Gurus are single wired and very easy load. In last few years I bought the phono stage to fit in the b100 so have to use it active/powered, else used to use it as passive pre amp.
I just wish they would go back to this styling and reissue the amazing DM10, that was an incredible amp but they reckon a massive loss leader to establish the brand.
Densen and Guru are a great match, sonically and visually. But then the Gurus sound amazing on Naim as well, have two pairs of them, Mk1’s are on the bench at the moment.
Just love those speakers…it would be worth taking xovers out…and replacing them with parts from GR Research…I bet that would be awesome…using same values as original…
It is said that he bought up a stack of ‘seconds transistors’ which were being sent for road fill. Such was his grip on costs. It must have been frustrating to be one of his designers, “no that’s too expensive, make it cheaper!”
Sinclair always looked like a nasty little ferret, so it’s no great surprise to hear that he was a tightwad.
There’s a great little shop in McCoy’s Arcade in Exeter - a one man band selling/refurbing hifi, typewriters, cameras etc. I popped in today and saw a beast of a machine - a 1970s Yamaha stereo receiver (this one, I think). Huge thing but struck me as a beautiful piece of machinery. It wasn’t for sale - the proprietor was refurbing it for a customer.
I bought a pair of Kef Celeste IV with matching stands second hand back when I was a student. I thought they looked amazing.
I’ve never auditioned my 1210G(AE) against either of these, but my Perpetuum Ebner PE1010 mk2 was much better than a P6 and a serious competitor for the bottom spec LP12, despite being significantly cheaper. My Technics is far better than the PE.
As such I doubt it’s a competitor for a low end LP12, there should be no competition.
I’ve never heard a high end LP12 FWIW.
That’s great to hear, I’m really looking forward to giving it a serious demo. Thanks for the post n-lot
Far more intresting shop opposite though!
