Technics 100C Turntable Review and Setup!
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2023
- Today we are doing a review of the Technics 100C direct drive turntable and how to do a basic setup for best performance. I also cover a few good phono cartridges and how different stylus types impact the sound.
Nice low capacitance cables:
amzn.to/3EqxxNs
www.vinylengine.com/cartridge...
Upgrade stylus for supplied cartridge:
www.vinylengine.com/cartridge...
AT540ML cartridge:
amzn.to/45HNDhK
OC9MXL moving coil cartridge:
amzn.to/3Ld4mS1
Low profile record weight, fits under the cover:
amzn.to/3LbskNt
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Thanks for not being shy about critical comments. So many UA-cam reviewers are in the pockets of the manufacturers.
Overall I love this turntable. I just wish the tonearm lift worked as good as my 1980's consumer auto technics table does lol.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Hahahah it was the time lifting point adjust was just a screw in the bottom of the turntable.
@@whittiertennyson6297 Missed this. I'll try this also. Thanks!
Does a spindle weight interfere with the auto lift?
As usual, great video. Thanks for the great content.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for an insightful review
Great advice 👍
Great video!
i LOVE the 100C: looks amazing, build quality is superb and the sound is so beautiful.
I think this model is the sweet spot of the new Technics line of products.
I have the 1210GR, wich is a fantastic turntable and i love it so much.
Hello and thanks. I finally have my vinyl set up almost ready, it's limited to headphones for the moment. I'm very happy, I use my old sl3200 technics with an at vm740 and a black cube phono Stage. The TT works well, still very precise after almost 40 years being unused....
Had made 10mm red mahogany wood panels all around on mine. Looks fantastic.
It was a really good informative video and I'm glad you like the turntable looks nice I've been thinking about getting that very same model kind of going back and forth between that and the 1210gr running a relay rp-7000 right now. Actually I think it's pretty pretty nice and I will be subscribing tonight thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Great review. I use the 540 as well as the Ortofon 2m blue and some other vintage carts. I love them all but the 540 has a bit more detail. I have a Fluance RT85 that im happy with but it shuts off at the end if you dont lift and return the arm. No auto lift but jyst to shut off takes a long time too. I still think some of my vintage full autos were just as good sounding. I wish i hadn't sold them off now. But technics is still a great table.
I have a factory reconditioned 1200GR deck and one thing I noticed is the head shell wires that come with the stock head shell are VERY stiff. It makes it harder to hold the cartridge in place while tightening the screws down, my dexterity ain't what it used to be.
I've got the Ortofon 2M Bronze on there and it has the nude elliptical stylus - a very nice sound.
Think they are gonna do some amazing things with plastics someday
MC caridges usually require significant break due to the low compliance nature of the needle/cantilever assembly. My Dynavector ALL NEED AT MINIMUM , 50 hrs playing time to start sounding airy and big.
The tonearm lifting mechanism is adjustable on the sl-1500, is it not on the sl-100c?
You can adjust where it triggers the lift but not how long it takes. There are two settings, I need to see if the other setting performs better.
There is actually an adjustment for the auto-lift, and 2 different 'positions' where the lift can be set (2 different distances from the spindle). I found it online, I think it was in the manual for the 1500C. Anyway, I tried to change it but it still didn't work properly so I also shut it off. The adjustment is electronic and accessed + changed by pressing the 33/45 buttons in a specific order.
I will look into that, thanks!
Hello, thanks for your in-depth review. I'm thinking of putchasing this tt as a change to my dual cs 435. Have you found the solution of the lift-up problem with this tt?
Hello! Can you please share the PDF with protractor you use for 100c? Vinylengine does not accept new user registrations(
Weird, well at least I tried to send people to the original source. Here is another download option:
docs.stoneset.fr/ELECTRICAL_AUDIO/_REGLAGE-CELLULE/ve_technics_baerwald_arc_protractor.pdf
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Many Thanks!
You can add a DJ light with an extendable arm, to any table I’ve seen.
Link?
I have not been happy with Technics turntables since the mark 2 versions. (Which I loved !) I hated my sl-1200gld mk5. I could not get a cartridge to sound good on it. I was really hoping the 100 would be a huge improvement in sound over the DJ tables. I absolutely LOVE my VM540ml. It is a fantastic cartridge ! I often use a heavier tomearm weight off a Technics mark 2 arm on both my Technics and Audio-Technica tables. An added headshell weight will also help make certain cartridges sound better. I wonder how much better the G and GR tables are over the 100? Edit: I do not own any of the newer Technics tables, but I do have several mark 2's.
Such a shame it has those issues, still seems like a nice deck though. So refreshing to hear someone actually post an honest opinion, great stuff as always.👍🙂
The only real disappointment is the auto lift, the rest I knew going in and is a little unfair to complain about.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics is it the same with all records? Maybe it was an issue with the inner edge on that particular one?🤔 I'm not even sure I know how it knows when the record ends, I'm guessing something to do with final groove, or lack of frequencies being received. That could make an interesting video, would be cool to know how it works. Might be a fix for it.
It states in the user manual the auto lift engages after 60 seconds and yes, all records behave this way.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I see. I've never owned an auto lifting record deck, so find it quite interesting. I do need to get back into records though, I love the action of interacting with music media, part of the experience in my mind.🙂
There might be an adjustment inside the unit where you can make the tonearm lift off yhe record sooner!
There is an A or B option in a service menu. The A is too early for mine, it lifts before the end of the record and B is "better late than never" option. I'd still buy it again, it's not a deal breaker.
Question! What do you have VTA set to with this cart? I just got this same combo, and have it around 3.9/4.0.
I'm using a Yamamoto head shell and have it set close to that, 3.8ish
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics thanks!
Steph, have you tried the Stevenson alignment (from what I hear....Stevenson is close to the 1200 default alignment arc) ?
Yes, with my Denon cart I like it.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I currently spin on a Tech 1200G with an OM-30...My Technics journey started with a KabUSA modified 1200 MK 5.....It could time and articulate in ways my VPI HW 19 Mk 4 with SDS, SAMA, and SME 309 with Shure M97xe could not.....at 1/4 of the cost.
Currently running a KabUSA Ortofon Concorde (Intergrated SME headshell) with Sty 30 (OM-30 line contact stylus).
Baerwald alignment results lower average distortion but increases it at inner grooves. This may or may not be audible depending on stylus profile and cartridge and tonearm matching. It certainly may be audible using microline stylus. I use Technics own alignment which is very close to Stevenson. Best results at inner grooves and it looks nicer too as cartridge is perfectly squared in the headshell.
The Baerwald to me had a cleaner bass response.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics the clearer bass response may not be from Baerwald alignment itself but rather from altering tonearm effective mass. Baerwald requires moving cartridge several millimetres forward in headshell slots, thus making front end heavier, which in turn requires rebalancing the tonearm. This added inertia may give you a better bass response. Anyway if it works for you, keep it like this.
woild you mind testing something from REGA or Pro-ject?
Sure, but unless someone sends me one, that's probably not likely. Most gear I cover is stuff I buy for myself and I'm happy with this one! I did try an older music hall and wasn't impressed.
i used to have an sl-d2 (new).
What p mount tables and carts did you try?
Older technics belt drive
I love my yamamoto as it has an azimuth adjustment.
They just add a touch of elegance as well!
I have a vintage pioneer pl570. I got the dark wood headshell to match the lighter wood of the table. I have a Denon DL 103. A workhorse MC cart. The Yamamoto really helps me dial it all together and although hesitant on the price, it turned out well worth the money.
Don't know where is the issue but after one month of use I cannot use my technics sl-1500c anymore. After finishing one record I move the tonarm to the base, lower the lever as usual till the end but suddenly tonarm returned back to the up position and since then I cannot lower it. I mean I can lower it by pushing the lever down but when I take off my finger the tonarm returns to the up position.
Did you press the level all the way down until it "clicks"? If it don't "click", then it sounds like possibly the latching mechanism that is part of the auto lift has broken.
No click unfortunately... The click disappeared just yesterday after one month of use) I can't believe it's Technics. Searching through out the Web I realize I'm not alone with this problem.
Hmm maybe I should turn off auto lift.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Upd. Just got the turntable from my repair service. They confirmed that the problem was on the mechanical side and not on electric one. The latter would be a very bad thing. However, the problem was inside of the tonarm's base, in the tonarm's node responsible for lifting/going down - there is a throttle with a little stick or rod. And this rod was not in the position as it should be. The repair service told me that they set this rod on the proper straight position and lubricated a bit the whole mechanism. That's it. I was also said that a turntable like this was not easy repairable especially if a problem lies on an electric side. Without a PCB scheme it's almost impossible to do anything as distinct from any turntables of late 1970s - first half of 1980s that are mostly easy repairable. And this situation is generally related to the politics of every contemporary hi-tech company. For a ht company today it's important that a customer buys its products regularly given the high cost of repairing an old device in an authorized repair service.
Hi Just have question for you about this turntable. How is the power button of this table ?? Just got the same table and the power button is missing presses now and then. The power button on this table does not feel very reliable ?? I can somehow understand it has some delay because it is logic controlled (does not respond to very fast presses) but it feels kinda irrational, all the other buttons work and respond like a charm. Someone else was talking about this same thing in reddit. Does it need a somekind of power down and up cycle ???
You do have to hold the power button down, a quick poke at it won't turn it off.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics does not always turn it on either, but I dont believe the electronics are the problem just the feel of that button on the plinth. The click is not right on the spot, so it feels you press it too hard even you do not.
I would return it and get another.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Well all the same to send the store message about this and ask them what to do
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Sadly with tech you can never know when it fails. This player also has some weak points in the desing of power board capasitors close of hot parts where they will be cooked to death sooner or later. It is even worse because there's no kind of wents for the heat to get out. Seen some samsung tv's die like that in the past, easy and cheap to fix thought.
Some records have interesting "Easter eggs" and things hidden in the "dead wax" after the record has finished playing the normal content. Technics did not make a mistake with the 60 second delay.
Such as? Curious as I've never seen this.
That's a surprising disappointment with the end-groove dawdling problem on this turntable. If, as you say, this is a tried & tested 'bulletproof' tonearm, I wonder what they've done wrong then? Surely the end-groove sensing runs from tonearm angle sensing somehow?
Maybe you have here the source for another video Stephe? 'Skunkie Designs Technics turntable mods'! A.T. Audio Technica! I finally twigged what it was.
Very interesting printable trigonometric cartridge/stylus alignment template you found. How clever a way to optimise the bass performance of your stylus system! What RCA signal leads will you use with this record player? Great video, Really appreciated it thanks!
Sadly this is how this system was designed. In the user manual it states "it may take some time (aprox 60 seconds) after the play finishes for the auto lift to operate, or it may operate while the record is still playing".
Seriously??? Like I said, I just turned this off as they do have a switch on the back to just turn this broken "feature" off.
Is that 1 defective or do they all sit for a minute before lifting?
It says it takes 60 seconds in the user manual.
Have the same table, exact same issue.
Thanks again and keep up the amazing work. I'm looking into getting into tubes after watching all your awesome work. I currently run yamaha Mx 1000 amps and vintage JBL S3100 speakers.
No adjustment for the auto return?
There isn't a user adjustment on it, just an on/off switch.
Nothing on the underside to adjust the triggering? @@SkunkieDesignsElectronics
Nope. The user manual states it takes about 60 seconds to trigger.
The back and forth movement of the strobe is caused by a stretched belt. A new belt should fix that. If the turntable is not going to be used often, remove the belt from the motor spindle.
It has a new belt.
If the cantilever is off centre of the midline of the cartridge then it is broken - this is not a tolerance issue.
MC cartridges cannot have a user removable stylus, MM can but as you point out, the price difference between a new stylus and a whole new cartridge is not very much. Shows you how much the chunk of diamond is worth. It is not uncommon for MM users to superglue the stylus into the cartridge, acknowledging that they will have to buy a whole new cartridge next time, for a supposed increase in sound quality.
I've had my Koetsu MC re-tipped twice, 3rd party as I cannot afford the factory rebuild costs.
Ha ha, saoynara R300. I wonder if Steve Huff took his review down. Maybe I should listen to mine before I get rid of it. Nice if it works. Affordable magic, yuk yuk
I still plan on working on it, just needed a break from it. I need to get more info from Wilsenton.
Dang!! You could always get a Rega Planar ll tt and upgrade to Cardas silver tonearm wire, wbt connects, cartridge etc.
technics decks require Stevenson not Baerwald - well, generally
Try the Baerwald, IMHO it sounds better.
Watch Technics come out with a $400 "Fix" for the autolift "Feature" lol.
P.S. I bought an SL100c for myself as well. I absolutely love it otherwise.
Press the arm lift lever down for ~ 3 seconds while at rest. This will turn on the auto lift function. Worked for me and no 60 second delay. Worth a try.
Just once, no need to repeat.
Is this automatic as well??
Basically it's just a end of record lift. Useful if you are out of the room when the record ends.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Well of course! I cannot for the life of me understand why they do not make automatics for ALL turntables. So it lifts off the record, but does it go back to it's resting post?
No, it doesn't go back to the resting post, nor does it turn off. And it doesn't do it instantly, it takes up to a minute by design. I guess it's better than nothing, but worse than what turntables were capable of 50 years ago.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I had "cheap" children's turntables as a child in the 1950's..that returned and stopped!!! 1960 and 1970's the same thing......About 12 years ago I purchased the AT LP120 USB and was startled when I put it together that this was MANUAL return. Guess of course it was my fault for not inquiring, but heck didn't think there would be any question!!LOL Now I know I have to have everything explained before purchasing anything when dealing with turntables. So since you are in the business, could you possibly lead me to a good turntable that has both "Direct drive and at least 50% automatic? I don't mind all that much having to place the tonearm on the record, but having it shut off and return to its resting place is paramount for me. Since this technology has been available for even cheap record players, cannot understand why it isn't all that available? thanks in advance God Bless
Pretty sure to get automatic features, you are looking at a beld drive table.
🫃🏼
FYI: ua-cam.com/video/LVLhCdn8_Cw/v-deo.html
There are 2 setting, I tried this and then it lifted before the end of the song on some records.
There must be something wrong with that particular unit.
Read other reviews, this is how it is designed to function. Panasonic reached out and explained that it indeed does take up to a minute to lift the tone arm.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics that's just crazy....My Technics SL-Q3 full auto works great but it's been professionally refurbed. .
My 50 year old belt drive semi auto technics table works flawlessly...
Good Morning,
I need your help when I received my Technics I removed the grease from the counterweight thinking it was not needed . I emailed technics and was told they are not sure what type of grease was used to buy a new counterweight ! Do you know what type of grease I can use ?
I would think any grease that is "plastic safe" should be fine. Check at a hobby store.
Thank you so much