Technics SL-1300G

After initially launching without them, turntables are now front and centre at Technics, and the company now finds itself engaged in creating a second generation of decks for the range. The GR model of the iconic SL-1200 became the GR2 and extremely good it is too. Logic dictates, therefore, that the higher-spec SL-1200G model is up for the same treatment, but Technics has sprung a bit of a surprise and instead released the SL-1300G you see here.

This is essentially a three-way combination of parts and ideas. It is a mechanical combination of the SL-1200GR2 and SL-1200G while conceptually being more akin to the SL-1500C, which has been doing sterling work as a domesticated variant of the SL-1200 for some years now. This means that there is no pitch control, strobed platter or cueing light as Technics doesn’t feel that these are required for home use. Unlike the more affordable SL-1500C, there’s also no internal phono stage.

The SL-1200GR2 donates its Delta Sigma Drive power supply, which uses pulse width modulation to control power being sent to the motor. The switch mode-type power supply that the GR2 uses is also carried over to the SL-1300G. While the idea of using ‘digital’ (a simplification but true to a point) in a turntable might offend some sensibilities, there is no question it works extremely well in the GR2.

Also taken from the GR2 is the aluminium S-shaped tonearm with detachable headshell. While the GR2 has the nicest-feeling example of the Technics arm we’ve seen, this is not the same as the magnesium one that the SL-1200G uses. The arm has a pleasing operation and comes with counterweight options that should make pretty much any cart balance and can also have the VTA adjusted. On the downside, the supplied headshell is somewhat lightweight and the sloped front snags some washers that are preferred by a few cartridge manufacturers. It is easy enough to change, though.

The contributions from the G Series focus on the motor and platter. The 1300G’s motor has dual rotors rather than the 1200GR2’s one, and it has the same reinforcing system as is used in the SP10 and SP1000 flagship models. The effect of this extra grunt is easy to see. Press the large ‘start/stop’ button on the top panel and the SL-1300G leaps into life, with an immediacy that makes even the SL-1200GR2 feel gentle and it stops no less smartly too.

This is all the more notable when you consider that the platter on the SL-1300G is a heavier device that also borrows from the SL-1200G. It is a three-layer design that physically screws into place on the rotor – which has three additional mounts around the spindle to secure it (so, if you were thinking it might make a smart upgrade for a GR2, it won’t fit). It’s topped with a brass surface that looks and feels spectacular. Very little else at the price gets anywhere near it, although slightly disappointingly, it has a rubber mat obscuring it from view.

As a result of having three different origin points to its design, the 1300G does feel slightly lacking in its own identity. Thanks to the platter, it seems more impressive than the 1200GR2, but it’s substantially lighter than the SL-1200G and doesn’t feel quite as solid. Some details like the improved location of the mains socket arrangement are a big step forward, however, and the level of build and finish feels slightly elevated even over the very well assembled GR2. In keeping with other Technics decks, there are silver and black finishes available (although the black version is still a 1300 rather than a ‘1310’).

Sound quality
Sonically, the SL-1300G benefits from the more defined sense of identity that is common to all Technics turntables and that stems from the potent drive system. This imbues it with truly sensational low-end – superior to the SL-1200GR2 and something which needs defining as a little more than simply ‘good bass.’ The brooding Blowback by Marconi Union has relatively little percussive low end to it, but there are tones that extend down from the midrange and mingle with deep electronic notes. The texture and articulation that the SL-1300G brings to them is truly impressive. Without sounding bloated or over blown, there is a level of weight and presence here that even significantly more expensive rivals can struggle to match.

Like the SL-1200GR2, the most surprising aspect of the Delta Sigma drive is that there is a delicacy to how the SL-1300G performs that is not part of the makeup of previous older Technics turntables. Listening to The Wrong Band by Tori Amos on the SL-1300G is instructive because it is a track that thrives on the articulation of the piano against Amos’ vocals and not an excess of scale or weight (although, it’s only fair to note that the lower piano notes sound truly exceptional) and the Technics does a sensational job of delivering them.

Our initial listening is with a Gold Note Vasari Shibata (HFC 516) moving-magnet cartridge and the 1300G quickly reveals a level of capability that means a Goldring Ethos (HFC 449) moving-coil also proves to be a capable partner. It can almost certainly do justice to carts up to £1,500 without feeling that they are being held back.

It’s hard to shake the persistent feeling that the 1300G could be better still, though. If the arm from the 1200G had been used, the end result would probably have eclipsed the older deck – which would probably have been a faux pas on Technics’ part as, for now at least, the 1200G remains on sale. There are points, however, where the SL-1300G feels closer in performance to the 1200GR2 than it is the 1200G and this is slightly disappointing given the price difference between the two.

If you start to view the SL-1300G as a more audiophile-focused 1200GR2, some of its charms become clear. Shorn of the extra controls, it feels more focused and less fussy in its operation and the smooth-edge platter is more relaxing to have running all the time. Beneath that civilised exterior, it still has that phenomenal motor arrangement. To hear the 1300G handle the decay of the plucked bass in Burn Out by The Cinematic Orchestra is to hear digital levels of pitch stability while still delivering a fluency and naturalness that is the preserve of vinyl. Where it matters, this is still a Technics.

Conclusion
Whether or not this particular take on a very effective philosophy of Technics turntables is what you need will come down to budget and priorities. We thoroughly enjoy our time with the 1300G, but can’t quite shake the feeling that buying an SL-1200GR2 and spending the balance on a cart and phono stage might be a more effective use of the same money. For all that, the extra feeling of quality and the premium parts used to create it will win over newcomers, and the result is a very capable offering at the price. ES    

DETAILS
Product: Technics SL-1300G
Type: Direct-drive turntable

FEATURES
● 33, 45 and 78rpm
● S-shaped aluminium tonearm
● Three-layer platter with brass top

Read the full review in  Issue 525

COMPANY INFO
Technics UK

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