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Technics SL-BD22

The Technics SL-BD22 is both and vintage and not-so-vintage turntable. It hung around for quite awhile before finally being discontinued. I believe it was on the market from around late 1985 up until about 2000. It is one of the last turntables Technics built before they got out of the lower/mid end turntable market.

Technics SL-BD22 Pitch Control

The SL-BD22 is an inexpensive but decent belt-drive, semi-automatic turntable with a P-mount arm which makes it easy to setup for those newer to the turntable scene. The drawback is that there are not many adjustments that one can make. There are not a lot of options in terms of upgrades either. Cartridges and cables can be replaced with higher quality versions and sound dampening can be installed but most everything else is set in place.

Technics SL-BD22 Cueing

There are no tracking and antiskating adjustments that can be made. Still, it is a well built and reliable turntable for the price. It retailed at around $100 when first introduced and around $190 when finally discontinued.

Technics SL-BD22 Tonearm

It came stock with a Technics EPC-P24 cartridge. For those on a budget the P-Mount AT92E cartridge will fit nicely. Just plug it in and you're ready to play.

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The belt is easily changeable and cheap at around $10. Just be sure to clean out all of the old belt residue as it can cause variations in the rotational speed.

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Technics SL-BD22 Counterweight

The SL-BD22 features:

Quiet and precise belt-drive motor system
Speeds of 33.33 and 45 RPM
P-Mount cartridge connector system
Highly sensitive gimbal suspension tonearm
DC motor with FG servo control
Auto return and Auto stop
Wow and flutter: 0.06% wrms
Rumble: 70dB
Variable Pitch Control
Static balanced straight tonearm
Dimensions - 17 x 15 x 4 inches
Weight - 9.8 pounds
Anti-Resonant Cabinet
Built in illuminated stroboscope

Technics SL-BD22 Strobe

The Technics SL-BD22 is not an audiophile turntable. It has few upgrade options and is definitely a no frills table. It is, however, well built, easy to setup and performs very well for the price. As an entry level turntable it really can't be beat. For around $100 or so you can be listening to your vinyl collection in no time.

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technics-sl-1700-mk2-top

This is the Technics SL-1700 MKII. It was on the market from about 1979 up until around 1981. As you probably already know, Technics was a major player in the turntable market throughout the 1970's. In 1969 they introduced the first direct drive turntable with the SP-10 which was targeted towards professional users but in 1971 they release the SL-1100 for the general public.

technics-sl-1700-mk2-top-up

The SL-1700 MKII is a semi-automatic, direct drive turntable with wow and flutter at 0.025%. Overall it has great specs and a very solid workhorse. It's similar in build quality to the SL-1200 MK2 and utilizes quite a few shared parts. The SL-1700 MKII was geared towards to the home listener however, with its suspended chassis and auto-return features.

technics-sl-1700-mk2-tone

The MK II version of the SL-1700 has automatic cuing while the MKI (SL-1710) version is manual. Some other differences / features of the MKII are:

The 1700 MK 2 has:
A servo-motorized arm using a belt (independent from any linkages or gears connected to the platter motor. You manually cue it up but the arm will return by itself at the end of play to the resting position (semi-auto).

The top plinth is die-cast aluminum, not plastic. It incorporates a double suspension system. The inner base is TNRC material (Technics Non Resonance Compound).

The motor, platter, mat, arm (except for the auto feature) are exactly the same as the SL-1200.

The SL-1700 and SL-1700MKII do have speed adjustment issues at times. Usually this can be fairly easily fixed by cleaning the speed control potentiometer or re-flowing the appropriate circuitry. So, if you're thinking of buying one be sure to check the speed control, cuing, and auto-return. These are all fixable issues but will cost a bit to remedy.

Technics SL-1700 MKII

The Technics SL-1700 MKII is a very nice turntable. Some enthusiasts prefer a fully manual table such as the SL-1200 because there are fewer potential problems. But, if you want a table that will auto return at the end of the record, a suspended chassis for more insulation from vibration and noise then the SL-1700 MKII is a good choice. A fully serviced SL-1700 MKII will sell for around $400. Average working units sell for about $250 to $300.