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Technics · Grand Class
$5,000
Not currently in our rooms. For a serious buyer we will often bring a piece in from the manufacturer for a private session — tell us about your system and what you are weighing it against, and we will advise.
Technics · Grand Class
The turntable that brought Technics back in 2016: a twin-rotor coreless direct-drive motor, a three-layer brass and aluminum platter, a magnesium tonearm and a four-layer cabinet, individually balanced at the factory, in black.
Black finish (SL-1210G-K). The SL-1200G is the same turntable in silver.
Authorized Technics dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
When Technics returned to turntables in 2016 the SL-1200G was the statement: a deck that looked like the SL-1200 everyone knew but shared almost nothing with it mechanically. The motor is a twin-rotor coreless direct drive, with the coils arranged on a flat board between two rotors so there is no iron core and no cogging, and the drive is controlled with technology adapted from Blu-ray disc players, switching modes to deliver 3.3 kg·cm of starting torque and then hold speed. Each turntable has its platter balanced at the factory and carries a "BALANCED" label to say so.
The platter is three layers: a brass top plate for mass and stiffness, a die-cast aluminum body and a rubber damping layer underneath, 3.6 kg in all, with rumble specified at 78 dB. The cabinet is four layers, an aluminum top plate over die-cast aluminum, BMC and a rubber base, and the arm is lightweight magnesium with high damping, gimbal-suspended, with 0 to 6 mm height adjustment and two auxiliary weights covering cartridges from 5.6 to 19.8 g. Pitch control, strobe and electronic brake are all present.
Alex Halberstadt reviewed the SL-1200G for Stereophile in November 2022 and found it "solid, agile, and impressively neutral". It has been the reference direct-drive deck at its price for most of a decade, and the reason is the combination of a motor with no cogging, a platter with real mass and an arm that is rigid enough to let a good moving-coil cartridge show what it can do.
The SL-1210G is the black version; the SL-1200G is identical in silver. The SL-1200GR2 and SL-1210GR2 offer the single-rotor motor and a lighter platter at half the price; the SL-1000RE is the Reference Class step up with a 7.9 kg platter and a separate control unit.
| Type | Direct-drive manual turntable; twin-rotor coreless motor |
| Speeds | 33⅓, 45 and 78 rpm; pitch ±8% or ±16% |
| Starting torque / build-up | 3.3 kg·cm; 0.7 s from standstill to 33⅓ rpm |
| Wow and flutter | 0.025% W.R.M.S. (JIS C5521) |
| Rumble | 78 dB (IEC 98A weighted) |
| Platter | Brass and aluminum die-cast with rubber, 332 mm diameter, approx. 3.6 kg including mat |
| Tonearm | Universal static-balance S-shape, magnesium; 230 mm effective length; 15 mm overhang; 22° offset |
| Tracking error | Within 2° 32' (outer groove) to 0° 32' (inner groove) |
| Arm height / stylus pressure | 0 – 6 mm; 0 – 4 g direct reading |
| Cartridge weight range | 5.6 – 12.0 g without auxiliary weight; 10.0 – 16.4 g with small weight; 14.3 – 19.8 g with large weight (add 8.7 g for headshell) |
| Output | PHONO (RCA) and earth terminal |
| Power consumption | 14 W; approx. 0.2 W standby |
| Dimensions (W × H × D) | 453 × 173 × 372 mm (17.8 × 6.8 × 14.6 in) |
| Weight | Approx. 18.0 kg (39.7 lb) |
| Finish | Black |
| Supplied | Mat, dust cover, EP adaptor, balance weight, auxiliary weights (S and L), headshell, overhang gauge, screw sets, phono cable and earth lead, power cord; no cartridge |
The top of the Grand Class, in two finishes.
Plan your Technics system with Pearl Audio
Pearl Audio is an authorized Technics dealer. We set up every turntable we sell, including cartridge alignment, and can arrange an audition in our Portland showroom. Call (503) 222-2599 or email sales@pearlaudio.com.
The Pearl Audio experience
A system at this level should be heard, thoughtfully matched, and properly set up. From the first audition to long-term ownership, you work with the same people, in person.
The SL-1210G Twin-rotor is not in our rooms at present. When it is the right piece for a client we arrange a demonstration unit from the manufacturer and set it up for a private session.
We deliver and install throughout the Portland area, taking care of placement, connections, ventilation and system configuration ourselves.
We support everything we sell for as long as you own it, whether the answer comes by phone, in your home, or through factory service.
Trade-in assistance and qualifying 100% Trade-Up options give you flexibility when your listening priorities or your system change.
