Technics SL-1500C (Silver) is rated
out of
5 by
34.
Technics SL-1500C (Silver)
Direct Drive Turntable
£799
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The best of Technics’ studio and club turntables – at home
Based on the legendary Technics SL1210, the SL1500C takes all the sophisticated drive mechanism but leaves the unnecessary DJ components for a high performance, home turntable. Discarding the pitch control, cue and strobe lights not only gives a cleaner style but also improves the sound quality through less complexity. A built-in phonostage, domestic cartridge and semi-auto operation make it more suitable for home use.
High torque, direct drive
When it comes to pitch stability and sonic precision, what’s good for the club and studio is equally good for the home. This is why Technics has used a version of its high torque, direct drive system for the SL1500C.
Improved, coreless motor for pitch-perfect sound
Based on technology from Technics’ reference SL1200 models, the SL1500C uses an all-new motor design with coreless tech. This results in the elimination of ‘cogging’ which can afflict other direct drive turntables. Cogging is an instability in the running speed, which gives inconsistent pitch. With the SL1500C, you get absolute pitch stability for a true and lifelike sound.
Solid design for low levels of distortion
Just like the Technics SL1210 and SL1200 turntables, the SL1500C is built to a high standard. The rigid, die-cast aluminium chassis uses a hybrid construction for superior resistance to vibration. Isolating feet and a damped platter further reduce resonance, meaning you hear more of the music’s fine detail and less distortion.
Classic tonearm
The SL1500C’s tonearm is a classic S-shape design that tracks precisely and is easy to handle. It also offers a wide range of adjustments, including VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), weight and bias, making it ideal for a huge range of different cartridges. The detachable headshell makes swapping cartridges a quick and simple process.
Built-in phono stage
Featuring a built-in phonostage, the SL1500C can be used with a much wider range of hi-fi and powered speakers. So long as your system has an AUX socket, the SL1500C simply plugs in and plays. If you prefer to use your own phonostage, then simply hook up to the standard phono RCA outputs instead. For a high quality connection, all RCA phono sockets are gold-plated.
Semi-auto operation
Unlike in the club or studio, you can’t be expected to stand attentively at your turntable at all times. So you can relax when listening to music at home, the SL1500C features an auto arm-lift. At the end of the record, the arm lifts automatically, protecting your stylus and also the speakers from distortion. If you’d prefer not to have this facility, it can be switched off.
Supplied with an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge
Priced at around £100 in its own right, the Ortofon 2M Red is a great quality starter cartridge. With smooth, precise sound, it’s the perfect match for the Technics turntable. The 2M is also upgradable, with a range of higher quality styli (Blue, Bronze and Black) that can be slid on for an instant upgrade in sound, when funds allow.
Enjoy studio quality sound, at home, with the Technics SL1500C.
Features
Auto/Manual
Semi-Auto
Belt Drive/Direct Drive
Direct Drive
Built In Phono Stage
Yes
Speeds
33/45/78
Energy Consumption
Power Consumption - Normal Use (W)
8
Power Consumption - Standby
0.2
Dimensions
Dimensions WxHxD (mm)
453 x 169 x 372
Weight
Weight (KG)
9.9
Accessories
Cartridge Included
Yes - Ortofon 2M Red MM
Replacement Stylus Code
2M Red
Rated 5 out of
5
by
SusM from
A quality product
Really pleased with my purchase, easy to set up and looks great too
Date published: 2021-10-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Foldawg from
Just perfect
This has a lovely sound and typical Technics it feels bulletproof
Date published: 2021-09-26
Rated 5 out of
5
by
PaulUk1974 from
Great sound
I had difficulty setting this up initially. I didn’t dogs the instructions clear. However Richer Sounds were great and helped me. Once set up it sounded and looks amazing.
Date published: 2021-04-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Zoltar from
Technics sl1500c
Just got my technics sl1500c couple of weeks ago. Upgraded the stylus to ortofon 2m blue strait away and this combo with the internal phono stage sound amazing. I used to use rega fono mm with project carbon evo and that sounded great but I’d say the technics build in phono stage is at least as good if not better. Direct drive, auto lift and better build is a bonus compared to the project which is a good turntable in its own right but the techncs is just better.
Date published: 2021-04-03
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Daemon from
Technics turntable
Beautifully made. Quality engineering. Sounds fabulous
Date published: 2021-03-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
tartanangel78 from
Amazing service start to finish!
Decided to upgrade our turntable & have not been disappointed! Excellent product, 5 star ⭐️ Richer Sounds customer service from start to finish was top notch!
Date published: 2021-03-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
brokenboarder from
Great service, great equipment and great sounds!
A couple of weeks back I decided to buy a turntable, amp and speakers. The service I received from James (Bournemouth store) was second to none! Very knowledgeable and happy to share personal opinions and experience. Set up was straight forward enough and the sound is great!
Date published: 2021-03-07
Rated 5 out of
5
by
BrettG from
Totally Satisfied!!
Guys just want to say thank you for your phone support helping with the purchase and your advice. Thanks also for the remote support from Patrick, helping me get things off the ground!!
Date published: 2020-06-21
Rated 4 out of
5
by
billylane from
Brilliant piece of kit
A great turntable, beautiful digital-esque sound with both clarity and warmth. The stylus arm control to raise and lift is fragile and feels a bit cheap when compared to the rest of the first class, well built and assembled turntable.
Date published: 2020-05-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
WillyBig from
Fantastic sound easy to set up
I purchased this turntable to replace a high end 1980’s record player.
The Technics is about 10% better and I am very pleased I upgraded.
Date published: 2020-05-21
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Digbydog626 from
Excellent Sound And Build Quality
I ordered this based on reviews I had read which rated the Technics very highly. The only thing I had reservations on was most of the photos make the record player's styling look a bit dull. The Technics arrived the following day (excellent Service) and was easy to set-up with a very good instruction manual. I am really impressed with the build quality and the silver finish looks stunning and the styling is superb (despite my initial reservations) with a really cool looking dome on top of the dust cover. When it comes to the sound (the most important thing) the Technics has really impressed me with it's sublime clarity and overall tone, the only downside to this is I am now spending far to much money on new vinyl albums. If there was one criticism I would make it would be the tone arms auto lift doesn't work well with every record, if the last track is cut to close to the label the arm will lift before reaching the end of the album. Technics state this in the manual and you can turn this feature off, but really if this feature is offered it should work on all records, my old record player had the tone arm lift and worked every time. Overall I am over the moon with this purchase and the service I received from Cibo at the Cambridge branch.
Date published: 2020-05-18
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Arthur 80 from
Good overall sound,Tone arm lowering device poor
No damping device on tone arm otherwise i would have given a 5 star rating You need care when lowering stylus onto records.
Date published: 2020-03-08
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Hincy from
Fantastic sound
Upgrade from a 1210mk3 and totally love it. Awesome
Date published: 2020-02-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
CarlyB from
Great turntable! Works perfectly!
Bought this from Daniel in the Kingston branch as a present for my BF, he absolutely loves it! We have been enjoying listening to vinyl. Very good quality!
Date published: 2020-01-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Anonymous from
reassuringly expensive
Excellent reproduction, especially mid range "depth" and detail. Can hear the difference from my old turntable (and from a cheaper new one) on rock, jazz and blues (often the most difficult). Very good vibration isolation: I can put on a waltz and practise with my wife around the room without it skipping. Good user manual, clear and concise.
Date published: 2019-12-18
Rated 5 out of
5
by
kezzawd from
Brilliant version of an old classic !!
I’ve had a 1210 mk2 which was a great deck - this is as good and then some - taught, rhythmic and musical and built like a Technics tank should be - awesome turntable.
Date published: 2019-11-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Staffsmartin from
Outstanding turntable
As a born again vinyl player. I wanted to upgrade my basic turntable and back in the pre CD days I always wanted a technics deck and couldn’t afford one. This new model is ideal for non DJ’s and I am delighted with it. The staff at Lichfield were brilliant and showed me how to set up a similar deck and this helped me greatly.
Date published: 2019-09-11
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Alfaglade from
A superb example of Technics quality
I purchased this a few weeks ago and I am very pleased with the performance and quality of design and manufacture whilst available at a realistic price.
Date published: 2019-09-06
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Paul1743 from
Fantastic Turntable
I have wanted a Technics turntable for years but could never justify buying one with all of the DJ features, the 1500C is perfect it comes with a built in phono stage and the excellent Ortofon 2M Red. I have been blown away by the sound quality and the excellent construction, it looks fantastic om my HiFi rack.
Date published: 2019-09-05
Rated 5 out of
5
by
monkey 57 from
good service good products
the technics deck exceeded my expectations.very musical and fun opportunities to upgrade.
Date published: 2019-08-23
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Amanda 103 from
Looks great and easy to set up
I’ve had it a couple of weeks and my new and old vinyl play great
Date published: 2019-08-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Steve1979 from
New turntable
I bought theTechnics turntable last week, very pleased with my purchase sounds good
Date published: 2019-08-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Andy the loud music man from
Sounds brilliant, A lovely turntable.
I purchased this turntable 2 weeks ago and upon connecting it up and turning it on I was aware of a buzzing noise from the left channel. I swapped the interconnect leads, mains lead, moved the turntable further away from the amplifier; disconnected the speakers and used headphones, but nothing helped.
I was forced to return the turntable to my dealer, (Richer Sounds Bournemouth) who tried all of the above checks but then the manager swapped the head shell with an identical one from another new turntable and the buzzing noise stopped, so a faulty cartridge must have caused the problem.
I am surprised that Ortofon do not check all of their cartridges before they leave the factory, as this fault caused me a great deal of time and trouble.
The replacement turntable sounds beautiful when connected to my Roksan Kandy LIII amplifier's phono stage, and I rate the build quality as excellent: it is very solidly constructed.
The auto-lift feature sometimes lifts the arm a little too early when playing old 45RPM single records, but I can live with this.
James, ( the branch manager) was brilliant, and could not have been more helpful, and the
rest of the team are a great bunch of guys too. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from this store agin.
Date published: 2019-08-05
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Philip_O from
Technics SL1500C - very good, could be better
Bought this from Richer Sounds Tunbridge Wells as a replacement for my 1980's Technics SLD3. It's very good, build quality looks very good, sound is excellent, the Ortofon cartridge is good. The auto lift function is a bit hit and miss - sometimes it doesn't operate. Should have a retainer for the larger centre hole adaptor.
Date published: 2019-07-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Kev MacHamster from
All the right features,surpasses my expectations.
I have been into Hifi and Turntables for over 30 years,I have much more expensive and highly regarded turntables than the SL1500 C .I am really impressed with this turntable though...I am meticulous about set up and have a record collection of around 4'000 LP's..The main reason I bought the SL1500 C is that my health is not as good as it used to be and the auto lift function means not having to get to the turntable a s soon as possible to lift the arm at the end of the record..I was getting dizzy trying to do this..This feature takes 10 revolutions at the end of the record then the lift engages..This feature can be switched off if you don't need it..I am using the SL1500 C with an external phono stage,a Project Phono Box DS..The internal Phono stage is good but not quite as good as the Phono Box DS..It is certainly better than a starter phono stage though..I tested the SL1500 C with various headshell/Cartridge combinations..There are certainly better sounding cartridges than the supplied Ortofon 2m Red..The Audio Technica AT VM 95 ML is stunning on this Deck..The Sadly discontinued Denon DL110 in a higher mass Sumiko magnesium headshell is Jaw Dropping..The 2m Red certainly isn't a bad cartridge by any means though..
I also thought things sounded cleaner aligned to Baerwald alignment rather than Technics
own..The Hifi News records confirmed this to me..
Any cartridge I used cleared 3 Levels on the Hifi News Set up/test record..This record also comes with a Baerwald alignment protractor..Some of the same cartridges I could not get to clear track 3 with my SME 3009 series 2 improved detachable or my,or my Rega RB250 arms,both modified and unmodified...The trackability of the Technics tomearm really
blows me away...This is something I never expected..
Any Quirks,I would say the Anti skating calibration is either spot on or slightly under..Most Anti Skating is grossly over..I am used to a lift that permanently keeps the tonearm up when on manual mode..With the Technics the lift tends to droop after a couple of seconds..I used to select tracks on an album using just one hand..It is safer using 2 her..One to keep the lifter up,one to move the tonearm to it's destination..
All in all,the SL1500 C surpasses my expectations in sound quality and it's ability to play really challenging records like heavy Orchestral stuff with no distortion...It also has a pacy rhythmic joyous presentation...
This is a serious grown up record player and competes with much more expensive equipment that I have..The feet aso mean you can level it properly..Walking around the room doesn't seem to bother it,not like one infamous Scottish Turntable I own..This is a seriously great turntable..I'm fussy and expect a lot and I ma very impressed indeed..
I am also very satisfied I made a good decision to by it..Again,how well the tonearm tracks I am blown away by,but maybe a little miffed at how much I spent on my other Audiophile Tonearms,tests are saying the Technics one is at least as good..
Date published: 2019-07-28
Rated 5 out of
5
by
jukeboxboy from
A Fantastic Piece of Kit
I bought the Technics to replace my Clearaudio Concept MM turntable, I'm really pleased I did. The Clearaudio had cost me a small fortune in replacement cartridges over the last 5 years. This turntable delivers just as well if not better, the sound from the supplied Ortofon 2m Red stylus and cartridge is terrific but I've heard that upgrading to the 2m Blue is the way forward... The highs and mids are clear and refined, the bass big and meaty. It's built like a tank and the silver version looks stunning. The service I received from Mark at the Reigate was fantastic too, thank you.
Date published: 2019-07-25


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