Technics SL-1200G Help

Hi-Fi Corner
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I have decided to dip my toe into the world of vinyl and have picked up a used Technics SL-1200G.

I am looking for some advice as to what cartridge to use with it. As this is my first turntable maybe I should start with a cheaper cart and upgrade to a better one later?

Any help appreciated!

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Amp phono input specs:-

PHONO (MM) : 2.5mV / 47kĪ©
PHONO (MC) : 0.3mV / 100Ī©

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There are plenty of decent carts. A lot of SL-1200 users pair it with Dynavector MC. I use Sumiko MM like the Moonstone.

The quality and synergy with your phono stage will play a big role too. Ortofon seems like a great match with the Technics also but donā€™t always play nice with Naim phono stages.

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Thanks. I was looking at the Sumiko Amethyst as the specs seem to match my Luxman amp. I will look into Dynavector now.

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FWIW I used my 1200 with the Sumiko into my Luxman ampā€™s MM input and it was, quite frankly, crazy good.

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If you are crazy enoughā€¦ but need to order special weights from Japan as well. A real heavy cart

My other cart is the Denon 110 Anniversary DL- A110

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DV 10x5 on my 1200G - nothing to compare it to, but very very happy with the sound.

Not sure thereā€™s any good reason to start with a cheaper one other than affordability. Just take time and care mounting it, and cue up equally carefully at first, you should be fine. Whatā€™s the reason you want to start cheaper? The 1200s are very easy to use, so accidents should be rare if youā€™re careful.

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The detachable headshell makes mounting much less stressful too!

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Just make sure the cartridge height is 17mm or greater - thatā€™s as low as the SL1200G arm can go. Otherwise, youā€™ll be messing with cartridge shims or thicker mats.

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Lots of choice all down to your wallet id recommend any Ortofon 2m cartridge or the Project which are rebadged ones cheap as chips too

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Iā€™ve tried a fair few carts over the years and Iā€™d suggest you start by buying a Denon DL103R and enjoying it for a while. Itā€™s such a great VFM cartridge, it takes quite a lot to beat it. Itā€™s not the last word in refinement but boy oh boy is it good fun to listen to! Itā€™s the cartridge equivalent of the SuperNait amps.

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I paired the Hana SL moving coil (Ā£639) with my new Technics 1200 GR through a Rega Aria phono stage. Sound quality is very impressive and a massive upgrade over my previous Project Experience Ortofon blue and Rega fono. Your deck is a higher spec than my GR so surely it deserves the best cartridge you can afford to get the best from it.

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Yes it probably does but the OP stated heā€™s dipping his toe into the world of vinyl, so youā€™ve got to start somewhere and dropping mega bucks on a cart you donā€™t really know/havenā€™t heard is probably not the way to go.
Letā€™s say you have a Ā£1-1.5k budget, there are tens and tens of cartridges at that price point which are all excellent in their own way, but Iā€™m not sure Iā€™d want to spend that kinda money on something I wasnā€™t sure would be what I really wanted. Better (imho) to buy something relatively safe but decent for now and then explore further afield later.

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Thanks for the replies, lots to look into :grin:

My budget can be around 1k, I was worried that as a novice starting with a high value cartridge may not be the best idea, but as advised above the 1200G deserves a good cartridge.

A couple of questions for you experts:-

My amp specifies 2.5mV for MM and 0.3mV for MC, how close to these numbers do I need to be? For example the Orton 2M Black is showing as 5mV output, would this saturate my pre-amp?

Compliance, do I need to worry about this?

Thanks again for the help guys. :+1: :pray:

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Unfortunately, this is one of the cartridges that falls foul to the SL1200Gā€™s limited adjustability. Itā€™s only 14mm tall, so your VTA is off unless you want to use a 3mm spacer or a 3mm thicker mat.

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Fair point (although who knows how the OP likes to have their VTA set), but a friend of mine had a G with a ā€˜cappedā€™ 103r and it sounded wonderful. The Cap adds about 1.5mm I think and it certainly worked well.
Another option Iā€™d recommend for this situation, is something from the Ortofon Quintet range (Blue or Bronze) as they should be a good fit from the off, sound great and can be used as an exchange towards any of the more expensive Ortofons at a later date.

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Another vote for the Ortofon 2M series of cartridges.

Ortofon offer these in a ā€œpremountedā€ version. These allow the headshell supplied with the deck to be removed and replaced with a premounted 2M cartridge and headshell. So much easier than fiddling with bolts and wires, and allows for swapping of cartridges as and when required.

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Hana ML would be a great match at sensible moneyā€¦

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Depends on your definition of sensible money. Iā€™d say that an ML is venturing into ā€˜Properā€™ money!

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in reference to a 1200g I reckon itā€™s an appropriate level of cart choice for the deckā€¦ Agree it is proper money - but so is a 1200gā€¦ I can only imagine the trouble i would have gotten myself into if my first foray into Vinyl had been a deck like this instead of my el cheapo Akai!!

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