Technics SL-10
Encyclopedia
The Technics
SL-10 was a direct-drive
, linear tracking automatic turntable
produced from 1981-1985.
Speed Accuracy: +/- 0.002%
Wow and Flutter: 0.025%
Rumble: -78 dB
Tonearm Type: Dynamic balanced linear tracking gimbal
suspension
Effective Tonearm Length: 105 mm
Original Cartridge: EPC-310MC
Cartridge Frequency Response: 10 to 60,000 Hz
Dimensions: 315 x 88 x 315 mm
Weight: 6.5 kg
Unlike many of the inexpensive copycat designs that followed it, the SL-10 was cast from aluminum and weighed 6.5 kilograms. Its chassis was the same size as a standard LP jacket, and its styling was severe, doing away with the large plinth, visible tonearm and general bulk associated with conventional radial-tracking turntables that the public was familiar with up to that point. The SL-10 came equipped with the Technics EPS-310MC moving-coil cartridge. Due to the low output of the moving-coil cartridge, the SL-10 included a built-in, bypassable step-up preamp to allow it to connect to standard phono inputs. The SL-10 was capable of being powered by an external DC power adapter or a standard AC power supply. The motor was quartz-locked, providing accurate rotational speed.
Perhaps the SL-10's most striking feature was its ability to play records in any position, even vertical. With the lid closed, the SL-10's internal disc clamp held the record in place, and the tonearm, being dynamically balanced, maintained a consistent tracking force regardless of the turntable position.
An example of the SL-10 is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Replacement Cartridges: The original Technics EPS-310MC moving-coil cartridge was designed to be replaced as a unit; the stylus was not removable. The cartridge has since been discontinued. The SL-10 will accept any P-mount/T4P cartridge.
Technics
Technics may refer to:* Technics turntables, no longer in production.* Technics , a brand name of the Panasonic Corporation* An anglicization of the Ancient Greek term techne, used primarily in media theory...
SL-10 was a direct-drive
Direct-drive turntable
A direct-drive turntable is one of two main phonograph designs being manufactured today. The other style is the belt-drive turntable. Each name is based upon the type of drive motor used...
, linear tracking automatic turntable
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
produced from 1981-1985.
Specifications
Platter Type: 300mm diameter die-cast aluminiumSpeed Accuracy: +/- 0.002%
Wow and Flutter: 0.025%
Rumble: -78 dB
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
Tonearm Type: Dynamic balanced linear tracking gimbal
Gimbal
A gimbal is a pivoted support that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis. A set of two gimbals, one mounted on the other with pivot axes orthogonal, may be used to allow an object mounted on the innermost gimbal to remain immobile regardless of the motion of its support...
suspension
Effective Tonearm Length: 105 mm
Original Cartridge: EPC-310MC
Cartridge Frequency Response: 10 to 60,000 Hz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
Dimensions: 315 x 88 x 315 mm
Weight: 6.5 kg
Features
The SL-10 was the first linear-tracking turntable to feature direct drive, a Technics innovation dating back to 1969 with the SP-10 Mk I. The SL-10, along with its fully programmable stablemate the SL-15, was able to penetrate the consumer electronics market much more effectively than any preceding linear-tracking turntable, and it spawned a wave of imitators throughout the 1980s, along with many derivations by Technics itself.Unlike many of the inexpensive copycat designs that followed it, the SL-10 was cast from aluminum and weighed 6.5 kilograms. Its chassis was the same size as a standard LP jacket, and its styling was severe, doing away with the large plinth, visible tonearm and general bulk associated with conventional radial-tracking turntables that the public was familiar with up to that point. The SL-10 came equipped with the Technics EPS-310MC moving-coil cartridge. Due to the low output of the moving-coil cartridge, the SL-10 included a built-in, bypassable step-up preamp to allow it to connect to standard phono inputs. The SL-10 was capable of being powered by an external DC power adapter or a standard AC power supply. The motor was quartz-locked, providing accurate rotational speed.
Perhaps the SL-10's most striking feature was its ability to play records in any position, even vertical. With the lid closed, the SL-10's internal disc clamp held the record in place, and the tonearm, being dynamically balanced, maintained a consistent tracking force regardless of the turntable position.
An example of the SL-10 is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Replacement Cartridges: The original Technics EPS-310MC moving-coil cartridge was designed to be replaced as a unit; the stylus was not removable. The cartridge has since been discontinued. The SL-10 will accept any P-mount/T4P cartridge.