Technics SL-1200MK7 Direct Drive Turntable

The direct drive system uses a slow-turning motor to directly drive the platter. This system has various advantages. It offers high performance, such as rotation accuracy and powerful torque, does not require replacement of parts and maintains high reliability over a long period of time. On the other hand, the direct drive system was said to produce a rotation irregularity called cogging. For the SL-1200MK7, a new coreless direct drive motor was developed. This motor employs a coreless stator. The removal of the core (iron core) from the stator eliminated the root cause of cogging. Furthermore, the magnetic force of the rotor magnets was improved to the highest possible level, and the gap between the coreless stator and rotor magnets was optimised, thus achieving high-torque-performance equaling that of the SL-12-00MK5. Boasting smooth rotation and powerful torque, this motor reproduces sound accurately and faithfully from the groove on an analogue record.

The pitch control function allows fine adjustment of the rotation speed within ±8% / ±16%. It does this through digital control, from positional detection of the slider to rotational control of the motor, eliminating the unnecessary DA conversion. This greatly improves tracking performance to achieve accurate and stable pitch adjustment.

The reverse play function, which brings forth new possibilities of creative performance, makes its first appearance in the SL-1200 Series. In addition to 33-1/3 rpm and 45 rpm, a rotation speed of 78 rpm is supported.

The tonearm, which has continued to support the leading edge of the DJ scene for many years, inherits the highly reliable static-balance universal S-shape tonearm. Using high-precision bearings, it achieves a higher initial-motion sensitivity than the SL-1200MK6. This accurately tracks the groove on the phonorecord to assure excellent tracking performance with minimum stylus jumping even in harsh playing conditions such as scratching.

The stylus illuminator features a new push-type structure for intuitive operation, and employs a high-brightness and long-life white LED. The illumination area and intensity were reviewed to provide improved visibility of the stylus tip even in a dark environment.

The power and phono cable terminals allow detachment of the cables. The phono terminals are gold-plated to minimise sound quality degradation. Since the terminals allow disconnection of the cables, maintenance of the cables is easier.

The chassis, an essential part for reducing external vibrations, inherits the audio quality enhancement technology fostered through the development of high-end turntables. The aluminium die-cast chassis is rigidly integrated with a special material consisting of ABS mixed with glass fibre to achieve a two-layer construction. The combination of this special high-rigidity material and a metal chassis raised the rigidity and vibration-damping performance to higher levels, realising a robust cabinet for beautiful sound reproduction. The insulator is comprised of a spring and rubber to provide optimal frequency characteristics. This not only assures high sound quality and superb howling resistance, but also effectively shuts out external vibrations under high sound level conditions.