Amplifier for Technics SL1210

So I’ve got the turntable on our shelving unit, but the amp, a massive Cambridge Azur 840 looks wrong.

I fancy something a bit retro like a Cyrus, to blend in.

Also need shelf speakers as the massive kef floor standers also look wrong and shit.

The problem is the old setup sounds amazing so I want it to be as good if possible.

Who cares what it looks like. If it sounds amazing – congratulations!

Also, why use a DJ turntable for listening. This makes me sad. Like seeing a bird in a cage. There are much better decks for listening. Your 1210 could be having a wonderful life of adventure with its significant other.

I spent my best years dancing to tunes from that type of turntable, and I love the way it looks, and the build quality.

As far as looks go, I honestly prefer going less hifi nutter.

I bought a technics amp and my 1210s in 1999 with my first ever student loan. They are still going strong, as is the minidisc player.  Richer Sounds in Bristol FTW!

I’d have an SL 12 for my living room in a heartbeat .  Audio quality is moot for the condition most of my vinyl is in…

I had to mothball my huge Celestion Ditton floorstanders a while back, replaced with Bowers 685s. Amp is an Audiolab 8000.

That audio lab amp looks ace, I’ll put that on the list.

Something British and old? A Quad maybe?

rachel

Rachel, yeah Quad is a good shout.

An age-appropriate Rotel, or a NAD? The Rotel amps were nice and simple, no unnecessary bells and whistles, just source selection, a split volume control for balance, and a really big power supply and transformer, pretty much set the trend for minimalistic amps based on British audiophile principles while being cheap.

An RA840 would be good, but the classic RA820 will go loud enough for the average homeowner to piss off the neighbours.

Just had s look at the Quad 33 pre amp looks amazing but I don’t recognise any of the input connectors. It would work well as the power Amp could go in a cupboard.

Love the ‘radio 1, radio 2’ options!

The Rotel stuff looks perfect.

Would the 612 Rotels be any good or are they too old?

The 840 and 820 are cheap! Which one is best, are they still repairable?

I’d be happy to hear if anyone has anything for sale btw.

SL1210’s sound great with a decent cartridge.

And if you’re going to use a decent turntable it seems a shame to ditch the speakers.

For big floorstanders, you need moar powah than quirky, cheap old Brit stuff can usually knock out.

The better Arcam pre/power combos have plenty, plus a fantastic optional phono stage too.

Rotel, as CZ says do some great sounding amps.

NAD did some big, good value pre/power combos too.

How sensitive are the Kef’s?

Big old Japanese 80’s amps are usually underrated and the better stuff can sound fantastic.

Marantz, Sansui, Technics, Sony etc all made bombproof amps which still sound excellent and can control bigger or less efficient speakers. Not as cheap as they were but fun.

I am currently listening to Radio 6 Music on a Rotel RA-214 that I must have had for getting on 30 years.

Also, why use a DJ turntable for listening.

It was designed to be an audiophile turntable, not a DJ turntable.

I’ve never tried the kefs with anything other than the big amp.

i love the look of the old quad pre/Power Amps but the inputs look a bit specialist.

What would the old rotel amps be like with a pair of bookshelf speakers?

“Also, why use a DJ turntable for listening”

SL1210’s make a really good HiFi turntable if you use the rubber platter rather than a slip mat and use a HiFi stylus weighted properly rather than a DJ stylus.

(DJ stylus is a different shape to allow the record to be moved in both directions without skipping. This makes it less good to listen to, when just listening.)

As others have pointed out, theres nothing wrong with a 1210 for ‘hifi’ listening. Its a solid, well made TT.

I’m pretty sure opinion has come full circle on the 1210 in HIFI land and it can be pimped up too, if thats your thing. The amp you mention is pretty decent is’nt it? About £800 new i think. I’ve got one myself with my 1210s/mixer going in to it.

I don’t think the amp has a phono stage has it? What are you using?

I’m pretty sure opinion has come full circle on the 1210 in HIFI land and it can be pimped up too, if thats your thing.

A mate had his done – http://www.inspirehifi.co.uk/technics.html

I’m currently running my 1210’s through a Denon M38 Amp/receiver/CD combo and a pair of mission speakers , it sounds fine. I’ve got an old ITL amp in the loft (my first ever piece of hifi kit), it sounds remarkably good for its age, fast and sharp so pairs well with the 1210’s. On the back of this thread, I think I’ll dust it down and run a little comparison!

My sister recently threw out her old Cyrus amp, I was raging, loved the sound and quirky looks (the amp that is)

It’s not retro looking but the Rega Brio-r is meant to be a great little amp in a Cyrus like form factor. The Elex-r from Rega is more standard size wise but looks more retro to my mind as well.

Lot;s of choice second hand though as others have noted!

It was designed to be an audiophile turntable, not a DJ turntable.

I am really not sure about that at all – how many audiophiles need vary speed and very fast startup via a great big button ?

Even the SP10, which is the normal route for a Technics hifi turntable, wasn’t an audiophile design but a broadcast turntable – also with fast startup.

AudioMods do a replacement arm that brings improvement.

I’d go for some big NADs as they have a habit of makng everything sound decent.

I quite fancy this, has a retro look but contains all the functions you’d need. Would look great with an SL1210 IMO.

https://www.richersounds.com/hi-fi/amplifiers-receivers/yamaha-rn602-sil.html

Just one thing – definitely don’t put the power amp in a cupboard! 😱

rachel

I am really not sure about that at all – how many audiophiles need vary speed and very fast startup via a great big button ?

Even the SP10, which is the normal route for a Technics hifi turntable, wasn’t an audiophile design but a broadcast turntable – also with fast startup.

I was surprised when I read the various histories that are on the web but seems to be the case.

The evolution of the Technics SL-1200 turntable – an interactive timeline

https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/1909

I think by the time of the mk2 they were pitching it as having pro features for the home –

http://vinylphilosophy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/vintage-advertisement-technics-sl-1200.html

They are amazingly tough.  When I was DJing with them we didn’t have flightcases and moved all out kit – amps/speakers etc – in the back of a pick up.  Tarp over the top and tied down.  They never missed a beat.

What would the old rotel amps be like with a pair of bookshelf speakers?

Perfect, they had the power to drive quite heavy loads, which a lot of fancy Japanese amps with all the bells and whistles struggled with; graphic equalisers, tone controls, vu meters, etc, with a small transformer and power supply always sounded a bit ‘thin’, the Rotel amps dispensed with all the crap, and could drive a big floor-standing speaker.

Rotel also did a pre-power system, a separate pre-amp and a big meaty power-amp, which makes for a very nice system.

I’ve got a Rotel pre-amp upstairs, coupled to a pair of Crimson monobloc power-amps, sitting on big heavy steel stands with lead shot and sand filling, supporting a pair of Trio three-way speakers, with carbon fibre bass cones, and titanium domed tweeters.

Really need to get it all checked through and running again, it always sounded good to me.

Anyway, I digress, an RA820 or 840, driving a nice pair of B&W, KEF, Mordant Short or Mission two-way speakers, sat on a nice solid shelf with Blutac under the corners to help isolate them, and good old QED 39-Strand cable should sound as good as any reasonable person could want, bookshelf speakers use boundary effects to boost bass, or they could be sat on some nice solid floor stands, close to a wall, although that can be adjusted to tweak the bass.

I used to work Saturdays in a local hifi shop, and when the little Rotel amps came on the market, I sold a lot of them, after doing a demo with a good vinyl pressing on a decent turntable, or a CD player or good tape deck. People would come in looking to replace a shitty Amstrad tower system, and would leave around £500 lighter in pocket with just a Rotel amp, speakers and maybe a CD player, and come back a week later to thank me for changing what they were hearing from their music.

zbonty- just a simple little Cambridge Audio phono pre amp, works really well.

That Yamaha above looks ace and would give me loads more options with its Wi-fi shizzle and internet radio. I might pop in to richer sounds for a closer look.

Well I’ve set up the big amp and the big speakers, the sound is just so good, I’ll leave it till Mrs JK forgets about it.