Next up is the Technics SL 1500C turntable. Depending on your era of existence, also known as a “gramophone” or “record player”. Technics introduced the first direct-drive turntable in 1970, and the company just kind of disappeared for years, and have returned with a top tier line up. The SL-1500C is referred to in audiophile circles as an “audiophile-quality” turntable, so when I asked for suggestions and this one came up time and time again, I knew I had to be on to something. After checking out the history of the company and their past line ups, I was sold. This crew was putting together some seriously top tier tech.
This turntable has a phono preamp, which gives you the ability to just hook up some standard powered speakers. This wasn’t what I was aiming to do, so the fact it also has some dedicated RCA stereo line output with the ability to turn off the preamp was a big plus. To summarize, I wanted quality sound with as little noise as possible going into amp and out the speakers, this gave me that option.
The tone arm comes with a Ortofon 2M Red cartridge on removable headshell. This keeps things open for upgrade or swapping out to a custom needle if I wanted to. Since I know almost nothing about needle tech for record players, this one appeared a perfectly good choice. I’d get it, set it up, and we’ll see how things go.
Wrapping out the build of this turntable is a two layer, die-cast aluminum chassis integrated with ABS and glass fiber which nixes external vibrations. This will help prevent bumps in play even when play is cranked up with bumps!
What all does one get in the box?
- turntable
- tone-arm
- headshell
- 45 RPM adapter (more on this in the future, because as I noted in the video, I wasn’t really up to speed on WTF the RPM settings nor this adapter are actually for!)
- balance weight
- auxillary weight
- mat
- dust cover
- 63″ power cord
- 58″ stereo RCA cable (which I didn’t use, as I’d bought upgraded cables, for details navigate here)
- 58″ ground wire
- owner’s manual
- sticker labers
Specifications
| Features | Spec |
|---|---|
| Color | Silver |
| Operation | Semi Automatic |
| Speeds | 33-1/3, 45, 78 |
| Drive Type | Direct |
| Pitch Control | No |
| Phono Preamp | Built-in |
| USB Output | No |
| Bluetooth Built-In | No |
| 45 RPM Adapter | Yes |
| Audio Cable | Detachable |
| Power Cable | Detachable AC Cable (3-pole) |
| Materials and Construction | |
| — | — |
| Plinth | Aluminum/ABS/Glass Fiber |
| Platter | Aluminum |
| Tone Arm Shape | S-shaped |
| Tone Arm Material | Aluminum |
| Tone Arm Lift | Finger, Lever |
| Cartridge Info | |
| — | — |
| Included Cartridge | Ortofon 2M RED |
| Cartridge Type | MM |
| Removable Headshell | Straight |
| Tracking Weight | 1.8 g (1.8mN) |
| Frequency Response | 20-20,000 |
| Output Voltage | 5.5 |
| Load Impedance | 47,000 |
| Load Capacitance | 100-200 |
| Audio Specs | |
| — | — |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | — |
| Wow and Flutter | 0.025 |
| Dimensions and Warranty | |
| — | — |
| Width (Inches) | 17.875 |
| Height (Inches) | 6.6875 |
| Depth (Inches) | 14.625 |
| Weight | 21.9 lbs. |
| Turntable Parts Warranty | 2 Years |
| Turntable Labor Warranty | 2 Years |
| Cartridge Parts Warranty | 1 Year |
| Cartridge Labor Warranty | 1 Year |
References
- Github Repo on Stereo Specs.
- Post on the Yamaha CD-S303 CD Player and the stereo-build unboxings.
Vicious Shred 
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