The The Technics SL-1200MK7 direct drive turntable is the latest model of this iconic DJ series, and a benchmark like no other. Cartridge available separately.
At the drive section of the MK7 is a coreless direct drive motor. While achieving both stable rotation and powerful torque, this has successfully eliminated a rotation irregularity called cogging, which was the only drawback of the direct drive system. As a result, sound quality was further improved. The pitch control incorporates digital control to achieve improved tracking performance and accuracy. A reverse play function has been added to expand the breadth of DJ play style. The LED light can be set to illuminate in red or blue. With these features and functions, the MK7 aims to set a new standard for DJ turntables — just add a cartridge and enjoy.
Coreless direct drive motor for high torque and reliability
- Newly developed coreless direct drive motor can reduce minute vibration during rotation while maintaining high torque.
- High-precision motor control technology switches the drive mode depending on the operational status of the motor and thus enables high torque and stability.
- Digital control method improves tracking and accuracy, allowing for accurate and stable pitch control.
High-precision bearings for highly sensitive tone arm
- The machine-cut, high-precision bearing used in the tone arm bearing with gimbal suspension allows for improved tracking, making skating less likely even during the most intense performances.
Vibration-cutting highly rigid cabinet and high-damping insulator
- This unit is designed to not only deliver high-quality sound and high feedback resistance, but also to efficiently cut off external vibration in very loud environments.
Functions for a wide range of uses
- Torque and brake speed adjustment.
- Reverse playback.
- Stylus illuminator with a high-brightness, long-life white LED.
- Two strobe LED lamp colours to fit the user’s preferences or environment.
The direct drive system uses a slow-turning motor to directly drive the platter. This system has various advantages: it offers high performance, such as rotation accuracy and powerful torque, does not require regular replacement of parts, and maintains high reliability over a long period of time. On the other hand, the direct drive system was said to produce a rotation irregularity called cogging. For the SL-1200MK7, a new coreless direct drive motor was developed. This motor employs a coreless stator. The removal of the iron core from the stator eliminated the root cause of cogging. The magnetic force of the rotor magnets was improved to the highest possible level, and the gap between the coreless stator and rotor magnets was optimised, thus achieving high-torque-performance equaling that of the SL-1200MK5. Boasting smooth rotation and powerful torque, this motor reproduces sound accurately and faithfully from the groove on an analogue record.
SPECIFICATIONS
Turntable Section
Type Direct Drive Manual Turntable
Turntable Speeds 33-1/3, 45 rpm (with switch 78 rpm)
Starting Torque 0.18 N・m / 1.8 kg･cm
Build-up Characteristics 0.7 s. from standstill to 33 1/3 rpm
Wow And Flutter 0.025 % W.R.M.S.
Turntable Platter Aluminium diecast, Diameter: 332 mm (13-5/64 inch), Weight: Approx. 1.8 kg (4.0 lbs) (including slipmat and slipsheet)
Type Universal Static Balance
Effective Length 230 mm (9-1/16″)
Overhang 15 mm (19/32″)
Tracking Error Angle Within 2° 32′ (at the outer groove of 30 cm record), Within 0° 32′ (at the inner groove of 30 cm record)
Offset Angle 22°
Arm-height Adjustment Range 0 – 6 mm
Stylus Pressure Adjustment Range 0 – 4 g (Direct Reading)
Head Shell Weight Approx. 7.6 g
Applicable Cartridge Weight Range (without auxiliary weight) 5.6 – 12.0 g; 14.3 – 20.7 g (including head shell)
Head Shell Terminal Lug 1.2 mmφ 4-pin terminal lug
General
Power Supply AC 110-240 V, 60 Hz
Power Consumption 8 W | Approx. 0.2 W (Standby)
Dimensions (W x H x D) 453 x 169 x 353 mm | 17-27/32 × 6-21/32 × 13-29/32 inch
Weight Approx. 9.6 kg / 21.2 lbs
Accessories Turntable, Slipmat, Slipsheet, Dust cover, EP record adaptor, Balance weight, Head shell, Screw set for cartridge, PHONO cable, PHONO earth lead, AC power supply cord, Owner’s Manual (cartridge not included)
Stylus Illuminator. The stylus illuminator features a new push-type structure for intuitive operation, and employs a high-brightness and long-life white LED. The illumination area and intensity were reviewed to provide improved visibility of the stylus tip even in a dark environment.
Power / Phono Cable Terminals. The power and phono cable terminals allow detachment of the cables. The phono terminals are gold-plated to minimise sound quality degradation. Since the terminals allow disconnection of the cables, maintenance and replacement of the cables is much easier.
High-rigidity cabinet and high-damping insulator. The chassis, an essential part for reducing external vibrations, inherits the audio quality enhancement technology fostered through the development of Technics’ flagship turntables. The aluminium die-cast chassis is rigidly integrated with a special material consisting of ABS mixed with glass fibre to achieve a two-layer construction. The combination of this special high-rigidity material and a metal chassis raised the rigidity and vibration-damping performance to higher levels, realising a robust cabinet for beautiful sound reproduction. The insulator is comprised of a spring and rubber to provide optimal frequency characteristics. This not only assures high sound quality and superb howling resistance, but also effectively shuts out external vibrations under high sound level conditions.
Torque / Brake Speed Adjustment. The newest digital motor control technology, accumulated through the development of Blu-ray disc products, is applied to improve adjustment by allowing the torque and brake speed to be adjusted individually in four steps.
The Pitch Control Function. The pitch control function allows fine adjustment of the rotation speed within ±8 % / ±16 %. It does this through digital control, from positional detection of the slider to rotational control of the motor, eliminating the unnecessary DA conversion. This greatly improves tracking performance to achieve accurate and stable pitch adjustment.
Reverse Play Function. The reverse play function, which brings forth new possibilities of creative performance, makes its first appearance in the SL-1200 Series. In addition to 33-1/3 rpm and 45 rpm, a rotation speed of 78 rpm is supported. (The torque / brake speed adjustment, rotation speed switch, and reverse play can be adjusted with switches on the main unit.)
High Sensitivity Tonearm. The tonearm, which has continued to support the leading edge of the DJ scene for many years, inherits the highly reliable static-balance universal S-shape.Using high-precision bearings, it achieves a higher initial-motion sensitivity than the SL-1200MK6. This accurately tracks the groove on the record to assure excellent tracking performance with minimum stylus jumping, even in harsh playing conditions such as scratching.
