Turntables

Pioneer’s legendary PL-12D is often regarded as the best cheap belt drive ever produced, and for my money, it’s not far off. However, as with so many items, something else comes along a few years later that is superior in many aspects but doesn’t completely outclass it. The SR-222/II from Sansui is one such deck.

The early 1980s were a period in which everyone was enamoured with new technology. From the video recorder to the ‘microcomputer,’ it appeared that anything with an LED display and an 8-bit silicon chip inside might solve all of the world’s problems. Sharp agreed, and applied its digital wizardry to the issue of LP track

When Technics debuted the SL-10, the company’s first parallel tracker, in 1979, it didn’t have an easy time in the UK. Japanese items, particularly decks with integrated weapons and cartridges, had little or no appeal in the British high end sector. Forget about completely automated turntables that were created with convenience and ease of use

In 1997, Technics released the SL-1200LTD, a thousand pounds worth of piano black lacquer and 24-carat gold plating fastened to possibly the most popular and longest-lasting turntable in history. As if that wasn’t enough, Technics threw in a pair of DJ headphones, a numbered brass plaque on the plinth, and a gold Technics logo on

The Mark 2 version of the SL-150, released in 1977, added quartz-locked servo control to the original’s excellent direct drive motor, introduced a redesigned and quieter plinth, and incorporated wood into the equation; the armboard and lower section now received this as both a cosmetic touch and a sonic improvement. It was a worthwhile redesign

There aren’t many dedicated audiophiles who haven’t possessed a Thorens TD 160 at some point in their lives — usually on their way up to a Linn LP12. It was a turntable that was firmly rooted in the middle class. It was built to do a job well, and it delivered a measured performance that

Audio Technica has released a deck that is unmistakably an homage to Technics’ legendary SL-1200 turntable, which was announced to be discontinued not long ago. A direct-drive 16-pole, three-phase motor runs at 33-1/3, 45, or 78 RPM in the new AT-LP1240-USB. There’s a detachable headshell and an S-shaped tone arm with adjustable tracking force and

If you wanted to get serious about sound on a budget in the 1980s, vinyl was your only option. For the most of the decade, Compact Disc was the domain of the wealthy; even the cheapest Philips machines cost over £300 towards the end of the decade. No, if you only had half that much