My dad had a linear tracking turntable back in the ‘80s (I don’t remember the make or model number). But I do remember he loved 🥰 it and was very proud of his turntable. He had a pair of Bose 601 Series 2 speakers and a Sansui receiver that was hooked to it (I remember those makes). Those records sounded great when dad played them on his stereo. I miss him. He passed away in 2017.
I am not an audiophile by any stretch, but I really, really like this channel. It combines history and engineering and fashion and design in a very straightforward and interesting way. Very engaging. Quite an impressive little work of art you've built here, sir. Bravo.
I can think of quite a few edge and corner use cases where a unit like this would be ideal: - Student wanting to play something in their on-campus residential room where noise limits apply - Vinyl-based sound library where quick access to sound effects is desirable for selection - Sight-impaired users wanting to listen to spoken-word recordings - Performers wanting to learn their lines for a stage performance - Someone on a tight budget wanting a starter turntable and intending to integrate into a larger system at a later date (via the line out) - Someone with a tight space restriction wanting to listen to something while they work (eg. in a home office)
I just asked myself today: "why do I look to your channel?" because I don't dig in tech and stuff... I had good advices from the channel in the past but.... I'm not into those things... the answer is I watch it because it's well made! Yea it's just for entertainment on a well crafted channel! Thank you very much!
I have the US version of the SL-25 and have it owned it for about 20 years (I keep it as my office turntable at work). The return speed of the stylus that you demonstrated is accurate. I even re-greased the track that it is on about 10 years ago, and it did not make a difference in the return speed. Thanks for sharing! It was nice to see something that I owned on the channel for the first time in 7 years of watching the channel!
@@farerse increasing the speed will make it less accurate. It's a stepper motor, it can only go so fast before it starts to pull the arm across the record while playing. It's not like a casette deck that switches to a different motor for rewinding
Your videos are great. Most ‘UA-camrs’ speak really fast, in an effort to keep the viewers’ already severely diminished attention span active. But you somehow manage to keep people interested for 20, 30 or more minutes by just making what would normally be boring, interesting. I for one am engrossed!
I used to love my linear tracking decks. From auto-reverse, to vertical, to optical scanning of tracks (so you can just select track 4 and it'll scan and find it), linear tracking was the biggest vinyl innovation I can think of!!
I have the junior SL-N15 and yes that's how slow the tracking arm is to return to the home position. At least I now know how to change the belt on mine if something goes wrong.
The restrictions on the speakers in the unit put me in mind of the restrictions that "thin screen" TVs have today. As a late adopter of a soundbar, nothing fancy just a JBL budget model, my TV audio is now improved dramatically particularly with HDMI Arc. Another very interesting video, particularly as it's a vintage linear turntable!
@@cuoresportivo155I did the same. Used to have small Creative Gigaworks T40 II plugged in and (whilst nothing special) they were infinitely better than TV speakers 😎
@@cuoresportivo155I don't know if I ever played my TV through its speakers. Though I accidentally turned the volume up to 1% and spent a super long time trying to figure out what I was hearing when I muted my setero, haha.
So I had some 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems and 2 different soundbars over the years.. but I have come back to simple stereo (+subwoofer) with floorstanding speakers. Just sounds better to me and really fills the room.
I'm not a big fan of soundbars but I've noticed that those 5.1 'home theatre in a box' systems have become very cheap used now that most people don't really watch DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Granted they involve having speaker wires running around the room, but there are ways of tidying that up a bit. For me they're a nice compromise between the lack of stereo separation that's characteristic of soundbars and the overkill of a full on system with AV receiver, powered sub etc. That said I run a couple of old Panasonic plasma displays and the sound from their built-in speakers is more than adequate compared to the more modern ultra-thin sets.
So cool , I still have my SL-H350 Panasonic/Technics linear tracking turntable atop the mini stacking system which I purchased in 1983 when I was posted to my first RAF Station, I have changed the turntable belt & its still working well 40 years later with some AR speakers which still shake my fillings, great to see this tech still turning heads , been with you since the GW1 dashcam video which is still going strong four cars later😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉
As a vinyl enthusiast going back to the early 1970s , I always wondered why they didn’t continue to improve on the linear tracking technology. It still has its advantages over conventional tone arm design , obviously the ones available now are mega expensive but I’m sure if the major players in the industry had stuck with it by now we would have belt drive direct and linear to choose from
They did improve on it. There were many high end linear tracking turntables. I owned a Rabco ST-8 and a Revox B795. They were both great and unique turntables.Thorens, Luxman and Bang & Olufsen made one as well. Look them up on Google. You'll be impressed.
Isn't it possible to build an arm similar to those pantograph windshield wipers, which are essentially two parallel arms linked together? The stylus would always be aligned with the grooves, but otherwise it would behave like a regular arm, and the difference in cost and complexity should be minimal.
Every episode of Techmoan is like Scooby Doo... A mystery needs solving. In this case, how to remove a turntable, and what are those sockets for? The only thing missing is a rubber mask. Zoinks!
As an owner of the Technics SL-N15, back in the early 80s, my opinion: I remember this as one of the first affordable linear-tracking turntables. I still bought from a legit audio store at the time, not the big box ones. I always associated linear tracking as a superior way to play a record. I remember the old reviews talking about 'skating force' and how linear tracking eliminates it. And my father had a B & O linear tracking turntable in his upscale system. I thought the Technics sounding great, though I couldn't really tell the difference between the linear and the pivot tone arms. I thought they were cooler looking. And, to a college student in the 80s, isn't that what was really important? Great video, Matt.
I do love Panasonic/Technics gear from this era, I have a similar Panasonic system with a linear tracking turntable with matching cassieiver, It also needed a replacement belt to get it running, very impressive sound quality for such a compact system, if only modern gear was built to the level of quality available back in the 80's.
I agree with your view on the quality of gear made in the 80s (and even the 60s and 70s too) vs. gear made now. Especially when it comes to brands that were in high esteem BITD, such as Fisher, Marantz, and so on. From my watching this channel, and other similar channels (e.g. Technology Connections, VWestlife), I've got the impression that many of those old HiFi brands have been bought out by chinese companies that just want to "ride the coattails" of the goodwill those brands used to have, but without actually making something that's really worth your money. Bit of a shame IMO.
I think in Japan they put the "every day consumer" products like this and radios under the National brand and put the HiFi focused stuff under Technics.
+1, National was the original brand name, used in the Japanese market. Then they introduced Panasonic for the rest of the world but continued to use National in Japan. Later, Technics was introduced as a hi-fi brand in all markets, including Japan, but lo-fi products (such as this record player with built-in amplifiers and speakers) were marketed as National or Panasonic, depending on the market.
My dad and I bought one at a yard sale back in the mid-'90s....the Panasonic SL-N25, since we're in USA...and it was brand new in the box. I used it extensively as the turntable in my bedroom. It was compact and had a built-in pre-amp -- I could connect it right to my computer and record records to MP3 files! I recently brought it back into use -- I had to replace the turntable belt, but also the tone arm drive belt. However, we used it so much back then that the plastic hinge pins in the back cover broke! They are practically "unobtanium" now! I have a couple of wire ties holding the cover on. It's not pretty, but it works!
I think it is meant for someone who often uses it to record on a Walkman. You can plug the Walkman in the amp to find the right spot on the tape, then proceed to recording and use the speakers for monitoring. The Walkman to amp connectivity costs only the plug, so why not. Quite possibly the speakers are also meant to fool someone into thinking they don't need a Hifi system (a word to be understood ironically in the 80's) and then having to buy that too if they want to actually listen to something from it.
I have a technics SL-J3 which is more akin to those larger turntables you showed before, complete with linear tracking and the sensor to find tracks. I've owned it for absolutely years and it wasn't until watching this video right now that I realised the centre 45" adapter twists and locks into position just like this. When I saw that the way the platter was accessed and removed was the same, I quickly ran across the room to try and see if mine locked into position like yours did and lo and behold it did! Up until this point I thought it was simply meant to depress with the weight of the record, but it shows even the stuff you think you know still have surprises for you.
Yep, they sold the Panasonic version here in the U.S. I remember seeing them in stores. I had the SL-N5 which was a compact non-linear tracking, but the tone arm was mounted in the left rear of the unit with controls on the front. That turntable worked flawlessly for me up until the early 2000's.
One thing you didn't mention is the black centre piece in it's popped-out setting enables you to play your ex-jukebox singles without having to search for a "spider".; Now that's a neat feature!
I used to sell high end Audio in the 80's. My fav was a B&0 top line linear tracking turntable. It was so fine and didn't wear out records. Very accurate
I actually prefer linear tracking turntables. They seem to have less inner groove distortion and they limit the amount I interact with a record. Since I’m a bit clumsy, it’s actually a good thing. Additionally, linear tracking turntables tend to sell for a little less than conventional turntables.
Linear trackers don't have tangential errors, but inner groove distortion is also caused by linear speed getting slower as the inner portion of the groove has a shorter diameter but rotational speed is stuck at 33,3 or 45 rpm. so the stylus is traveling a shorter distance in the same time.
@@Blewis-Diarrheo With my Sharp I've noticed the sound quality getting worse as well. Every so often the speed goes out of sync for a second or two. Because of this I don't play any 45's on the player.
@@Blewis-DiarrheoThat's depends on the model. My SL-J33 seemed to avoid that by having minimal structure hanging. Basically just the cartridge and fitting. Some of those earlier ones that literally hung a 4" arm secured to the rear if the lid?? Kinda just asking for trouble. I guess they thought customers still needed to see an arm.
I have aTechnics SL-Q6 Linear Tracking Turntable and love it... the fact that it can fit into a 13 x 13 inch (33 x 33 cm) cube on my shelves makes it the perfect bookshelf turntable and the one I listen to the most.
It's great that high quality turntables are still being made (unlike cassette decks). But honestly, the new ones are a bit boring in comparison to feature laden models like this.
Most are boring because the popular thing now is sound quality at any cost. According to people, you know the ones, having as few things as possible means less chances of lowering reproduction quality. Whether or not you can hear the difference is up for debate but now the gimmick is to have no gimmick. Very distopian.
@@kellypg if you want sound quality then you need lossless audio formats Like wave or flac. Records or "vinyl" as the kids call it is not lossless and has a worse sound quality or some people say different quality haha 🌈
@@robertschnobert9090 While it's true that lossless formats or CD are technically superior to vinyl records and "should" sound better, the reality is that many vinyl records still sounds better than it's lossless counterparts due to the loudness war. Since lots of lossless releases are mastered to be as loud as possible and heavily compressed with very little dynamic range, they really don't sound as good as they could. The vinyl format however has limitations that makes it impossible to have such loud and heavily compressed masters and still keep the record playable, so in reality many vinyl releases have lots more dynamic range and sound better (at least on a good system) than the same release in lossless format.
I had an aiwa v-700 shelf system that had this type of record player back in 1985. It basically worked like a cd player. You could also use the buttons on the front to manually move the stylus and to lower it wherever you wanted. Great little system.
Matt...I never fail to be amazed at the supremely high professional quality of your programming. The camera work, editing, sound, script as well as the presentation. If this was being produced by the BBC, there would probably be a team of 50 behind the scenes, camera man, someone to push the cameras around (dolly grip?), director, producer, video editor, sound engineer, team of script writers, lighting engineer, tea lady (Ok, maybe that's your wife), not to mention all the people in the offices. If you ran the BBC, our TV license would probably cost 2/- again. One complaint though.....Bring back the puppets :)
05:10 - Actually that printed circuit board contains not only the logic for operating the turntable, but also the audio power amplifier. When zoomed in more, you could see the AN7168 IC which is a 5.8 W audio power amplifier chip.
I had one that had a laser to guide the needle arm. It was said to help all but stop the ware on your record grooves. It worked great for years. Then I moved and the unit went into my parents basement. When I used it again in the late 2010's, it played to fast. I tried to adjust the speed but there was NO adjustment you could make. I took it to a high end stereo repair shop that also sold all the stuff from the 80-90's. THey told me that there was no fixing the laser guided units. So I sold it to a guy on line. Love the videos.
I had a similar deck to this back in the mid to late 80’s. It was a Panasonic SL-H350 and was part of a midi system made up of separate components: amp SU-350, tape deck RS-350 and tuner ST-350L. It was a really nice little system.
I owned a Technics SL-L3 linear turntable that worked flawlessly for a long time. It had superb features like optical record size and track sensing, 10-track preselection memory and random track play, all with LED-indication. Loved it! Replaced it only recently with a Technics SL-1210MK7 - wanted to see the record spin and the tone arm movement again. Just vintage!
My wife's got one of these plastic fantastic mid-80s Technics compact linear trackers, it's really kind of a sweetheart. She much prefers it to my fully manual setup. Delightful video!
I've got a feeling the speakers are quiet and uninspiring due to the fact that a lot of apartments in Japan have paper thin walls and the lack of volume means parents and neighbours aren't constantly complaining about the noise?
That's a good theory. Certainly wasn't the case for the multiple neighbours we experienced when I lived in Japan. Edit: No one in Japan complains to their neighbours about noise directly. It's always very passive aggressive methods, such as calling the police, who always did nothing. Pretty much no one bothered.
I think youg people and not only them would like one of this turnatable. I believe that speakers were sounding better when they were produced but time made them rigid. I think some old apple macbook speakers would replace them fine to fit in that small place while getting better sound.
A nice little turntable. A million miles better than a modern 'suitcase' thing with, as you say, a £10 mechanism in it. I regret selling my linears over the years - Technics SL-10, SL-15, B&O 4000, 4004, 3500, 4500, 8000, 8002 and a Revox B790. The Technics were certainly the ones that were the most consumer friendly, and even the cheaper ones like this can produce excellent results. A nice find - hang on to it!
I so wish I found your channel before it existed… I had a Zenith linear tracking turntable that broke and with your examples I’m pretty sure I could’ve fixed it. Time moves on but it’s nice to find someone who appreciates the cool things.
I've owned a few linear tracking turntables over the years. They're my preference overall. My first was an Audio-Technica that I found at an odd warehouse sale in the early 90's. I fell in love with the functionality. I currently have a Hitachi HT-L-303 and a Realistic LAB-1800. Both are great though the Realistic has a cool feature. It opens up like a CD player drawer and the whole mechanism moves with it so you can play records with the drawer open. It makes locating a specific track much easier since you can see the groove much better when it's not enclosed under a plastic lid. That said, both are great players once refurbished and shown a bit of TLC. I will never understand why this type of design fell out of fashion/popularity so drastically. Sure, linear tracking isn't perfect... but it's, in my humble opinion, better.
12:33 well yes and no, it was designed to be multifunctional. So yes you could do that you could also Plug the Walkman in and listen through them, you could also have that Record player be the center of your personal Hi fi system and plug the Walkman in to your hi fi. Those little $5 speakers with the added headphones and stereo input jack gave you so much functionality that you could be making Mix tapes from you Vinyl collection. So yes you could use the stock speakers as monitor speakers, but you could also use them as general listening speakers too.
I got me a HiFi system back some time between 88 or 90 I specifically went for a linear tracking turntable because I'm a klutz who not once in his life has managed to set the needle to a record without scratching, dropping or just missing the exact place I wanted to put the needle. The linear tracking with the buttons to move the stylus left an right and just a keystroke to gently lower or lift it was just so convenient. Today it seems ludicrous but I payed something like the equivalent of $6000 today for that system, and the speakersnot all that great. Some cheapish Yamaha speakers. The rest of the system was from Sharp and served me for many many years. I still have it, but after I last moved I haven't put it back together. After all these years the volume dial has started to glitch, but other than that, when I last used it everything still worked fine. I would never even dream of paying that kind of money for a sound system today.
For my 12th birthday back in the '80s my parents gifted me a Techniques SL-J2 linear turntable and that little dude went for 18 years before finally dying on me. I've since upgraded to a MusicHall turntable but I have to admit that I miss that player. Really was built like a tank and the sound was amazing for the hand-me-down equipment that I hooked it up to back in the day.
Probably the specs are very reasonable (and in fact it sounds good) because the mechanism is taken straight up from more upscale Technics turntables, the magic of shared resources 😂. BTW, to me if you want a turntable is way better to buy an old one well serviced than a modern one, usually featureless and too expensive for what it is.
they didn't "take it" from Technics. Matsushita is one big company and they only have 1 R&D department for each type of product. They design a thing and stick it into whichever model they're doing, and then pick the brand to release it under depending on which market and audience they're intended for. It's not like western companies that make a whole division for each brand they own.
The physics of sound haven't changed. You will never get a big, full sound from dinky speakers. A _detailed_ sound, turned up a bit, can sound "good," and can be fine for talk programs and some things, but still clearly lacks the power for music. Nobody ever prefers the dinky speaker in a direct comparison. If neighbors and circumstances prevent you from playing loud music through real speakers, invest in good over-the-ear headphones.
@@Spearca I've got both! Mini BT speaker and open back over ears. I'm just saying that Bose pretty much started this whole mini BT speakers with big bass thing and it's been around ever since, making older, big speakers sound tinny in comparison.
Another idea, if you are off to uni with a student's budget and limited space in the boot, or your luggage on the train, and you still want to have a couple cherished records with you and something to play them on, this will get you started. Obviously you will want to add speakers eventually, but it will be a beginning.
I bought a used Porsche linear record player a few years ago. It was quite a neat little player. The cool thing is that the stylus mechanism was not on the lid. So, if I wanted, I could open the lid and see the full record spin. Unfortunately, it needs repair as the mechanism does not function properly anymore. It's hard to find a place to repair such things. Looks like a solid unit there. Good find!
I managed to get an SL-QL1 for (relatively) cheap a few years ago and barring something catastrophic going wrong with it I’ll never part with it. Even for something top of the range in its time, the fact it’s still so good compared to similarly-priced new turntables over 40 years later is incredible. I’ve had two friends buy them at my recommendation rather than whatever you can get new for £250 these days and they were both blown away.
My first turntable was linear tracking from JVC and what they called a Casseiver,basically a Cassette receiver and speaker system.Sounded great at the time but was unreliable.Thanks for that trip down memory lane.
I feel like the marketing team designed this as an entry level record player for the college student type that needed the thing to do everything they needed it to, but still be flexible enough to add into a future home system once the money started coming in.
Very cool video. It made me a bit wistful thinking about how well even something that was "budget" (not bottom of the line, but just not high end) worked back in those days. And it still LOOKS good and has a proper functional quality to it, as well. I guess just something else of a time long passed.
What a nicely built little unit, even the platter looks heavier than a lot of the later stuff. Also looks like a T4P cartridge so can be very easily upgraded. Agreed the speakers are poor, but would you expect better from a modern design from Crosley and the likes? I'd be happy to own that Matsushita unit not so much the Crosley!
I still have my Technics SL-J33 Linear Turntable from 1986. I loved it's ability to scan individually tracks and payback tracks in any order I felt like. It's my second oldest possession (not counting some older vinyl lps), my softball glove is my oldest. I finally packed away the vinyl for good about ten years ago when I moved. I made the move to digital a long time ago and with my game room having slanted ceilings, wall space was at a premium and the old stereo and vinyl lost out to the old video consoles. Odessey2 through Xbox 360.
Best channel for retro gear, thanks . After watching your vlog on Technics J33 linear tracking player I found a serviced one in good shape. DD & quartz lock. 😊
At the time, probably a good starting point for someone younger looking to get into building up their first Hi-Fi - a bit like building your own PC on a budget, and having to make do with the integrated graphics until you can afford a decent Graphics Card a few paychecks later...
Neat. I used to have one of the Techniques record players. I remember how you could show people that it could play, even holdin the player upside down.
@Techmoan, my dad had an upright linear tracking record player by Mitsubishi. It was actually a good system but the only flaw was that see-through or thin records would make the light sensors think a record wasn't there, so you got a dark disk to underlay behind it.
My friend had a similar JVC close n play linear tracking turntable, that matched my boombox/mini-component system. I bought mine in Italy Navy Exchange, she bought hers in Guam, we met back up in Norfolk Va😂 with matching components!
"It's like extracting a tapeworm" is a string of words I never expected to hear on a vintage electronics-oriented channel. 😂For a "budget" and "youth oriented" product, this is a very nice turntable AND "record player"!
I always dreamed about getting one of these linear type turntables when I saw one at a mate's house, (obviously his parents), hanging on a wall. I don't remember the make or model, but it was sufficiently impressive enough for me to want one when I was able to afford such things! By the time that came, of course, they couldn't be found anywhere in the usual retail shops as everyone had moved over to CD. If I had managed to get one like this, with speakers on it, chances are I wouldn't use them anyway. I always much prefer to listen to music via headphones, myself. Less complaints, for one thing!
Another interesting find thanks Mat. I remember seeing linear turntables in the 80s as they seemed to be in fashion for a bit but they never really took off for the mass market. I vaguely recall Sharp made a boombox with a linear turntable in in the 1980s. As you can imagine it was huge, weighed a lot and the advent of the compact disc probably killed the need for it. The device we see here is actually quite a nice piece of kit. I suspect that with a couple of modifications and upgrades it would probably sell well if it was available now.
Nice find and very unique turn-table. I think there were simply no good small speakers available at the time this unit was made. Compare it to the evolution of laptops speakers during the last decade. As always, thank you.
This bit of gear would not be out of place on shelves today as a self contained unit, but is a lot more advanced than any of the turntables you can buy. Aux and line level phono out are very modern conveniences.
Nice, tidy looking machine. Very much what you would expect from Japan. The amount of new belts you have had to get recently. I first got back into vinyl in 2016, I got one of those cheap ION turntable with built in speakers. I ended up getting some Bose PC speakers for it as the inbuilt speakers were not surprisingly weak. I then got a Rega 1 turntable in 2017, much better.
When I think about it those speakers sounding the way they are makes a lot of sense from a Japanese point of view. Japanese houses tend to have very thin walls so having speakers that don't put out a lot of oomph would be ideal so people in the rest of the house and your neighbours aren't bothered by excessive noise. Technics made some lovely turntables though, I love my SL1210 MK2s. I've had them since I was a teenager, parents got me them for doing well in my GCSEs, and they still work like I have just taken them out of the boxes brand new. You couldn't offer me anything else as a replacement, they are simply unequalled.
I'd love you to check out some of the mid-80s HiFi tech from the GDR. I used to have a stack of RFT HMK 100 (amp, tuner) with a also linear tracking HK-PA 1203 turntable and thought the quality was rather decent, especially with a pair of RFT BR-50 (or BR-25) speakers.
Looking at the PCB it seems the amplifier is part of the main PCB, immediatly noticed the SIL chip with a heatsink mount and thought "hmm that looks like some sort of motor driver or amplifier IC" and it's part number makes it a Panasonic/Matsushita AN7164 up to 30W stereo amplifier IC. That means despite the Technics branding on the PCB it's been designed specifically to be fitted in one that has speakers.
I had a Technics one with no speakers, loved it. I had huge double woofers not far from the turntable, and it caused extreme distortion when on really loud, but no skipping. This was because the needle is connected to the lid and it vibrated, being free from anything. Linear tracking would stick, rather than skip because of how they move the needle. The other version without the speakers, has a switch for phono/line out. I wish I never had given it away when I gave up records for CDs in the late 90s. ;.;
You should test the Akai m77 turntable. It was liner tracking but also had optical sensors so could skip tracks as it could see the gaps between tracks. It worked as I had one. You could also program track order if I remember correctly.
I don't usually comment before finishing a video, but I was just suddenly hit by the realization that putting speakers into a turntable chassis means you're going to couple tons of vibration back into the platter, which should send the distortion figures through the roof no matter how low the volume is set. I am incredibly curious to see if this thing works.
When you were running the test meter, did you have the speakers turned up or were they off? I'm not sure if that meter would show the kind of distortion I'm thinking of, but I'd still be curious to see if the numbers got worse with the speakers turned up. Even without any significant bass, any vibration should wind up back at the needle, since there doesn't appear to be any damping of the platter internally, thus I have to imagine that the speakers will degrade the quality of the audio even on the line out unless they're completely turned off. Either way, good video!
The speakers were disabled because I was using the headphone output, so I suppose this result is as good as it gets. I haven’t got the time to try it with the line out and the speakers on at the moment, but if the opportunity arises I’ll give it a go.
@@CathodeRayDude Exactly what I was thinking. The speakers would be causing distortion at around the same frequency as the source, so it doesn't really count as wow or flutter, but would still be unpleasant. 'Scopeing the output as the speakers are turned up would show it clearly.
In some parts of the world it used to be called National-Panasonic. In several places the logo is a large stylized “N” with the name Panasonic printed across it. I still have my Technics stereo and turntable from the 1990s and it still works great. Most products built by Panasonic are very high quality.
I tell you that in Peru since they arrived in the late 50s it was always "National" on all their products including audio and video. Later, at the end of the 70s, it began to be called "National Panasonic" until in 1988 it was only Panasonic. Instead, Technics if it was marketed as a separate brand from the beginning.
It’s was only North America & Canada that it was called Panasonic! Rest of the World it was National National brand was officially renamed Panasonic in Australia in 1988
I have watched ALOT of your record player videos Matt and this player really has my vote. Such great quality from something as old as me 😉 My one query is does the Walkman input also play through the external speakers?
What a great little piece of technology. There is nothing being made today that compares, at that price. The built in speakers are useless, but as a turntable feeding into a receiver or amplifier, it's a great find.
The precision of linear tracking with the sweet sound of 1” speakers.
"It's amazing how much noise can come out of a one inch speaker," a common phrase in my neck of the woods for a good loud fart!
The tweet sound
@@RFC3514 LOL
Liner tracking ? It plays the inner sleeve of a record album ¿ 😊
My dad had a linear tracking turntable back in the ‘80s (I don’t remember the make or model number). But I do remember he loved 🥰 it and was very proud of his turntable. He had a pair of Bose 601 Series 2 speakers and a Sansui receiver that was hooked to it (I remember those makes). Those records sounded great when dad played them on his stereo. I miss him. He passed away in 2017.
This is such a week story❤ thank you for sharing such a fond memory!
I am not an audiophile by any stretch, but I really, really like this channel. It combines history and engineering and fashion and design in a very straightforward and interesting way. Very engaging. Quite an impressive little work of art you've built here, sir. Bravo.
I can think of quite a few edge and corner use cases where a unit like this would be ideal:
- Student wanting to play something in their on-campus residential room where noise limits apply
- Vinyl-based sound library where quick access to sound effects is desirable for selection
- Sight-impaired users wanting to listen to spoken-word recordings
- Performers wanting to learn their lines for a stage performance
- Someone on a tight budget wanting a starter turntable and intending to integrate into a larger system at a later date (via the line out)
- Someone with a tight space restriction wanting to listen to something while they work (eg. in a home office)
I just asked myself today: "why do I look to your channel?" because I don't dig in tech and stuff... I had good advices from the channel in the past but.... I'm not into those things... the answer is I watch it because it's well made! Yea it's just for entertainment on a well crafted channel!
Thank you very much!
I have the US version of the SL-25 and have it owned it for about 20 years (I keep it as my office turntable at work). The return speed of the stylus that you demonstrated is accurate. I even re-greased the track that it is on about 10 years ago, and it did not make a difference in the return speed. Thanks for sharing! It was nice to see something that I owned on the channel for the first time in 7 years of watching the channel!
I still have mine from 1983 (one owner) and it was that slow out of the box.
if you guys want to speed it up you have to change the gearing or increase the voltage
I repaired these in the 80s there are 2 potentiometers on on the motor drive board marked 33 and 45 you can access while running from holes underneath
@@farerse increasing the speed will make it less accurate. It's a stepper motor, it can only go so fast before it starts to pull the arm across the record while playing. It's not like a casette deck that switches to a different motor for rewinding
@@thesteelrodent1796 there should be a workaround to only increase the return speed, might require a lot of work though
Your videos are great. Most ‘UA-camrs’ speak really fast, in an effort to keep the viewers’ already severely diminished attention span active. But you somehow manage to keep people interested for 20, 30 or more minutes by just making what would normally be boring, interesting. I for one am engrossed!
And doesn't cut scenes every few seconds, which drives me insane.
Techmoan is youtube for adults.
@@MolloyPolloy you’ve hit the nail on the head!
Absolutely
I used to love my linear tracking decks. From auto-reverse, to vertical, to optical scanning of tracks (so you can just select track 4 and it'll scan and find it), linear tracking was the biggest vinyl innovation I can think of!!
I have the junior SL-N15 and yes that's how slow the tracking arm is to return to the home position. At least I now know how to change the belt on mine if something goes wrong.
Love time capsules like this, opening new old stock and seeing it working after all those years is most satisfying.
The restrictions on the speakers in the unit put me in mind of the restrictions that "thin screen" TVs have today. As a late adopter of a soundbar, nothing fancy just a JBL budget model, my TV audio is now improved dramatically particularly with HDMI Arc. Another very interesting video, particularly as it's a vintage linear turntable!
It took me 5 minutes after getting my first flat screen until I decided I would only run the sound through the stereo. And I have ever since
@@cuoresportivo155I did the same. Used to have small Creative Gigaworks T40 II plugged in and (whilst nothing special) they were infinitely better than TV speakers 😎
@@cuoresportivo155I don't know if I ever played my TV through its speakers. Though I accidentally turned the volume up to 1% and spent a super long time trying to figure out what I was hearing when I muted my setero, haha.
So I had some 5.1 and 7.1 sound systems and 2 different soundbars over the years.. but I have come back to simple stereo (+subwoofer) with floorstanding speakers. Just sounds better to me and really fills the room.
I'm not a big fan of soundbars but I've noticed that those 5.1 'home theatre in a box' systems have become very cheap used now that most people don't really watch DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Granted they involve having speaker wires running around the room, but there are ways of tidying that up a bit.
For me they're a nice compromise between the lack of stereo separation that's characteristic of soundbars and the overkill of a full on system with AV receiver, powered sub etc. That said I run a couple of old Panasonic plasma displays and the sound from their built-in speakers is more than adequate compared to the more modern ultra-thin sets.
So cool , I still have my SL-H350 Panasonic/Technics linear tracking turntable atop the mini stacking system which I purchased in 1983 when I was posted to my first RAF Station, I have changed the turntable belt & its still working well 40 years later with some AR speakers which still shake my fillings, great to see this tech still turning heads , been with you since the GW1 dashcam video which is still going strong four cars later😂🎉😂🎉😂🎉
As a vinyl enthusiast going back to the early 1970s , I always wondered why they didn’t continue to improve on the linear tracking technology. It still has its advantages over conventional tone arm design , obviously the ones available now are mega expensive but I’m sure if the major players in the industry had stuck with it by now we would have belt drive direct and linear to choose from
They did improve on it. There were many high end linear tracking turntables. I owned a Rabco ST-8 and a Revox B795. They were both great and unique turntables.Thorens, Luxman and Bang & Olufsen made one as well. Look them up on Google. You'll be impressed.
My Revox b-795 would like a word! Axial arm FTW! I never understood why the tech wasn't more popular.
Isn't it possible to build an arm similar to those pantograph windshield wipers, which are essentially two parallel arms linked together? The stylus would always be aligned with the grooves, but otherwise it would behave like a regular arm, and the difference in cost and complexity should be minimal.
unfortunately innovative vinyl tech started to die at the same time as records began declining. Early 80's seems to be the pinnacle
@@ironcito1101 they did make an arm like this, turns out that tonearm weight was more important than alignment
Every episode of Techmoan is like Scooby Doo... A mystery needs solving. In this case, how to remove a turntable, and what are those sockets for? The only thing missing is a rubber mask. Zoinks!
I’da gotten away with it, if it weren’t fer that pesky UA-cam algorithm!
As an owner of the Technics SL-N15, back in the early 80s, my opinion: I remember this as one of the first affordable linear-tracking turntables. I still bought from a legit audio store at the time, not the big box ones. I always associated linear tracking as a superior way to play a record. I remember the old reviews talking about 'skating force' and how linear tracking eliminates it. And my father had a B & O linear tracking turntable in his upscale system. I thought the Technics sounding great, though I couldn't really tell the difference between the linear and the pivot tone arms. I thought they were cooler looking. And, to a college student in the 80s, isn't that what was really important? Great video, Matt.
I do love Panasonic/Technics gear from this era, I have a similar Panasonic system with a linear tracking turntable with matching cassieiver,
It also needed a replacement belt to get it running, very impressive sound quality for such a compact system, if only modern gear was built to the level of quality available back in the 80's.
I agree with your view on the quality of gear made in the 80s (and even the 60s and 70s too) vs. gear made now. Especially when it comes to brands that were in high esteem BITD, such as Fisher, Marantz, and so on. From my watching this channel, and other similar channels (e.g. Technology Connections, VWestlife), I've got the impression that many of those old HiFi brands have been bought out by chinese companies that just want to "ride the coattails" of the goodwill those brands used to have, but without actually making something that's really worth your money. Bit of a shame IMO.
Love Japanese’s Pioneer gear of that Vintage
Saturdays just doesn't begin right without a Techmoan video, thank you for keeping it up, I'm sure it entails a lot of work during the week
I think in Japan they put the "every day consumer" products like this and radios under the National brand and put the HiFi focused stuff under Technics.
+1, National was the original brand name, used in the Japanese market. Then they introduced Panasonic for the rest of the world but continued to use National in Japan. Later, Technics was introduced as a hi-fi brand in all markets, including Japan, but lo-fi products (such as this record player with built-in amplifiers and speakers) were marketed as National or Panasonic, depending on the market.
My dad and I bought one at a yard sale back in the mid-'90s....the Panasonic SL-N25, since we're in USA...and it was brand new in the box. I used it extensively as the turntable in my bedroom. It was compact and had a built-in pre-amp -- I could connect it right to my computer and record records to MP3 files! I recently brought it back into use -- I had to replace the turntable belt, but also the tone arm drive belt. However, we used it so much back then that the plastic hinge pins in the back cover broke! They are practically "unobtanium" now! I have a couple of wire ties holding the cover on. It's not pretty, but it works!
I think it is meant for someone who often uses it to record on a Walkman. You can plug the Walkman in the amp to find the right spot on the tape, then proceed to recording and use the speakers for monitoring. The Walkman to amp connectivity costs only the plug, so why not. Quite possibly the speakers are also meant to fool someone into thinking they don't need a Hifi system (a word to be understood ironically in the 80's) and then having to buy that too if they want to actually listen to something from it.
yes and --yes-- _very yes_
; )
Yup,
It also does specifically need to be stereo for monitoring the recording.
You and your kind are the people UA-cam was made for and being youtubers.
I have a technics SL-J3 which is more akin to those larger turntables you showed before, complete with linear tracking and the sensor to find tracks. I've owned it for absolutely years and it wasn't until watching this video right now that I realised the centre 45" adapter twists and locks into position just like this. When I saw that the way the platter was accessed and removed was the same, I quickly ran across the room to try and see if mine locked into position like yours did and lo and behold it did! Up until this point I thought it was simply meant to depress with the weight of the record, but it shows even the stuff you think you know still have surprises for you.
As always........ Thanks Techmoan!!!
Yep, they sold the Panasonic version here in the U.S. I remember seeing them in stores. I had the SL-N5 which was a compact non-linear tracking, but the tone arm was mounted in the left rear of the unit with controls on the front. That turntable worked flawlessly for me up until the early 2000's.
Another fine effort by my favorite vlogger, period. Mat is a lot of fun and a class act.
"Matt"
Mat
(old story…I always used MAT as it fit in the high score tables on arcade machines).
One thing you didn't mention is the black centre piece in it's popped-out setting enables you to play your ex-jukebox singles without having to search for a "spider".; Now that's a neat feature!
I used to sell high end Audio in the 80's. My fav was a B&0 top line linear tracking turntable. It was so fine and didn't wear out records. Very accurate
Recap it, recap it! It's always such a joy to see units like that with no SMDs ...
That shot with the camera following the needle was really neat
I actually prefer linear tracking turntables. They seem to have less inner groove distortion and they limit the amount I interact with a record. Since I’m a bit clumsy, it’s actually a good thing. Additionally, linear tracking turntables tend to sell for a little less than conventional turntables.
Linear trackers don't have tangential errors, but inner groove distortion is also caused by linear speed getting slower as the inner portion of the groove has a shorter diameter but rotational speed is stuck at 33,3 or 45 rpm. so the stylus is traveling a shorter distance in the same time.
I would like to hear a rock record playing the inner grooves with a linear tracking turntable.
Linear trackers are neat, but the sound quality is often worse and they potentially put more wear on the stylus suspension
@@Blewis-Diarrheo With my Sharp I've noticed the sound quality getting worse as well. Every so often the speed goes out of sync for a second or two. Because of this I don't play any 45's on the player.
@@Blewis-DiarrheoThat's depends on the model. My SL-J33 seemed to avoid that by having minimal structure hanging. Basically just the cartridge and fitting.
Some of those earlier ones that literally hung a 4" arm secured to the rear if the lid?? Kinda just asking for trouble. I guess they thought customers still needed to see an arm.
I have aTechnics SL-Q6 Linear Tracking Turntable and love it... the fact that it can fit into a 13 x 13 inch (33 x 33 cm) cube on my shelves makes it the perfect bookshelf turntable and the one I listen to the most.
It's great that high quality turntables are still being made (unlike cassette decks). But honestly, the new ones are a bit boring in comparison to feature laden models like this.
Pioneer DJ just released a new turntable with crazy features! Not boring at all. 🌈
Most are boring because the popular thing now is sound quality at any cost. According to people, you know the ones, having as few things as possible means less chances of lowering reproduction quality. Whether or not you can hear the difference is up for debate but now the gimmick is to have no gimmick. Very distopian.
@@kellypg if you want sound quality then you need lossless audio formats Like wave or flac. Records or "vinyl" as the kids call it is not lossless and has a worse sound quality or some people say different quality haha 🌈
@@robertschnobert9090 While it's true that lossless formats or CD are technically superior to vinyl records and "should" sound better, the reality is that many vinyl records still sounds better than it's lossless counterparts due to the loudness war. Since lots of lossless releases are mastered to be as loud as possible and heavily compressed with very little dynamic range, they really don't sound as good as they could. The vinyl format however has limitations that makes it impossible to have such loud and heavily compressed masters and still keep the record playable, so in reality many vinyl releases have lots more dynamic range and sound better (at least on a good system) than the same release in lossless format.
@@robertschnobert9090 What is the name of that turntable?
I had an aiwa v-700 shelf system that had this type of record player back in 1985. It basically worked like a cd player. You could also use the buttons on the front to manually move the stylus and to lower it wherever you wanted. Great little system.
Matt...I never fail to be amazed at the supremely high professional quality of your programming. The camera work, editing, sound, script as well as the presentation.
If this was being produced by the BBC, there would probably be a team of 50 behind the scenes, camera man, someone to push the cameras around (dolly grip?), director, producer, video editor, sound engineer, team of script writers, lighting engineer, tea lady (Ok, maybe that's your wife), not to mention all the people in the offices.
If you ran the BBC, our TV license would probably cost 2/- again.
One complaint though.....Bring back the puppets :)
05:10 - Actually that printed circuit board contains not only the logic for operating the turntable, but also the audio power amplifier. When zoomed in more, you could see the AN7168 IC which is a 5.8 W audio power amplifier chip.
Great shot with the camera pan & needle at 17:32
It’s a gorgeous looking piece of kit too. Just looks really really nice
I had one that had a laser to guide the needle arm. It was said to help all but stop the ware on your record grooves. It worked great for years. Then I moved and the unit went into my parents basement. When I used it again in the late 2010's, it played to fast. I tried to adjust the speed but there was NO adjustment you could make. I took it to a high end stereo repair shop that also sold all the stuff from the 80-90's. THey told me that there was no fixing the laser guided units. So I sold it to a guy on line. Love the videos.
I had a similar deck to this back in the mid to late 80’s. It was a Panasonic SL-H350 and was part of a midi system made up of separate components: amp SU-350, tape deck RS-350 and tuner ST-350L. It was a really nice little system.
Still have mine 40 years later & still doing its thing really well🎉
We had the Technics version of this, I recently sold it on EBay. Our belt also dissolved. Cool video as always, thank you.
Cool! On your recommendation I got the SL33 a few years back. Love it! Best turntable I have ever bought.
I owned a Technics SL-L3 linear turntable that worked flawlessly for a long time. It had superb features like optical record size and track sensing, 10-track preselection memory and random track play, all with LED-indication. Loved it! Replaced it only recently with a Technics SL-1210MK7 - wanted to see the record spin and the tone arm movement again. Just vintage!
My wife's got one of these plastic fantastic mid-80s Technics compact linear trackers, it's really kind of a sweetheart. She much prefers it to my fully manual setup. Delightful video!
I've got a feeling the speakers are quiet and uninspiring due to the fact that a lot of apartments in Japan have paper thin walls and the lack of volume means parents and neighbours aren't constantly complaining about the noise?
That's a good theory.
Certainly wasn't the case for the multiple neighbours we experienced when I lived in Japan.
Edit: No one in Japan complains to their neighbours about noise directly. It's always very passive aggressive methods, such as calling the police, who always did nothing. Pretty much no one bothered.
Then there's my Japanese friend's parents (albeit in Canada), who would often yell at us to turn the music UP. Especially when we put Metallica on.
They wanted a sound barrier whilst they were making whoopee.
I think youg people and not only them would like one of this turnatable. I believe that speakers were sounding better when they were produced but time made them rigid. I think some old apple macbook speakers would replace them fine to fit in that small place while getting better sound.
I'd hate to live in Japan. Neoliberal special.
The precision of Technics with the sound of Crosley. What a combination!
😂
I'd buy one, as a non-audiophile. Nice video. Speakers, pre-amp and amp are everything for output, and this seems a VERY decent input.
A nice little turntable. A million miles better than a modern 'suitcase' thing with, as you say, a £10 mechanism in it. I regret selling my linears over the years - Technics SL-10, SL-15, B&O 4000, 4004, 3500, 4500, 8000, 8002 and a Revox B790. The Technics were certainly the ones that were the most consumer friendly, and even the cheaper ones like this can produce excellent results. A nice find - hang on to it!
I so wish I found your channel before it existed… I had a Zenith linear tracking turntable that broke and with your examples I’m pretty sure I could’ve fixed it. Time moves on but it’s nice to find someone who appreciates the cool things.
I've owned a few linear tracking turntables over the years. They're my preference overall. My first was an Audio-Technica that I found at an odd warehouse sale in the early 90's. I fell in love with the functionality.
I currently have a Hitachi HT-L-303 and a Realistic LAB-1800. Both are great though the Realistic has a cool feature. It opens up like a CD player drawer and the whole mechanism moves with it so you can play records with the drawer open. It makes locating a specific track much easier since you can see the groove much better when it's not enclosed under a plastic lid.
That said, both are great players once refurbished and shown a bit of TLC.
I will never understand why this type of design fell out of fashion/popularity so drastically. Sure, linear tracking isn't perfect... but it's, in my humble opinion, better.
12:33 well yes and no, it was designed to be multifunctional. So yes you could do that you could also Plug the Walkman in and listen through them, you could also have that Record player be the center of your personal Hi fi system and plug the Walkman in to your hi fi. Those little $5 speakers with the added headphones and stereo input jack gave you so much functionality that you could be making Mix tapes from you Vinyl collection. So yes you could use the stock speakers as monitor speakers, but you could also use them as general listening speakers too.
I got me a HiFi system back some time between 88 or 90 I specifically went for a linear tracking turntable because I'm a klutz who not once in his life has managed to set the needle to a record without scratching, dropping or just missing the exact place I wanted to put the needle. The linear tracking with the buttons to move the stylus left an right and just a keystroke to gently lower or lift it was just so convenient.
Today it seems ludicrous but I payed something like the equivalent of $6000 today for that system, and the speakersnot all that great. Some cheapish Yamaha speakers. The rest of the system was from Sharp and served me for many many years. I still have it, but after I last moved I haven't put it back together. After all these years the volume dial has started to glitch, but other than that, when I last used it everything still worked fine. I would never even dream of paying that kind of money for a sound system today.
For my 12th birthday back in the '80s my parents gifted me a Techniques SL-J2 linear turntable and that little dude went for 18 years before finally dying on me. I've since upgraded to a MusicHall turntable but I have to admit that I miss that player. Really was built like a tank and the sound was amazing for the hand-me-down equipment that I hooked it up to back in the day.
It's a nice record player to add to an existing setup, esp with line out, as not all amplifiers have a built in phono pre-amp.
I had an SL-QL1 back in the day- but now keep a SL-QL15. No complaints.
At 05:09, you can see a mod (or a repair). One of the large electrolytic capacitors is soldered to the legs of the other and not to the PCB.
Probably the specs are very reasonable (and in fact it sounds good) because the mechanism is taken straight up from more upscale Technics turntables, the magic of shared resources 😂. BTW, to me if you want a turntable is way better to buy an old one well serviced than a modern one, usually featureless and too expensive for what it is.
they didn't "take it" from Technics. Matsushita is one big company and they only have 1 R&D department for each type of product. They design a thing and stick it into whichever model they're doing, and then pick the brand to release it under depending on which market and audience they're intended for. It's not like western companies that make a whole division for each brand they own.
speakers have came a long way , when we listen to the tiny ones on a good smartphone we can be amazed :D
Don't forget about current mini Bluetooth speakers that seem to defy laws of physics with the amount of bass they push out! 🙂
The physics of sound haven't changed. You will never get a big, full sound from dinky speakers. A _detailed_ sound, turned up a bit, can sound "good," and can be fine for talk programs and some things, but still clearly lacks the power for music. Nobody ever prefers the dinky speaker in a direct comparison.
If neighbors and circumstances prevent you from playing loud music through real speakers, invest in good over-the-ear headphones.
@@Spearca I've got both! Mini BT speaker and open back over ears. I'm just saying that Bose pretty much started this whole mini BT speakers with big bass thing and it's been around ever since, making older, big speakers sound tinny in comparison.
17:32 - What an awesome shot
Still have my Technics SL-10. Love it.
Another idea, if you are off to uni with a student's budget and limited space in the boot, or your luggage on the train, and you still want to have a couple cherished records with you and something to play them on, this will get you started. Obviously you will want to add speakers eventually, but it will be a beginning.
I bought a used Porsche linear record player a few years ago. It was quite a neat little player. The cool thing is that the stylus mechanism was not on the lid. So, if I wanted, I could open the lid and see the full record spin. Unfortunately, it needs repair as the mechanism does not function properly anymore. It's hard to find a place to repair such things. Looks like a solid unit there. Good find!
I managed to get an SL-QL1 for (relatively) cheap a few years ago and barring something catastrophic going wrong with it I’ll never part with it. Even for something top of the range in its time, the fact it’s still so good compared to similarly-priced new turntables over 40 years later is incredible. I’ve had two friends buy them at my recommendation rather than whatever you can get new for £250 these days and they were both blown away.
My first turntable was linear tracking from JVC and what they called a Casseiver,basically a Cassette receiver and speaker system.Sounded great at the time but was unreliable.Thanks for that trip down memory lane.
I feel like the marketing team designed this as an entry level record player for the college student type that needed the thing to do everything they needed it to, but still be flexible enough to add into a future home system once the money started coming in.
Another comment mentioned the IO plugs at the front makes it easy to copy songs to cassettes, too.
Hello from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. Love your channel! You should own an electronics museum open to the public!
Very cool video. It made me a bit wistful thinking about how well even something that was "budget" (not bottom of the line, but just not high end) worked back in those days. And it still LOOKS good and has a proper functional quality to it, as well. I guess just something else of a time long passed.
Agree, esp on the design. Handsome unit.
Actually quite refreshing to have a vintage HiFi device here that actually works well! A very nice little product 🙂
What a nicely built little unit, even the platter looks heavier than a lot of the later stuff. Also looks like a T4P cartridge so can be very easily upgraded. Agreed the speakers are poor, but would you expect better from a modern design from Crosley and the likes? I'd be happy to own that Matsushita unit not so much the Crosley!
I still have my Technics SL-J33 Linear Turntable from 1986. I loved it's ability to scan individually tracks and payback tracks in any order I felt like. It's my second oldest possession (not counting some older vinyl lps), my softball glove is my oldest.
I finally packed away the vinyl for good about ten years ago when I moved. I made the move to digital a long time ago and with my game room having slanted ceilings, wall space was at a premium and the old stereo and vinyl lost out to the old video consoles. Odessey2 through Xbox 360.
Best channel for retro gear, thanks . After watching your vlog on Technics J33 linear tracking player I found a serviced one in good shape. DD & quartz lock. 😊
At the time, probably a good starting point for someone younger looking to get into building up their first Hi-Fi - a bit like building your own PC on a budget, and having to make do with the integrated graphics until you can afford a decent Graphics Card a few paychecks later...
Neat. I used to have one of the Techniques record players. I remember how you could show people that it could play, even holdin the player upside down.
@Techmoan, my dad had an upright linear tracking record player by Mitsubishi. It was actually a good system but the only flaw was that see-through or thin records would make the light sensors think a record wasn't there, so you got a dark disk to underlay behind it.
My friend had a similar JVC close n play linear tracking turntable, that matched my boombox/mini-component system.
I bought mine in Italy Navy Exchange, she bought hers in Guam, we met back up in Norfolk Va😂 with matching components!
Thank you Mat. I always look forward to Saturday mornings and breakfast with Techmoan.
Keep it up!
"It's like extracting a tapeworm" is a string of words I never expected to hear on a vintage electronics-oriented channel. 😂For a "budget" and "youth oriented" product, this is a very nice turntable AND "record player"!
I always dreamed about getting one of these linear type turntables when I saw one at a mate's house, (obviously his parents), hanging on a wall. I don't remember the make or model, but it was sufficiently impressive enough for me to want one when I was able to afford such things! By the time that came, of course, they couldn't be found anywhere in the usual retail shops as everyone had moved over to CD. If I had managed to get one like this, with speakers on it, chances are I wouldn't use them anyway. I always much prefer to listen to music via headphones, myself. Less complaints, for one thing!
Very interesting turntable, as new it seems, but I'm a bit miffed we never got the "Oh Yeah.." when you peeled the film off! LOL
Well done, as always. Thank you!
That SL-N15 is virtually identical to my Technics SL-3. My dad bought it in the 80s and it gave us many years of service 🎧
Another interesting find thanks Mat. I remember seeing linear turntables in the 80s as they seemed to be in fashion for a bit but they never really took off for the mass market. I vaguely recall Sharp made a boombox with a linear turntable in in the 1980s. As you can imagine it was huge, weighed a lot and the advent of the compact disc probably killed the need for it.
The device we see here is actually quite a nice piece of kit. I suspect that with a couple of modifications and upgrades it would probably sell well if it was available now.
I really enjoy seeing these rare hifi items. I actually quite like the look of this, too.
Nice find and very unique turn-table. I think there were simply no good small speakers available at the time this unit was made. Compare it to the evolution of laptops speakers during the last decade. As always, thank you.
This bit of gear would not be out of place on shelves today as a self contained unit, but is a lot more advanced than any of the turntables you can buy. Aux and line level phono out are very modern conveniences.
a modern model would have USB and bluetooth playback, and even worse speakers
Nice, tidy looking machine. Very much what you would expect from Japan. The amount of new belts you have had to get recently.
I first got back into vinyl in 2016, I got one of those cheap ION turntable with built in speakers. I ended up getting some Bose PC speakers for it as the inbuilt speakers were not surprisingly weak. I then got a Rega 1 turntable in 2017, much better.
When I think about it those speakers sounding the way they are makes a lot of sense from a Japanese point of view. Japanese houses tend to have very thin walls so having speakers that don't put out a lot of oomph would be ideal so people in the rest of the house and your neighbours aren't bothered by excessive noise.
Technics made some lovely turntables though, I love my SL1210 MK2s. I've had them since I was a teenager, parents got me them for doing well in my GCSEs, and they still work like I have just taken them out of the boxes brand new. You couldn't offer me anything else as a replacement, they are simply unequalled.
I'd love you to check out some of the mid-80s HiFi tech from the GDR. I used to have a stack of RFT HMK 100 (amp, tuner) with a also linear tracking HK-PA 1203 turntable and thought the quality was rather decent, especially with a pair of RFT BR-50 (or BR-25) speakers.
I love new old stock videos!
Looking at the PCB it seems the amplifier is part of the main PCB, immediatly noticed the SIL chip with a heatsink mount and thought "hmm that looks like some sort of motor driver or amplifier IC" and it's part number makes it a Panasonic/Matsushita AN7164 up to 30W stereo amplifier IC. That means despite the Technics branding on the PCB it's been designed specifically to be fitted in one that has speakers.
I had a Technics one with no speakers, loved it. I had huge double woofers not far from the turntable, and it caused extreme distortion when on really loud, but no skipping. This was because the needle is connected to the lid and it vibrated, being free from anything. Linear tracking would stick, rather than skip because of how they move the needle.
The other version without the speakers, has a switch for phono/line out.
I wish I never had given it away when I gave up records for CDs in the late 90s. ;.;
You should test the Akai m77 turntable. It was liner tracking but also had optical sensors so could skip tracks as it could see the gaps between tracks. It worked as I had one. You could also program track order if I remember correctly.
Neat little episode. Thanks, Techmoan! Hope everything’s good your way. 👍
15:12 they can still function as monitor speakers for your mix tapes so you know where to start recording.
I don't usually comment before finishing a video, but I was just suddenly hit by the realization that putting speakers into a turntable chassis means you're going to couple tons of vibration back into the platter, which should send the distortion figures through the roof no matter how low the volume is set. I am incredibly curious to see if this thing works.
When you were running the test meter, did you have the speakers turned up or were they off? I'm not sure if that meter would show the kind of distortion I'm thinking of, but I'd still be curious to see if the numbers got worse with the speakers turned up. Even without any significant bass, any vibration should wind up back at the needle, since there doesn't appear to be any damping of the platter internally, thus I have to imagine that the speakers will degrade the quality of the audio even on the line out unless they're completely turned off. Either way, good video!
The speakers were disabled because I was using the headphone output, so I suppose this result is as good as it gets. I haven’t got the time to try it with the line out and the speakers on at the moment, but if the opportunity arises I’ll give it a go.
@@CathodeRayDude Exactly what I was thinking. The speakers would be causing distortion at around the same frequency as the source, so it doesn't really count as wow or flutter, but would still be unpleasant. 'Scopeing the output as the speakers are turned up would show it clearly.
I love the old media things. Thank you for making a thing of it.
Funnily enough I just bought a technics SL-L25 from a thrift store for $19 and was about to try and get the platter off. Thanks for showing the tabs
In some parts of the world it used to be called National-Panasonic. In several places the logo is a large stylized “N” with the name Panasonic printed across it. I still have my Technics stereo and turntable from the 1990s and it still works great. Most products built by Panasonic are very high quality.
I tell you that in Peru since they arrived in the late 50s it was always "National" on all their products including audio and video. Later, at the end of the 70s, it began to be called "National Panasonic" until in 1988 it was only Panasonic. Instead, Technics if it was marketed as a separate brand from the beginning.
It’s was only North America & Canada that it was called Panasonic!
Rest of the World it was National
National brand was officially renamed Panasonic in Australia in 1988
I have watched ALOT of your record player videos Matt and this player really has my vote. Such great quality from something as old as me 😉
My one query is does the Walkman input also play through the external speakers?
What a great little piece of technology. There is nothing being made today that compares, at that price. The built in speakers are useless, but as a turntable feeding into a receiver or amplifier, it's a great find.
I loved my linear tracking turntable. Lost it years ago in a move. Wish I still had it....