While lifting the platter from my Rega P3 (2000) to move its belt when changing speeds isn’t a huge drag, it can interrupt the flow. The SL-1500C can play full-length records and 45s with the push of a button, another nice-to-have convenience feature. I did make use of the cue lever to place and lift the tonearm, preferring its smooth steady ride to my hands’ hair raising shakes. While I get the appeal of auto-lift, I prefer to pay attention when I listen to records and getting up to lift the needle after 22 minutes of music, give or take, does not seem like too much to ask. Both of these features are optional, you can bypass the internal phono stage by using the “Phono Output”, as opposed to the “Line Level” output, and auto-lift can be killed with the flick of the rear-mounted switch. These include a built-in phono stage so you can send the SL-1500C’s output to any line-level input, and auto lift-up, which is meant to automatically lift the tonearm up at the end of a record’s side. There are a few convenience features packed into the SL-1500C, tipping its hand at plug and play. I took my time, read the very helpful manual, and followed the directions. I figure total setup time, including unboxing and cleanup, took me less than 2 hours. The included Ortofon 2M Red Moving Magnet (MM) Cartridge (US$99 when sold separately) arrives pre-mounted in the included (low mass) headshell, ready to be attached to the end of the classic Technics S-Shaped tonearm. Easy to set up, easy to use, easy to love. The SL-1500C is meant to be a no-fuss, no-muss deal. The Technics SL-1500C Direct Drive Turntable System (US$1200) is a direct descendant of the Technics SL-1200 adopting its single-rotor, coreless direct-drive motor, gimbal suspension construction and machined housing for a smooth stable ride but not its pitch fader or strobe light. In 2016 Panasonic, Technics parent company came to their senses and released a few new versions bearing the SL-1200 name. I very much doubt that Turntablism would be a thing without the SL-1200, which quickly became the DJs choice. The original Technics SL-1200 direct-drive turntable, perhaps the most influential turntable of all time, hit the scene in 1972 and remained in production until 2010. But we didn’t call ourselves “music lovers” or “audiophiles” or anything related to our passion for music because it was an integral part of our lives, as important as the worn Levi’s and boots we pulled on each morning before heading out for high school at the funny farm. As if just one Captain & Tennille single would taint the entire bunch, calling our character, and our seriousness as music lovers, into question. And by “we”, I mean damn near everyone I knew, and we were serious about who we’d let in. During the ensuing months, I bought the rest of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s studio records and live albums in the order of their release, listening through from beginning to end, over and over, until I could hear entire albums in my thoughts. Back in high school in the 1970s, a friend turned me onto Jimi Hendrix and I can remember cueing up side 1 of “Are You Experienced”, slipping my ear goggles on, and falling hard for a world I had heretofore only dreamed of. At less than an hour for both sides, it’s expm (experience per minute) is off the charts - maybe one reason why records have been known to change people’s lives. A 12” record spinning at 33 1/3 rotations per minute (rpm) can hold up to about 22 minutes of music per side.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |