Technics 1200 PS and Tonearm mods

[recca]

I have a pair of 1200 MK3D's that I like quite a bit for DJ use. Too bad my evil audiophile side tells me there's more to be had out of these. So I did the research and found the Origin Live Rega arm adapters which allow the use of Rega arms on the 1200's. I like that idea and will probably move towards a pair of modded 250's shortly.

I've also seen the outboard power supply by KAB which looks like it would make a big difference in sound as well. Has anyone tried a DIY upgrade to the PSU on the 1200's? I'd love to be able to build my own rather than buy this one.

Service Manual can be downloaded here: 1200 Service Manual and here: 1200 LTD Manual

Both are multipart so download all parts before extracting.

Excellent scan of Circuit Diagrams here: Circuits

Links are working kinda strangely so here's the root search page that has the individual sites to pull the files.

http://www.eserviceinfo.com/index.php?what=search2

Having to buy 2 of everything for my setup is going to get pricey fast. I'm a total noob to diy, but would like to try something like this if its not too hard.

[maxro]

Originally posted by recca
Having to buy 2 of everything for my setup is going to get pricey fast. I'm a total noob to diy, but would like to try something like this if its not too hard.

Why do you need to outfit both decks? The new stuff will be inapproprite for DJ-ing anyway. How about upgrading one with all the mods and then you can do an A/B test and hear the difference (better or worse) from the stock 1200.

Max

[recca]

Well if it's going to be inappropriate for DJing then I wouldn't do it anyway. But DJ's are people too and deserve the best sound quality out of their gear just like everyone else.

I doubt that the power supply mod would be detrimental to DJing. The tonearm mod might be. I read a review about the tonearm mod and it said that it tracked well with the Rega arm. The review did seem biased towards Origin Live, but it certainly piqued my interest and I believe that it will be an improvement.

I guess you're right that I should try it on one and see how it sounds, but I don't want to end up with a mismatched set of tables. Especially if they sound different.

Anyway, if anyone can offer input into the power supply mods that would be great.

Thanks!

[blueworm]

I am considering a psu mod for my 1210. Looking at the specs of the KAB PS-1200, it seems very similar to the DIY steps design by tangent.
http://tangentsoft.net/elec/teps/
Except for the sense circuit. The power switch would have to be re-wired, but not really a big deal.
What do you think?

[gary f]

Interresting post. I wonder: Is the Rega arm really much better than the Technics arm. What make it better? Is the bearing quality is higher? and why? Is the design better?, etc...

The reason I ask this is because it seems like people assume that "audiophile" stuff like rega sounds better than DJ stuff, but the technical reasons for that are a bit nebulous. Is the bearing really much better for example? I am just curious
F

[blueworm]

I dont feel qualified to state all the reasons why the stock technics arm is so bad. The bearings are said to be the main reason and the fact that it is built out of several pieces.
It is a 1970's design which became deprecated once the ubiquitous rega arm came on the scene in the 1980's.
The rest is economic the technics arm cost new about $60 USD. The basic rega arm the 250 cost $190 USD.

[artclone]

I bought the OL kit and stuck a stock Rega rb250 on my Technics 1200. It sounds way, way more detailed. I use a AT440ml cartridge. I can't imagine a turntable sounding better.

[gary f]

It's true that the Rega is way more expensive, but I guess the volume of production is smaller also... The parts may not be of better quality just because the price is higher.

The Rega is made from one single casting, so it should be more rigid, but does rigidity matter that much when the arm has to lift a 6 gram weight? I don't imagine any tonearm flexing from the load!

Anyway, I think it may still be a good idea to be able to change tonearms on a SL1200. I would love to compare the two.
F

[pengboon]

Originally posted by blueworm
I am considering a psu mod for my 1210. Looking at the specs of the KAB PS-1200, it seems very similar to the DIY steps design by tangent.
http://tangentsoft.net/elec/teps/
Except for the sense circuit. The power switch would have to be re-wired, but not really a big deal.
What do you think?

I think it's worth a shot!

[Toaster]

It's not a question of simply supporting a 6 gram (or whatever) cartridge. Rigidity is enormously important in turntables and tonearms- any relative movement loses information and colours the sound. The smallest groove modulations are the same order of magnitude as the wavelegth of red light (apparently), and the cartridge is basically a vibration sensor. In practice infinite, or even sufficiant, rigidity isn't possible, but it's easy enough to hear the difference between a standard detachable headshell arm like the one on the Technics compared to a Rega (or similar arm) that is designed to maximise rigidity.