Technics SL-1200GR2 Direct-Drive Turntable System

Since inventing the world’s first direct drive turntable, Technics has continued to work to improve sound quality. It has now developed the ΔΣ-Drive, which suppresses minute vibrations from the motor and improves the electromagnetic conversion accuracy of the cartridge. The first stage of direct drive turntable systems featuring this technology is the SL-1200GR2.

In 1970, Technics commercialized the world‘s first direct drive turntable, and the system took the world by storm. Unlike belt drive and other systems, direct drive systems rotate the motor at low speed and directly drive the platter, thus providing numerous advantages, such as the almost complete absence of degradation in S/N ratio due to motor vibration and deceleration mechanisms, as well as high reliability over a long period time because of not requiring parts replacement.
And in 2016, Technics developed the twin-rotor, surface-facing, coreless direct drive motor with rotor magnets placed on both sides, thereby eliminating the rotation irregularity of the motor, referred to as "cogging," which was a unique issue for direct drive systems. This motor was adopted for the SL-1200G, which once again drew a significant response in the hi-fi market. The SL-1200GR2 inherits the same design philosophy with the new development of a single-rotor, surface-facing, coreless direct drive motor, resulting in the elimination of cogging.

The platter achieves high rigidity and vibration damping characteristics by using a two-layer construction with deadening rubber applied to the entire rear surface of the aluminium die-cast to eliminate the unnecessary resonance that is otherwise relayed to the record, thereby producing clear sound.

To increase the inertial mass and reduce vibration, the shape of the aluminium die-cast portion was optimized by simulation. At 2.5 kg (including the rubber mat), the SL-1200GR2 platter is 0.8 kg heavier than that of the previous SL-1200MK5. Also, the back surface of the platter has strengthening ribs added to improve rigidity. Increasing the surface area of contact with the deadening rubber achieves damping characteristics that are more than twice those of the SL-1200MK5.

The tonearm tracks the rotation of the record and enables reading with high precision, and the tonearm inherited by Technics is the traditionally used static-balance universal S-shaped tonearm, employing an aluminium pipe with excellent light weight and rigidity for the material of the tonearm pipe.

With its gimbal suspension construction, the tonearm bearing section uses a cut-processed housing that employs high-precision bearings, as in the SL-1200G and SL-1200GR. The high initial-motion sensitivity of 5 mg or less is achieved through manual assembly and adjustment by skilled Japanese artisans. This enables the grooves etched into the records to be accurately traced.

In addition, one type of auxiliary weight comes included, and the cartridge can be swapped with a variety of other cartridges to match the music genre or feeling. (Applicable cartridge weight when using the supplied auxiliary weight: 10 - 16.4 g (not including the supplied head shell))