Technics SL-1000R is the ultimate direct-drive turntable – with a price to match
Why should you care about the Technics SL-1000R?
When Technics announced the SP-10R, vinyl geeks started selling their kidneys and remortgaging their houses in readiness. It’s a reissue of the legendary broadcast-quality SP-10 turntable from the 1970s, originals of which are now much sought after by audiophiles the world over.
But the SP-10 and SP-10R aren’t the complete turntable package; you just get a direct-drive motor system with a platter on top. That means you need to supply your own tonearm and a plinth on which to mount it all.
That’s where the Technics SL-1000R comes in. This is a full turntable system, with the new SP-10R at its heart, and a tonearm, both mounted securely to a matching plinth.
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Let’s talk details…
The SP-10R has a new coreless direct-drive motor with a two-sided rotor drive system and stator coils on both sides of the rotor, for 12-pole, 18-coil drive. Resulting wow-and-flutter is claimed to be an incredibly low 0.015% or less.
The platter, like that of the SL-1200G, is a sandwich of brass, die-cast aluminium and rubber. It weighs 7.9kg, with tungsten peripheral weights to improve the flywheel effect. An ultra-low-noise switching power supply, separate from the turntable, reduces the chance of any noise being picked up by your chosen cartridge.
The tonearm is what appears to be the same magnesium S-shaped unit used on the Technics SL-1200GAE. It’s hand-assembled in Japan and features OFC wiring.
As for the plinth, it’s 531mm wide and 399mm deep. It’s been nicely styled to match the silver of the SP-10R, thanks to a 30mm-thick aluminium top plate. It brings the overall weight of the SL-1000R up to 40.2kg (including the 18.2kg of the SP-10R).
Oh, and you might be pleased to know that a dust cover is included. It’s never a given with high-end turntables.
How much will the Technics SL-1000R cost?
The price for the SP-10R alone has been confirmed as $10,000. Yeah, ouch. But the $20,ooo you’ll have to pay for the SL-1000R is more of an argh-uh-ugh-thud. Only seriously dedicated audiophiles need apply.
When can you buy a Technics SL-1000R?
The SL-1000R and SP-10R are both expected to go on sale some time in spring 2018.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
