Technics SL-1500C £899
It’s a trio of Best Buys for this deck now. The mini-me of the high-end SL-1000R turntable we use in our reference system, the Technics SL-1500C wows us equally at this mid-range price point.
It uses a core-less direct-drive motor with sophisticated speed-management circuitry, a hefty, well-damped chassis and a version of the company’s long-running S-shaped tonearm.
It comes supplied with the highly regarded Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and is equipped with a built-in phono stage. There’s even a switchable auto-lift function that takes the stylus off the record once the end of one side of the album has been reached.
Technics has been obsessive about the engineering details on the SL-1500C. That motor is designed to avoid clogging, and the speed control uses techniques first developed for parent company Panasonic’s Blu-ray players to help with stability and accuracy.
The platter is made of aluminium, but damped on the underside with rubber to control resonances.
The SL-1500C package is one of the best we’ve heard at this price. It has a clean and precise presentation, that defines the leading and trailing edges of notes with skill. The presentation is composed and organised, and able to track multitudinous instrumental strands with considerable ability.
Its handling of dynamic shifts is pleasing too, delivering crescendos with enthusiasm but with light enough touch to convey the nuances in sparser movements. The built-in phono stage is superb, too, so you don’t have to spend extra on a dedicated outboard unit to get the best from the record player.
The SL-1500C is simply a beautifully made, fuss-free record player that sounds absolutely great.