1200G thoughts:
This is a stellar table, which is no news to anyone I think, its near universal acclaim speaks for itself and I've learned quite quickly that its reputation is very well earned.
Lets talk comparisons with the MoFi Ultradeck
Build Quality:
• Both of these tables are great pieces of kit and I had little to complain about, maybe the tonearm lifter on the Ultradeck could sometimes feel a bit funny and changing things like VTA could be a bit tedious, though certainly not AWFUL. Overall I'm aware now of how great a value for the money the UD can be. Great feet, great dampening with the delrin platter/plinth. Oh I also wasn't a huge fan of the UD power button, it was lacking something and always felt like the least exciting element of the deck.
• The Technics is easily in another league as far as finish and build quality goes. For starters it weighs about twice as much as the UD and all of the touchpoints down from the on/off switch, start/stop switch, speed changers, run in groove light, tonearm and all of its adjustments, the lifter and on and on, everything is premium and an absolute joy to touch and interact with. You can see where your money went in some regards there.
• It feels far more forgiving as far as tweaking/adjusting tonearm settings + headshells. I can play with the VTA easily without having the anxiety of "if I mess this up theres a chance it can take a while to get it back to where it was". That's no longer an anxiety and so its much more inviting in that regard.
• The USER INTERFACE of the 1200G is supreme and makes it exciting and easy to interact with.
Sound:
• So here's where its interesting. I'll come out and say it, but I think the Ultradeck with a great cart and comparable components in the rest of the chain can pull like 85% of the performance of the 1200G. But for me that last 15% is kind of what I've been missing and longing for when I owned my Ultradeck.
• The 1200G exudes ease/grace without sacrificing authority and speed. It feels perfectly on time and appears to just EFFORTLESSLY pull music from the grooves and represents the music with a greater degree and nuance of tonal accuracy. When I say tonal accuracy, I mean that I'm hearing more nuance, more inflection, more imperfection in the voices and instruments.
• Last night listening to the Kind of Blue MoFi 45 I noticed more wavering, more faltering in a note from Miles Davis' trumpet that I always heard and thought to be solid and perfect. No, there's way more nuance to recordings I'm familiar with than I had imagined/anticipated. There are FAR more transients then ever before as a result. I noticed this a lot with Coltrane's playing on So What. What appeared before as a short journey between 2 notes, each represented in my mind as a mountain top, actually has revealed its valley between to be far more interesting and expansive than before, with smaller mountains dotted within, the journey between has become far more interesting and a whole new (yet tiny) layer of Coltrane's playing is revealed and it adds so much to nerd out on.
• Separation: I haven't experienced any muddiness, even on busy rock recordings where music is at risk of coagulating into a wall of sound, the technics does a wonderful job of pulling everything apart and giving it a place to live in the soundstage, but it also makes sure nothing gets lost in the mix. An example of this is Bill Evans on KOB, I always had felt he'd been buried in the mix and as a result wasn't very interesting on the record. Last night I got to actually focus on his performance because of how well it was isolated and communicated. His piano was delicate and crystalline but present and articulate.
• I think the word that I associate so far with the Technics is just that: articulate.
• Another thing that I've been overjoyed with is it's tracking, not a trace of IGD or deterioration as its tracks closer to the run out groove. Records sound as good in the home stretch as they do on track one. THIS was always something I felt the Utlradeck could do better, no matter the cart, I felt the Ultradeck and Hana SL combo could still on occasion fall victim to IGD within crowded deadwax. I could tell that the UD was working harder as it got further to the end. I haven't experienced any of that *yet*.
• Everything just sounds more alive, defined, and robust. Its a lot of fun to listen to and a breeze to use.
What else can I say:
To me the upgrade has been 100% worth the extra investment but perhaps the difference was not as NIGHT and DAY as my brain anticipated it to be, and yet that does not mean it hasn't been rewarding. I think if the price of the 1200G isn't too prohibitive then the upgrade becomes a no brainer, its a superior table in every way but not if you have to compromise your financials to experience it, you might not be as happy once its all hooked up and feeding your speakers. It's an upgrade best experienced at an upgrade pace that feels sustainable. Not everyone NEEDS this table, the Ultradeck is wholly satisfying for most and can easily be the end of the road for most, but for those who look to squeeze out every last drop from their records... yeah you'll definitely enjoy the experience of the 1200G as their endgame, if you're comfortable spending that type of money. Spare me coming into a ridiculous amount of cash, I imagine this is going to be the end of the line for me.
To me the difference between an Ultradeck and a 1200G feels like the difference between a BMW 3 Series and a BMW 5 series. Both are beautiful and give you that "luxury" experience, but the 5 has a bit more power, its a bit roomier and spacious, its a bit more plush with nicer finishes and details, and its got cool ambient lighting strips that make it feel fancy and expensive lol.
Anyways, I hope that's helpful friends. Lmk if you have specific questions
@mindhead1.
DISCLAIMER: I got the Hana ML with the Technics 1200G so it's difficult to say what out of what I wrote is the product of the 1200G or a Microline Hana cartridge. So keep that in mind.
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