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For the past thirty years, Technics has been regarded as the unchallenged king of turntables thanks to the stella SL-1200 model. Since its release, it has become the most popular and greatest selling turntable of all time with few genuine updates to the original design.

That’s all set to change as Technics unveils it SL-DZ1200, a direct drive turntable that has gone completely digital. This model is the first of its kind to offer MP3 playback and the ability to play CD’s instead of LP’s. DJ’s worldwide are crying foul at this — nothing can match the power and sound of a vinyl turntable, right? MP3 files are in essence encoded files, which naturally result in lower sound quality than the big records.

But is the sound quality horrible, or can a DJ ignore it and still expect to be able to play professionally with the SL-DZ1200? Isn’t carrying a memory card in your pocket easier than dragging boxes and boxes of LP’s to each show?

So Much Potential And Features For Modern DJ’s

The best part about the SL-DZ1200 is that it has many features that, when used properly, can help deliver a dynamite stage performance. CD playback and MP3 file compatibility makes sense — if not now, then it’ll be incorporated later; there’s no way to avoid the change that’s coming. Technics has built the SL-DZ1200 to look, feel, and sound like the original SL-1200.

You can also save loops into sample banks and recall them on the fly, even play them simultaneously. Save them long term by loading them onto an SD card so you can use them at your next gig. There’s also a series of cues you can save and recall when you want, freewheeling capabilities and a reverse switch. Put all this stuff together and you’ve got a machine perfect for a night on the town.

The Down Side

This is where the screaming will begin. The first issue people have with the SL-DZ1200 is that there is some lagging when loading CD’s. I’ve heard anywhere from eight to thirty seconds, which can be troublesome for a beginning DJ. That being said, as a DJ you should be able to work the crowd with minimal effort for thirty seconds. If not, then this is going to cause some headaches if you don’t prepare for it.

Another problem is that the vinyl simulation on this turntable simply isn’t good enough to pass for an authentic SL-1200. Any purist could tell the difference, because vinyl is the only thing that sounds like vinyl, and digital can’t pull off the warmth of a good LP. There’s still no true alternative to the beauty of vinyl.

There is also a substantial loss in audio quality if you don’t take care to rip your songs at high bit rates. Still, even at the higher bit rates, MP3 songs don’t sound as full or vibrant as the tunes coming straight off the vinyl.

All these pros and cons are fine, but the biggest problem you’re going to have with this turntable is its price. Technics lists this monstrosity at $1,199.95 — a heck of a lot of money to throw away on a model that ultimately does not sound as good as the original SL-1200.

Final Thoughts: Mixed Emotions

Though Technics’ latest has a lot of features that work well and good sound overall, there are too many problems to warrant spending the kind of cash needed to buy this sucker. You can play with the crowd for thirty seconds to allow your CD to spin up to speed, you can break out the scratching and dump as many files as you want on your SD card, but ultimately vinyl sounds like vinyl, and the SL-DZ1200 is digital, not vinyl.

The functionality is here, though; no other turntable on the market will provide as many great features as the SL-DZ1200.

Technics is for sure the most popular set of record turntables in the world thanks to its groundbreaking SL-1200 model released thirty years ago. Pick one of these turntables up today and try your hand at it, and also get a pair of Technics headphones while you’re at it so you can practice late into the night. Buy from trusted web sources for the best quality and guaranteed authentic products.

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