I've been reading a lot about how the stock tone arm on Technics 1200GR isnt that good, and the arm on the 1200G is much better. I'm interested in the idea of maybe at some point swapping the arm on my GR for the G arm. I know theres other arms that are supposedly better, but I want to keep the GR looking stock, i like the look, also I know the whole arm unit on the G should be a straight swap. Having looked at the cost of a whole new tone arm for a 1200 G, I'm wondering if anybody has done this, and how much of a differnce in sound it would make. Does the cost justify the sound quality increase?
Nope, but almost. IIRC, mounting a 1200G tonearm on a 1200GR requires some bushings at the three mounting screws beneath the VTA collar.
Someone must have been reading my mind. I bought the gr a couple months ago and have been really disappointed about the arm specifically the que lever. It just feels so cheap. Are there any viable alternatives?
Alternative tonearms? Plenty. There are predrilled armboards specifically for 1200 turntables so that it’s a drop in swap. It’s also nice upgrade. I’ve upgraded my (already very good) 1200G tonearm to an SME V. Of all typical TT upgrades, this is by far the best.
I think sme no longer sells tonearm separately. Is there a place to get good info on matching the tonearm to the gr? Would they still have detachable heads? Origin live? Thanks
SME do sell tonearms separately. The M-2 range (there's 4 arms in the range). The other arms only come with a turntable.
If you don't mind my asking... What other upgrades have you done? And what was better about the SME (sound and function)?
It’s not worth spending the money putting a G arm on the GR. If you want the G arm, I recommend saving up and buying the whole G table.
The arm is more than good enough, as is any properly functioning 1200 arm. What exactly are you trying to achieve?
I change my G arm to an SME 309 a few years ago, only because I had it on my 1200 mk2 & put the G arm on the 1200. As @Erocka2000 said, just buy a G & call it a day.
@patient_ot I know for me que lever is a toy at best. I know when I lift it falls a little it was adjusted to the as high as it can go. I'm worried, that it may lower itself prematurely as about I'm about to drop the needle on the record. Not necessarily about sound quality.
The G arm is plenty good enough especially if you use a stiffer / heavier headshell and additional weight. Sounds almost as solid as an SME. I think differences are mostly tonal or cartridge dependent. If you want better the Alphason HR200S is now in production but price is an eye watering £5K. The earlier HR100S was the acknowledged SME V beater in it's day. Alphason are offering a free home trial (company is the original owner/designer). HR-200S Reference Tonearm - Alphason Audio They are promising VTA adjuster and reintroduction of the cheaper models at some stage. Fremer interviewed Michael Knowles at Axpona. Around 25 mins in.
I have said the same thing in another thread. I'm not a fan of that style of queing lever anyway, but it just feels cheap and clumsy. Not a nice action to it. Also once the arm is lifted, and you push it across to line up the record, it feels a bit jerky and sticks, as there seems to be quite a bit of friction against the plastic part that lifts the arm. Its not a smooth action. Unless you lift the tone arm even higher as you move it across. I also have a Technics SL Q 202, and that has a lovely slider switch on the front for a queing system. It feels so much nicer. If they could incorporate that into a 1200 G/GR and make it an auto return too, they'd be onto a winner.
Never had that happen (lowering itself) in over 3 years of owning my MK7. It only lowers when I want it to. Perhaps you got a bad cue mech on your arm, or you didn't adjust it properly. It might be counterintuitive, but I prefer the way the cue lever works when the cart is closer to the record. This is probably because the last two turntables I owned prior to this one had instructions that said to adjust the cue mech so that the stylus tip is 6-8mm above the record in the "up" position.
By chance has anyone ever heard the SL-1000RE-S? The tonearm build looks to be incredible. High-sensitivity Tonearm To enable the tonearm to precisely track the record's rotation, Technics has traditionally used the static balance, S-type universal tonearm with a lightweight, high damping magnesium tonearm pipe. The gimbal suspension construction tonearm uses high-precision bearings. Highly skilled Japanese craftsmen handle all assembly and adjustment to achieve a high initial-motion sensitivity to precisely trace the grooves cut into the records. OFC is used for internal wiring, so the music signal relayed from the cartridge is not dampened and the musical energy cut into the record is not lost, thereby producing highly vivid sounds. Also agree with others. Just get a G instead of trying to chase the GR upgrades in circles. You'll be happier in the end with the result.
A few years before the G/GAE models came out I maxed out my 1200 with exception of the power supply. Till this day I love how it performs, & with the G's arm on it, it was a slight difference between the SME & the G arms on the deck. The scale tips towards the SME & how my tables are setup, their all keepers in my home. Look into a used G, I'm sure you can get a deal. Just make sure the platter is good.
I’ve tried mats, feet, headshells, phono cables and added a tonearm damper to the stock arm. The SME brought much more depth to the soundstage and seems to pronounce the highs a bit more. While the tonearm lift of the 1200G is nicely smooth (in contrast to flimsy MK7/GR ones), the SME has a bit more precision to it. Build quality of the 1200G arm is very good, but that of the SME is just on another level... impeccable fit and finish.
A silver SME IV or V looks better on a 1200G IMO, because they're more matte silver instead of shiny chrome, just like the plinth.
Every time I consider this, I come away thinking it would be a better value and use of money to just buy a whole G to replace my GR (or keep the GR as a second turntable). The cost and hassle of buying and installing a G arm in the GR just doesn’t add up to much less than buying a G, IMO.
I amputated the arms on my Technics and Pioneer. The Fidelity Research arm on the Technics makes a stiff LOMC Denon DL103r really sing with clarity and authority---great bass and super natural---wow! The SME on the old Pioneer makes that turntable sound high end using the relatively inexpensive VM750SH cartridge. So my experience was transformative. These turntables don't sound at all like a stock Technics. They SING! And yes, I tried every upgrade possible from better arm wiring to silicone dampers to arm tube wrappers to counter balancers to headshell-itis. You NAME it. That stock arm upgraded is not even in the same quality level as either vintage arm that now took its place. Vintage arms for the win!
One thing you didn’t do was re-wire the G tonearm (I believe). I haven’t either, but KAB swears it makes a difference. As noted above in the post by @Jasonbraswell the only Technics arm in the current lineup that uses OFC wiring stock is the SL-1000R.
