Released in 1989, has a matte black finish like the MK2, gold RCA plugs, and a small gold-foil Technics label on the back. Established in 1996, just as digital DJing options first emerged, Reloop were relative latecomers to the turntable industry but quickly established themselves as major players. The tonearm tracks the rotation of the record and enables reading with high precision, and the tonearm inherited by Technics is the traditionally used static-balance universal S-shaped tonearm, employing an aluminium pipe with excellent light weight and rigidity for the material of the tonearm pipe. Anyone who tried to hone their skills on a cheap pair of belt-drive decks will remember just how frustrating it was to try and beat match with low-torque motors and excruciatingly unstable pitch controls.

Painted in silver speckled gloss black, it featured blue illumination of both the target light and pitch number, as well as an entirely digital pitch control offering both 8% and 16% pitch ranges. There might be better sounding tables for a lot more money but the Technics 1210 is an incredibly well-designed and robust turntable that is packed with all the right features. The direct drive motor was also very accurate and kept the play back speed consistent, this in turn reduced wow and flutter in the playback. It’s a good turntable when used the traditional way, simply playing records, but the whole thing was really built with Serato in mind, integrating digital controls and MIDI features for trigger actions. More expensive options look very similar to cheaper models, which means it’s sometimes not obvious what more you’re getting for your money.However, it uses the same motor, so it’s fundamentally very close in terms of feel and sound where it matters. The direct drive motor takes care of timecode playback, while eight pads offer quick access to hot cues, loops and sample decks. With each new improvement, as form follows function, the Technics turntable has become a thing of beauty.

Also, the use of metal shielding construction inside the case reduces the effects of external noise. Although visually very similar to the earlier SL1200LTD model, the gold is a different shade meaning parts can not be swapped between. This record bag offers enough space for about 60 vinyls or a lot of equipment and promises a great performance at the next event. That’s not to say that cheaper models aren’t very impressive these days, but if you’re able to step up to a mid-range or high-end turntable you’ll see and hear the benefits in terms of build quality and sound. Now i did a 10 LP records test runs yesterday and the playback on the sl-1210 sounds rich and not too bad.These were limited edition versions, with 24 karat gold plated metal parts including tonearm and buttons. The technologies acquired through the development of the SL-1200 Series and the high-end SL-1000R model were lavishly inserted into the motor drive unit, a key part of the turntable. It is based on the MK5G model, with blue (instead of the regular white) target lights, a piano black gloss finish, and gold-plated hardware. Due to the customisation trend that has grown in the DJ community, many local events or competitions gave away custom coloured or finished units.