Ok, Jazz-Vinyl wants a comparison between the 2 Technics. Amazingly, the 25 year old SL-Q2 still can hold it's speed dead on. At least I hear very good rhythm and pace. Their tonearms are very similar and they may actually share some of the same parts. The obvious lack of VTA is the SL-Q2's drawback, in my book. However, I have not modded the Q2 to the level I have the 1200. I now have the majority of the s tube of the tonearm wrapped in Teflon tape. The tape offers high damping characteristics while adding very little mass (approx. .15grams for an 18" long piece). The arms have the exact same geometrical specifications with regards to overhang, offset angle, pivot to spindle distance and even mass of the arm is identical. I will say that the 1200 may have a slightly lower end which I attribute to the massive underplinth of the 1200 as the 2 tables must differ in weight by 10 lbs (only an estimate). When all is said and done, I would say the 2 tables sound more alike than different. The anti-skating of the 2 behave identical and they even share the same headshell! Of course, the Q2 is a semi-automatic, so you get to hear the end of record noise and clunking, but that has almost no presence during playback. They both have the same hum issues to conquer and John has suggested that the hum is from piss-poor interconnect shielding and I agree with him. Right now I'm running the 1200 without the ground wire attached to the pre-amp (which made it louder). Insted, the ground wire is wrapped around the interconnects in a weave and left to dangle. This is very strange.
I do not have room for the Q2 on my table surface as there is only room for 4 and it sits waiting it's turn in the other room. I will swap out the Rega for it soon and do a real good one on one later.
I will say that the 1200 has come along way since I purchased it. I have done several tweaks and have also undone several tweaks and I have stopped fiddling with VTA. The 2 big Tweaks are the Teflon tape on the tonearm and the jumper wire across the (-) of both cartridge wire terminals. The later stopped hum big time. Oh yea, I forgot the mat (which we don't want to talk about) which has taken table noise out of the picture. Actually, the mat has done the most to produce a black background. The stock mat is too hard and transfers everything to LP. I also put 1000 centistroke liquid silicone on the horizontal needle bearings on the tonearm. Frank did this to the AR so I thought why not.
Right now the 1200 is played all the time. With a new album, the music comes from a completely black background and if the recording has natural reverb, you will definitely hear it. Cymbals go crash with a nice natural decay and vocals as well as piano have no tracking issues...at all. In fact my latest purchase is Depesche Mode, Playing the Angel and it is a superbly recorded album (2LP) that makes me want to listen to it over and over again.
Wayner
