Funk Firm Technics SL1200, 1210 Audiophile Platter
Available in black or machined snowy clear
Easy to fit. All you have to do is transfer the original magnet - simply three screws and a few minutes.
FREE FITTING AVAILABLE IF YOU BRING YOUR DECK TO US
Technics SL1200 series turntables.
With 3 million units sold this must make SL1200 perhaps the most successful production turntable of all time.
Designed for harsh DJ arenas, “robustness”, “reliability” and “consistency” are all bye words that have built SL1200’s reputation.
For the audiophile, however, information retrieval of the smallest signals is paramount. It is clear that in SL1200 finesse has taken a definite backseat. But then SL1200 was built to a very affordable price. Hardly surprising then to find heavy compromises.
For example:
SL1200’s platter is a complex affair comprising various holes, pillars, tapers for the bearing and so on. The only way Technics' engineers were able to incorporate all these different requirements whilst sticking to a limited budget was in a casting, which turned out to be a thin construction with severe ringing bell modes. The obvious solution is to damp it.
In an effort to try and control some of its resonant flexing they bonded a thick layer of rubber to the underside.
Despite all this damping, one only has to hold the platter by one of its finger holes and tap, even gently, to experience how ineffective it is. This then will have a negative impact to the music as it plays.
Now, with typical flair and creativity, Funk addresses the weaknesses enabling SL2100 to turn in a quite superlative performance.
SL1200 PLATTER:
As with all Funk’s products, if you are going to do a job, do it really well.
With SL1200 we start with a thoroughbred of a platter derived straight from Funk's high end turntable pedigree.
This platter is a precision engineered as a single-piece and so benefits from enhanced rigidity, accuracy and balance.
Machining.
Conventional high end platter designs are straightforward. The two faces simply need to be machined flat; because minimal material is removed, this is a relatively straightforward, cost-effective operation .
By contrast, SL1200’s platter comprises a central post protruding below the platter, a tapered bore and various mounting holes all of which require turning, milling and drilling out of a single original stock plate. Considerable material has to be removed and machining too quickly will result in chipping during machining and warping later down the line so it has to be done slowly and with care.
Care during the machining extends to the platters being left for a period of time to stress relieve before a final finishing cut is made.
Such time consuming care means that we can offer a life-time warranty on each platter.
As for the benefits: the museum grade acrylic immediately provides a very good impedance to the record.
Because it is inherently a substantial component it does not suffer the structural resonant vagaries of the original. The low end bloom is gone.
A carefully calculated mass distribution means the inertia works with SL1200’s servo for the fastest response possible.
It was an important design brief that the mass has been kept comparable to the original so it does not load the bearing - wear does not increase.
Finally, it has been profiled in such a say that it drops directly onto the standard bearing whilst working with the protective shield in place.
Funk's SL1200 platter is available in black or machined snowy clear.
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