Technics SL-1500C turntable

In the days before the launch of the Technics SL-1500C turntable, when Panasonic resurrected the Technics brand and brought the SL-1200 turntable back from its unceremonious retirement, few people outside the company realised what the cascade effect would be. Some of what followed was logical enough: a simplified GR model to sit underneath the G Series, for example. However, a return of the SL10 and matching SL-1000R flagship probably wouldn’t have featured in most predictions. 

In its way, the Technics SL-1500C turntable is no less surprising. At its core, it is the same engineering as the 1200. However, simplified from the G and GR but effectively domesticated (I briefly flirted with using ‘civilianised’ at this point as if the 1200 participates in ground operations in the Middle East rather than the occasional sound clash), which is a fascinating reflection of the scale of the analogue revival that a company the size of Panasonic wants in on it. 

Alterations

The most significant alteration between the 1200 and 1500 is that, where both retain their pitch controls, the Technics SL-1500C turntable is intended to rotate at 33, 45 and (when both speed buttons are pressed at once) 78rpm. With the elimination of the pitch control comes the removal of the built-in strobe and dotted platter edge. The motor unit is not as grunty as the ones in the higher spec 1200 models, but it still starts and stops with an urgency that competitors with a belt dream of. 

This revised motor and platter is partnered with an S-shaped arm that is visibly similar to the ones used on other Technics models. Like those arms, it is slightly deceptive as it doesn’t move in an especially confidence-inspiring way when manipulated, but it seems effective once playing. Something specific to the 1500C is the fitment of an automatic arm lift, which raises the arm at the end of the side. This is a rare fitment indeed in 2023, and by and large, it works rather well, only being slightly perplexed by records with an exceptionally long play-time. 

The 1500C is also fitted with a cartridge, unlike the 1200 models, where you choose your own. This is an Ortofon 2M Red and represents a mixed blessing. The boost to simplicity in terms of getting the Technics up and running is welcome, but a £95 cartridge on a turntable with a retail price north of a grand feels a little out of proportion. The simplicity of changing a 2M stylus and the fact that the arm uses a detachable headshell (which also isn’t the greatest of its kind but no different to most Technics headshells in that regard) means that options for upgrading it are simple enough. 

Internal Phono stage

Of rather more benefit is that the arm outputs via an internal phono stage, which is a helpful convenience feature. Of no less use is that it can be bypassed if you have a phono stage already. The Technics SL-1500C turntable also scores points by connecting to the mains via a three-pin IEC lead and having RCA outs on the back of it with separate ground posts, which means it will rarely, if ever, be the source of unwanted hum or other issues and can be placed where you want it rather than where captive leads dictate that it must go. 

Aesthetically, the 1500C could only be a Technics, but the streamlining of the features on the deck itself has some rather unexpected benefits in terms of its overall appearance. This is a cleaner and more elegant piece of design than the 1200 models are, and I rather like the result. I will say that this product looks considerably better in the silver finish than the black (I haven’t seen a white one in the flesh, so I’ll reserve judgment on that).

None, none more black

The black version also has a black arm and looks almost oppressive, whereas the silver balances ‘period charm’ and ‘timeless’ rather well. The overall standard of build and finish is excellent, too. The Technics has a ‘feel’ that is a world away from most rivals because it doesn’t feel remotely artisan in terms of its design and construction, and I prefer that.

Initially running via the supplied 2M Red and with the phono stage in the circuit, one crucial aspect of the 1500C’s overall performance directly channels the 1200 models, and it does so in a wholly satisfying way. As a byproduct of a well-spent (or misspent, your mileage may vary) youth, to hear certain records played on it is to be taken back a few decades to where you first heard it, most likely being played on a 1200 or 1210 of one vintage or another. This might be a domestic turntable, but it knows its roots. 

Effortlessly funky

The propulsive and effortlessly funky ‘Give The Po’ Man A Break’ on Fatboy Slim’s Better Living Through Chemistry [Skint] sounds ‘right’ on the Technics in a way it doesn’t necessarily on turntables that cost many times more. This rightness is a combination of a few different factors. The pitch stability is, as you might expect, metronomic, and the bass response is tight and exceptionally well-defined. That loping, big beat time signature is grist for the Technics’ mill. Across a wide selection of material that might loosely be grouped into ‘danceable,’ the Technics SL-1500C turntable has delighted in a way that belies the relatively sensible price.

Move outside the world where the 1200 reined supreme, and only some things are pretty accomplished. Agnes Obel’s lovely Philharmonics [PIAS] is delivered with a slightly hard edge, and some of the airiness I know this record can demonstrate is more challenging to determine. The piano that supports many of the songs on the album never wants for weight or scale, but there is a lack of tonal realism that hinders the suspension of disbelief. 

Easy to unlock

The good news is that there is a level of extra performance in the Technics that is relatively easy to unlock. Switching the 2M Red stylus for a Blue one instantly helps with space and tonality. Some experiments with headshells in the £50-80 range also start to help with that perception of space and airiness, and the Funk Firm Achromat that fits the 1200 models also works a charm here and helps to both lower the noise floor and provides a boost to the overall three-dimensionality. To its credit, you do not need to be in anything like the same rush to dispense with the internal phono stage; it’s quiet, has more than reasonable gain and has a commendably neutral tonal balance to it. 

Spend an extra £2-300 on the Technics, and its value calculation changes markedly. The fundamental underpinning of that well-engineered and carefully evolved direct drive motor and sturdy build are more than up to supporting some better ancillaries in crucial locations. It’s possible to argue that the 1500C is a better value turntable at £1,500 than at £1,100. If you keep pushing upgrades on the Technics, you’ll eventually run into the limitations of the arm, but it has a tremendous stretch. 

Lush life

Used with the Achromat and 2M Blue, the way that the Technics SL-1500C turntable handles Terry Callier’s What Colour is Love? [Verve] is genuinely engaging. The lush instrumentation supporting ‘Just As Long As We’re In Love’ has the room it needs, and you can discern individual instruments without losing a sense of the whole. Callier’s glorious vocal turn is rich and resonant, underpinned with that same effortless weight as before. Everything beneficial about the Technics ancestry is unchanged, but there’s now a delicacy and nuance that isn’t necessarily present out of the box. 

What does come in the box, though, is a compelling piece of kit and an attractive halfway house between truly plug ‘n’ play devices and turntables that require you to choose their ancillaries from the outset. The key to how much joy you’ll experience from the Technics partly depends on whether you have the budget to unlock its essential potential in spades and if that sort of tweakery appeals to you. If it does, it offers the scope to enjoy the basic turntable before adjusting the fine details precisely to your liking, securing a performance that combines the muscular virtues of its professional ancestor in a usefully domesticated package. The 1500C is another fine addition to the Technics turntable range. 

Technical specifications

• Type: Direct drive record player with fixed axis tonearm and moving magnet cartridge 
• Motor: 110-240v Quartz stabilised direct drive 
• Speeds: 33, 45, 78, selected by push button
• Tonearm: aluminium with detachable headshell 
• Finish: silver, black gloss and white
• Dimensions: 453 × 169 × 372 mm
• Weight: 9.9kg 
• Price: £1,099/$1,299.95

Manufacturer

Technics

www.technics.com 

UK Distributor

Technics UK

www.technics.com/uk

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