Dopo un lungo e triste periodo di uscita dal mercato senza possibilità di acquistare un nuovo giradischi Technics DJ (poiché i modelli Grand Class sono più rivolti agli utenti Hi Fi), il Technics SL-1210 MK7 è stato finalmente rilasciato nel 2019 e due anni più tardi, nel 2021, è apparsa la versione argento, l'SL-1200 MK7, con esattamente gli stessi componenti.
Come già detto in uno dei nostri precedenti articoli sulle principali differenze tra l'MK7 e i modelli precedenti, c'è molto dibattito su Internet se sia una buona scelta o se sia meglio un Technics di seconda mano della vecchia scuola. Vorremmo condividere alcuni dei nostri pensieri sull'argomento, poiché utilizziamo gli MK7 da molto tempo e abbiamo anche ricevuto molti feedback da parte dei nostri clienti.
"Basta comprare un MK2 di seconda mano, poiché molto probabilmente durerà per decenni..." è la frase che appare in qualche modo sulla maggior parte dei forum e dei gruppi di Facebook. Forse ci manca qualcosa, ma pensiamo che ci siano così tante cose sbagliate in un'affermazione come questa, e solleva più domande, piuttosto che tranquillizzare.
Dove e in quali condizioni durerà per decenni?
In un salotto con il parapolvere 363 giorni su 365? O in un club dove sudore, acqua e ovviamente bevande zuccherate e alcoliche potrebbero essere versate regolarmente? Durerà per decenni senza alcun intervento di assistenza o durerà per decenni con una manutenzione regolare? In quali condizioni possiamo ottenere un MK2 di seconda mano, e cosa possiamo effettivamente sapere della sua storia? Come puoi verificare che sia stato effettivamente utilizzato nel famigerato "studio per non fumatori, forse solo un paio di volte all'anno", o se ha persino il Technics faceplate originale? Come saprai quando acquisti da Ebay che tutti gli interni sono originali e sono in perfette condizioni, senza problemi di contatto che potrebbero apparire nel tempo?
Non fraintenderci, adoriamo la vecchia scuola MK2 e le successive generazioni di Technics prima dell'MK7, e abbiamo passato decenni a fare il DJ su di loro, e sì, sono MOLTO affidabili. Ma se fossimo sul punto di acquistare un paio di giradischi per il DJing, con l'MK7 disponibile, probabilmente ci penseremmo due volte prima di precipitarci su uno di seconda mano.
Anche se sei in grado di ottenere un Technics usato in condizioni "Mint" o "Near Mint", è probabile che non importa quanto sia affidabile, a un certo punto avrà bisogno di almeno qualche piccola manutenzione, come la calibrazione del pitch fader o alcuni problemi di contatto che di solito compaiono con i cavi RCA e talvolta con il cablaggio del braccio.
Non solo mancano dei tecnici qualificati per affrontare il problema, ma anche se qualcuno fosse disponibile, di solito non otterrai alcun tipo di garanzia di valore reale nelle tue riparazioni. In molti casi dovrai cercare tu stesso i pezzi di ricambio e in alcuni casi potresti dover aspettare mesi per farli spedire da qualche altra parte del mondo. Quindi, se decidi di acquistare un Technics della vecchia scuola, assicurati che ci sia un servizio affidabile intorno a te e chiedi se hanno accesso ai pezzi di ricambio.
Don’t forget that if you buy an MK2 or MK3 and plan to DJ with it, it is not a bad idea to take it to the service first, for removing the annoying click at 0%, as this is not a DJ feature and it is very frustrating to mix around the 0% pitch area as it can constantly lock your tempo at 0%, and on release, it will usually jump to somewhere around +/- 0.5%, rather than smoothly moving towards 0.1%, and this may result in some inaccurate beatmatching.
So what about the MK7? Is it a better deal?
There certainly were some complaints about the MK7 right after its release, and yes, many of these claims, such as the less robust build quality, different internals, and less resistance to feedback are true.
But consider whether you actually need those qualities. Consider how many times you will bring your turntable to a large scale event with a large sound system that is capable of feeding back from your turntable. And if the answer is: you actually need it mostly for home use, why would you even bother about these? There is no real benefit from the ultra robust housing in a quiet environment such as your home studio.
Apart from the tech specs, the real advantage when buying an MK7 lies in the fact that it is a new turntable, it is covered by warranty, and service parts are available at your local service center. Have we got some faulty models returned? Sure, and they were repaired in less than a couple of weeks, for no cost as long as there was a warranty issue.
Using a pair of MK7s for almost three years now, we can honestly say that mixing ånd beat matching is a bliss with these. Many times we find that we don't even have to make minor nudges or pitch bending as the two tracks just stay locked for more than a minute!. Even after two years, the pitch fader and rotation stability are on point.
We could go on discussing about internals, but for us, the purpose of DJ-ing with vinyl is to make two tracks stick together for as long as possible, and for this purpose, the MK7 is the best turntable we have ever used.
Is the digital pitch fader more annoying? Not necessarily. We usually get our beat match done in no time, and in considerably less time when compared to the MK2. Pitch faders are things that you can get used to, no matter what technology lies underneath them. You will quickly recognize its behavior and adapt.
In case they will be taken to a club where loud sound and feedback can be an issue, it is a good idea to put some isolation beneath it, such as the Luke ASB-1 isolation feet.
Are the mechanical parts looser and is the overall build-quality worse? The buttons did receive some criticism after the release of the MK7, and they certainly do not feel as good, as well as the the target light that doesn’t pop up so smoothly as on the MK2, but they show no signs of wear after 2 years - because most vinyl DJs will very likely just not abuse them. They are not like the CUE and PLAY buttons on CDJs that get pushed on average more than 10 times before playing a track. Most people will leave the pop-up light up after their session, the RPM buttons are only touched occasionally, and the Start/Stop button gets pushed only a couple of times during a session.
The tone–arm has no issues, we had almost no issues with skipping, when we did it was always the fault of some dirty record, so just as with any other turntable, it is still a good idea to keep your records clean.
As we constantly move things around in our studio as new gear keeps coming and going, we always had to move our pair of MK7s as well, and it is so good they made all cables detachable. It is so much easier to move around the units this way, especially if they get carried around in flightcases, and we don’t have to be careful about cramming the cables inside the box and possibly damaging them.
Conclusion
With a history of manufacturing bulletproof turntables and premium Hi-Fi equipment in general, there is no doubt that expectations are high whenever it comes to any kind of Technics gear. The MK7 is somewhat of a black sheep in the SL1200/1210 family because of the isolation and build quality in general. To be realistic, it is highly unlikely that we will ever see the same turntables at this price point.
From a pragmatic standpoint however, we think that the time spent on moaning about the build quality, should rather be spent on DJ-ing. Yes, the MK7 does have some minor flaws, but are they really a reason for not buying the turntable? Probably, if you expect that they will receive a high amount of abuse, in situations such as if you are a club owner, festival planner or a DJ equipment rental company, and the turntables are going to be carried around a lot, and will be used in very loud environments. But in this case you will also make money with the turntables so investing a little extra on a pair of SL1200/SL1210 GR will make sense (just don’t forget to swap their feet for a set of non-wobbly turntable feet, read more on this here).
However, as long as you are spinning at home and taking the turntable occasionally to events with no more than a few hundred people, we think that there is no particular reason for not choosing the MK7. It is a premium turntable, with a super-precise pitch fader and very stable rotation of the platter (which are the most important features a DJ needs for mixing), and after using them for some time, we believe that they outperform the old-school Technics in terms of precision. We absolutely love how flawless the transitions are when blending two tracks together and the slightly higher torque motor is also perfectly suitable for scratching.
Considering this and the fact that it is covered by up to 5 years warranty, we think that choosing the MK7 over a used MK2-MK6 is a much wiser option today. No matter how good the old models are, they are still not getting any younger, and it will become a tougher challenge over time to repair them if issues arise. We can confidently say that although it will never satisfy everyone, we love mixing on the MK7s, and it is a turntable that responds to the needs of most DJs today, and our customers can also confirm this.