Technics SL-DZ1200: Too Pricey To Accept Buggy Performance
The past thirty years have seen Technics become the undisputed leader of the turntable industry ever since its groundbreaking SL-1200 model saw the light of day. The SL-1200 has sold more units than any other turntable in history, and has remained popular enough that Technics has never released a successful followup.
That's all set to change as Technics unveils it SL-DZ1200, a direct drive turntable that has gone completely digital. This model is the first of its kind to offer MP3 playback and the ability to play CD's instead of LP's. DJ's worldwide are crying foul at this -- nothing can match the power and sound of a vinyl turntable, right? MP3 files are in essence encoded files, which naturally result in lower sound quality than the big records.
The question remains: is the quality loss insignificant enough that DJ's can still go out and play professionally with this model? And might it even be better to have all their songs on a memory card rather than having to haul boxes of LP's to every gig?
So Much Potential And Features For Modern DJ's
The good news is that the SL-DZ1200 has a lot of potential that, with enough hard work, can truly reap great rewards. Bringing MP3 files and CD playback into the fold was smart, as it's bound to happen later if not now. Technics also includes many options that DJ's can use during their shows. The SL-DZ1200 emulates the vinyl sound fairly well, and is built to look and feel like an authentic SL-1200.
You can also save loops into sample banks and recall them on the fly, even play them simultaneously. Save them long term by loading them onto an SD card so you can use them at your next gig. There's also a series of cues you can save and recall when you want, freewheeling capabilities and a reverse switch. Put all this stuff together and you've got a machine perfect for a night on the town.
The Negative Side
Technics has inadvertently created a turntable with just as many unfortunate sides as good. There is an eight to thirty second lag time when you load CD's, which can cause headaches if you're not ready for this, particularly in front of live crowds. If you're any good at being a DJ, you can work the crowd for thirty seconds, but one is still tempted to say, "But vinyl never lagged." You're right, by the way.
In addition to the lag trouble, the sound goes through a "vinyl simulation," which is obviously not a real turntable sound. The naysayers are right. The SL-DZ1200 may do a great job of emulating the sound of vinyl and it's easy to scratch, but for purists, imitation vinyl is still recognizable from authentic vinyl.
But by far the worst problem with Technics' SL-DZ1200 turntable is its sound quality. IF you're dealing with MP3 files, even at the highest bit rates, the sound quality can get sketchy at high volumes. It's never going to match the sound of a good vinyl, even if you're careful about ripping your CD's.
And then there's the backbreaking problem: its ridiculous price. The SL-DZ1200 is going for a whopping $1,199.95 according to Technics' website. Who can afford to shell out a couple thousand dollars on a turntable whose sound doesn't even equal that of machines thirty years older? Buying it simply doesn't make sense.
My Conclusion: SL-DZ1200 A Mixed Bag
The SL-DZ1200 has a lot of features to like and a lot of problems that will take away from your experience as well. You can fool around with the crowd for thirty seconds to allow your CD to finally spin, you can scratch until you're blue in the face and store as many songs as you want on an incredibly portable SD card, but at the end of the day vinyl sounds like vinyl, and this isn't vinyl.
The functionality is here, though; no other turntable on the market will provide as many great features as the SL-DZ1200. - 18758
That's all set to change as Technics unveils it SL-DZ1200, a direct drive turntable that has gone completely digital. This model is the first of its kind to offer MP3 playback and the ability to play CD's instead of LP's. DJ's worldwide are crying foul at this -- nothing can match the power and sound of a vinyl turntable, right? MP3 files are in essence encoded files, which naturally result in lower sound quality than the big records.
The question remains: is the quality loss insignificant enough that DJ's can still go out and play professionally with this model? And might it even be better to have all their songs on a memory card rather than having to haul boxes of LP's to every gig?
So Much Potential And Features For Modern DJ's
The good news is that the SL-DZ1200 has a lot of potential that, with enough hard work, can truly reap great rewards. Bringing MP3 files and CD playback into the fold was smart, as it's bound to happen later if not now. Technics also includes many options that DJ's can use during their shows. The SL-DZ1200 emulates the vinyl sound fairly well, and is built to look and feel like an authentic SL-1200.
You can also save loops into sample banks and recall them on the fly, even play them simultaneously. Save them long term by loading them onto an SD card so you can use them at your next gig. There's also a series of cues you can save and recall when you want, freewheeling capabilities and a reverse switch. Put all this stuff together and you've got a machine perfect for a night on the town.
The Negative Side
Technics has inadvertently created a turntable with just as many unfortunate sides as good. There is an eight to thirty second lag time when you load CD's, which can cause headaches if you're not ready for this, particularly in front of live crowds. If you're any good at being a DJ, you can work the crowd for thirty seconds, but one is still tempted to say, "But vinyl never lagged." You're right, by the way.
In addition to the lag trouble, the sound goes through a "vinyl simulation," which is obviously not a real turntable sound. The naysayers are right. The SL-DZ1200 may do a great job of emulating the sound of vinyl and it's easy to scratch, but for purists, imitation vinyl is still recognizable from authentic vinyl.
But by far the worst problem with Technics' SL-DZ1200 turntable is its sound quality. IF you're dealing with MP3 files, even at the highest bit rates, the sound quality can get sketchy at high volumes. It's never going to match the sound of a good vinyl, even if you're careful about ripping your CD's.
And then there's the backbreaking problem: its ridiculous price. The SL-DZ1200 is going for a whopping $1,199.95 according to Technics' website. Who can afford to shell out a couple thousand dollars on a turntable whose sound doesn't even equal that of machines thirty years older? Buying it simply doesn't make sense.
My Conclusion: SL-DZ1200 A Mixed Bag
The SL-DZ1200 has a lot of features to like and a lot of problems that will take away from your experience as well. You can fool around with the crowd for thirty seconds to allow your CD to finally spin, you can scratch until you're blue in the face and store as many songs as you want on an incredibly portable SD card, but at the end of the day vinyl sounds like vinyl, and this isn't vinyl.
The functionality is here, though; no other turntable on the market will provide as many great features as the SL-DZ1200. - 18758
About the Author:
The Technics SL-1200 and Technics SL-1210 are the most acclaimed and best selling turntables in history -- the SL-1200 is even available today, thirty years after its initial release! Why not shell out the cash and obtain an item of hip hop history today? Only buy from an authorized Technics supplier so you'll know you're getting genuine equipment for a fair price.
posted by X - Men at
4:33 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home