I would strongly disagree with this. I tried a large number of mats/playing surfaces. There was always something kind of shrill when using the Music Hall cork mat that I disliked strongly. The Achromat consistently proved to be the best for me on any platter when used with a reflex clamp or weight.
Best option would probably be the KAB Poly-Metal mat with a thinner (3mm) Achromat, and used with a record weight with Gary Koh's gem tweak. If you're staying away from clamps or weights, get the Reso-Mat instead. I didn't like the Reso-Mat with my original Technics, but I also never did the PSU mod, so the vibrations that I heard traveling through the points in the mat during quiet passages might have been eliminated with that and a bearing mod (KAB thrust plate kit is a mere $50 and likely well worth it).
I do wish that I had just done the PSU mod before selling mine off. I might have been happier with it in that case. Ah well.
I do agree that the Acromat is far and away the best. That said, I still feel that cork is better than the mentioned alternatives of the stock rubber, a DJ slipmat, and felt.
I haven’t tried the KAB mat, but would like the opportunity, all of Kevin’s upgrades for the -1200 that I’ve tried have been improvements.
Yes, you should have done the PSU mod. It’s awesome.
I haven’t tried the KAB mat, but would like the opportunity, all of Kevin’s upgrades for the -1200 that I’ve tried have been improvements.
Yes, you should have done the PSU mod. It’s awesome.
I came mostly from Digital Audio, such a clean field 
lol, measurements tell you most of the story, but in this brave new world, the old land of analog, there is a mix of raw measure data and personal subtleties; regarding reproduction aspects such as vibration management, everyone has a weighted opinion proportional to their usage and all opinions are correct within their framework. Awesome and confusing simultaneously.
Looking for low cost ways to refurb/ extend the lifetime of the spindle, I found this product, to be aapplied in the thrust plate. It seems it could reduce friction and wear and tear. Just wondering if anyone has use it before
lol, measurements tell you most of the story, but in this brave new world, the old land of analog, there is a mix of raw measure data and personal subtleties; regarding reproduction aspects such as vibration management, everyone has a weighted opinion proportional to their usage and all opinions are correct within their framework. Awesome and confusing simultaneously.Looking for low cost ways to refurb/ extend the lifetime of the spindle, I found this product, to be aapplied in the thrust plate. It seems it could reduce friction and wear and tear. Just wondering if anyone has use it before
Agree, original spindle oil is a must. I have inspected and measured the my two plates and I estimate they still have more than 75% left.
The product is sprayable Teflon, and the KAB plate is made of Delrin AF, a material that has Delrin and Teflon on its composition. This may be a way to reduce the friction without buying new parts. I believe that if the thrust plate is acceptable in shape, expending those $50 in a case for the external PSU would be a better roi.
"Delrin® AF Blend is a unique thermoplastic material for use in moving parts in which low friction and long wear life are important. It is a combination of PTFE fibers uniformly dispersed in Delrin® acetal resin. This combination offers better wear characteristics than unfilled Delrin®."
The product is sprayable Teflon, and the KAB plate is made of Delrin AF, a material that has Delrin and Teflon on its composition. This may be a way to reduce the friction without buying new parts. I believe that if the thrust plate is acceptable in shape, expending those $50 in a case for the external PSU would be a better roi.
"Delrin® AF Blend is a unique thermoplastic material for use in moving parts in which low friction and long wear life are important. It is a combination of PTFE fibers uniformly dispersed in Delrin® acetal resin. This combination offers better wear characteristics than unfilled Delrin®."
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As an alternative to replacing the stock feet, I’ve had good success with putting the whole TT on a 1-2” thick slab of walnut and putting a mostly deflated bicycle inner tube under the wood. This made a measurable difference (especially in the sub-100Hz region) in isolating the TT from general household “noise” and vibration.
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Here's the cork mat I like, from Turntable Toys. Same height as the stock mat, so no VTA issues:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JD38XDQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For feet, I used the 2in sorbothane domes stuck to the bottom of the stock feet.
Both of these changes on their own yielded a noticeable improvement. The cork mat brought some air to the sound, and the sorbothane feet brought a sort of coherence that wasn't there before.
Then I did the power supply mod.
And sat there in disbelief for an entire album side before I could pick my jaw up off the floor. And then repeated the aforementioned phenomenon for several more albums. This was over six months ago and the amazement still has not faded. If you own a 1200, do yourself a favor and perform these three mods. You might not ever sell it. I know I won't.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JD38XDQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For feet, I used the 2in sorbothane domes stuck to the bottom of the stock feet.
Both of these changes on their own yielded a noticeable improvement. The cork mat brought some air to the sound, and the sorbothane feet brought a sort of coherence that wasn't there before.
Then I did the power supply mod.
And sat there in disbelief for an entire album side before I could pick my jaw up off the floor. And then repeated the aforementioned phenomenon for several more albums. This was over six months ago and the amazement still has not faded. If you own a 1200, do yourself a favor and perform these three mods. You might not ever sell it. I know I won't.
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You need a CLEAN power supply. If you go to ebay or other source for a cheap one, you'll get what you pay for (tons of RFI spray, both through the air and back into your AC mains) and end up with it in the trash. Meanwell supplies seem to be very nice. Then get one of Mark's SMPS filter boards from the DiyAudio store for $10. Power draw is VERY minimal for the turntable. Steady state with the table spinning and the stylus light on is about 250mA. The highest current draw I could ever measure was 463mA when I hit the Stop button. Thus, anything north of 500mA will likely be fine. If you want to over do it, go with 1A.
I used a Meanwell RS 15-24 when I did this mod. Have a look at the older posts, this entire thread has a lot of good hints.
How I switched to SMPS (Post #236 in this Thread)
I would suggest to read from post #220. Calvin has discussed a lot of aspects about the Meanwell SMPS in this thread.
How I switched to SMPS (Post #236 in this Thread)
I would suggest to read from post #220. Calvin has discussed a lot of aspects about the Meanwell SMPS in this thread.
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I don't know if medical smps already have an input filter.
So maybe something like this:
AC line into Technics turntable-> Input Filter
->medical grade smps
https://www.cui.com/product/internal-ac-dc-power-supplies/board-mount/vms-20-series/vms-20-24->PO89ZB inline DC filter
->Technics onboard regulator
So maybe something like this:
AC line into Technics turntable-> Input Filter
->medical grade smps
https://www.cui.com/product/internal-ac-dc-power-supplies/board-mount/vms-20-series/vms-20-24->PO89ZB inline DC filter
->Technics onboard regulator
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It is my understanding that a SMPS already contains a regulator on the output. Having two regulators in a row introduces problems to your DC supply. I dont know if having an AC filter on the input will make any difference at all and it might have negative implications.
i would simply use the nice medical grade filter you found, put one of Mark’s DC filters on the output, and call it done. The SL-1200 wants a 21v DC supply. Not sure if you’ll find a 21v supply, though I do know that Meanwell makes an adjustable output SMPS so you can just dial in the output voltage.
i would simply use the nice medical grade filter you found, put one of Mark’s DC filters on the output, and call it done. The SL-1200 wants a 21v DC supply. Not sure if you’ll find a 21v supply, though I do know that Meanwell makes an adjustable output SMPS so you can just dial in the output voltage.
Hi,
"Could be followed by a Superreg". That'd be pure overkill and certainly a waste of ressources.
LC-postfiltering will do a more than good enough job in conjunction with the original linear reg inside the Technics.
As shown in the CUI datasheet You should use a input filter ahead of the SMPS as the supplies internal filters typically don't suffice.
Imho best is a IEC inlet with integrated filter, fuse and power switch.
jauu
Calvin
"Could be followed by a Superreg". That'd be pure overkill and certainly a waste of ressources.
LC-postfiltering will do a more than good enough job in conjunction with the original linear reg inside the Technics.
As shown in the CUI datasheet You should use a input filter ahead of the SMPS as the supplies internal filters typically don't suffice.
Imho best is a IEC inlet with integrated filter, fuse and power switch.
jauu
Calvin