Technics SL 1200 MK2 Specs:

• Direct Drive Motor
  
• Quartz Locked Continuous Pitch Adjustment up to +/- 8%
  
• Wow and Flutter 0.01%
  
• Rumble -78dB
  
• Stop to Start 0.07 Seconds
  
• MSRP US $699.95

A line of turntables designed and distributed by Technics. Considered by many to be the only choice for real DJ'ing by virtue of their quality.

Some of the specifics of the 1200 series that puts it above the pack are:

• Sound quality
• Startup/Spindown speed (full speed reached in 500ms)
• Pitch control quality. If the pitch contol is moved, even in the slightest way possible, it will vary the pitch by that amount (some cheaper turntables don't have the accuracy needed to beatmatch)

SL-1200

This is the model number of a Technics's brand turntable. This turntable has been around since the early 1970s and was marketed for audiophiles. In the late 70s, its design was tweaked to specifications which exist today.

A pair of this model turntable appears in any good nightclub. There is no better turntable for DJs. It's qualities such as its high torque (which allows it to spin the record up to the proper speed faster) and durability made it the turntable to beat.

If you're just learning how to be a DJ and you really want to learn, do not buy any other turntable than the Technics SL-1200s.

There are four kinds of Technics SL-1200 widely available today. The first is the SL1200MKII. The most incredibly annoying thing about it is the detent in the pitch control slider, where pitch adjust = 0%. This would not be a problem at all, except when you are trying to match two records whose pitches are off by about 0.1% and the slider kicks right to 0.

The SL1200MK3D thankfully does away with this detent, and also adds a button to temporarily change the pitch back to 0%, called "Pitch Lock". The power switch is recessed just enough to prevent accidental power-offs. Unfortunately, the torque on this model is a bit lower than the MKII.

The SL1200MK4, only available in Japan, adds a reverse switch to the MK3D.

The SL1210 is supposed to be available only in Europe, and they certainly are more common there. The SL1210 is identical to the SL1200, except for the color. SL1200s are silver, while SL1210s are black. They are the Winterfresh version of the 1200.

In 2002, Technics released the SL1200 MK5, which has the reverse switch of the MK4 and the black casing of the SL1210. Two more bits of style were added to these beasts; the pop-up target light was changed to a blue bulb, and a line of blue accent lights now appears along the pitch slider. These are probably mostly found in Japan.

When a Technics deck's stop button is pressed, a brake kicks in and the platter stops quickly. On 1200s and 1210s, there is a little potentiometer that adjusts the force of this brake, and on a new deck, you can set it high enough to make the platter bounce off of the brake and spin backwards. (thanks sakke)