Technics SL DZ1200

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Technics SL DZ1200
  Large images .. Technics Available from 11/30/1999 until 11/30/1999

The Technics SL-DZ1200 Direct-Drive Digital Turntable looks—and more importantly feels—like spinning wax on a classic 1200. The distinctive slip surface on the full sized platter lets you spin, scratch, break, and otherwise work a track in a number of formats, including CD, MP3 and AAC.

Reviews 
Review written by Jon on 06/10/2006
Overall:
 For dj funk hes dumb. dont listen. these decks are solid. I had them for years and they are service free. if you dumb and dont take care of your shit it will break. I take them out 2wice a week and they are still flawless.!@!
Usability:
 really easy to use
Sounds:
 great sound
Build quality:
 solid as steel
Overall Rating:
Review written by DA FUNK on 05/04/2006
Overall:
 CALL ME COCKY IF YOU WANT. I'VE BEEN SPINNING ON SOUTH BEACH, F.L.A. SINCE '93. I KNOW WHAT IS JUNK AND WANT IS ACCEPTABLE. I AM CERTAIN THAT THESE ROOCKIE DJs THAT STATE THIS UNIT IS ANYTHING MORE THAN SATISFACTORY, DON'T KNOW JACK. THIS UNIT IS ONLY THE CLOSES THING TO AN ANALOG SL1200. OUTSIDE OF THAT THE FILTERS THE KEY CONTROL AND (LEARN SOMETHING) THE FRICTION PLATTE... IS JUNK. LISTEN, THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT WITH PANASONIC "TECHNICS" IS GARBAGE. I HAVE HAD MY DZ1200s SINCE APRIL '04. I HAVE HAD THEM SERVICE 6 TIMES. I REPAIR THE UNITS MYSELF,NOW. I KNOW THE DZs INSIDE AND OUT. I DON'T RECOMEND THIS. ONE UNIT IS NOW GIVING ME A CHIRPING SOUND WHILE THE UNIT IS PLAYING. I CON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE OPTICAL PICKUP OR WHAT. IF I CAN'T FIX THIS, I'M GETTING THE CDJ-1000. YOU GOT MY EMAIL. HIT ME UP.
Overall Rating:
Review written by 2kilo on 04/08/2006
Overall:
 Sadly the look and build quality is the most impressive aspect, as a product it fails to meet the design brief. It may look like a small 1200, it says Technics on the top but it's prime function "to move and feel like a 1200" is not realised, it fails, badly... Many DJ's have waited for this moment, for this product from the original thinkers, the disappointment is vast, a real let down...
Usability:
 -The platter torque is pathetic... -The slipmat material is even more pathetic... I could not move on from the above features being so bad, you just want to shout at Technics, "you built the orginal, you know how they feel/move, just bloody match it!" This should have been "the daddy". Putting the screen in the middle also complicates "spin backs"
Sounds:
 Not set up on a good system, unfair to comment...
Build quality:
 Superb in most places...
Overall Rating:
Review written by Djdatatwist on 05/07/2005
Overall:
 Best and most sloid cd unit. I have used the CD-X;all rackmounts(denon;numark;pioneer) and I also like it better then the Cdj-100 and cdj-1000. IT just is exactly what I look for and performs reliable. Then theres the SD slot I also love that no one else has.
Usability:
 THe down fall is when you use mp3 cd's. it plays then always unlike the CD-X but it does not show you track length left. That sucks when spining live !
Sounds:
 best
Build quality:
 solid
Overall Rating:
Review written by VTMTL on 04/19/2005
Overall:
 Any good DJ who grew up using 1200's will feel at home with this cd deck. The new generation may tend to pick at the flaws to gain creditibilty of skill and knowledge....whatever man... as close as it can get... you can feel the similarites in the motor and torque... Don't let the HYPE fool you...keep it real... 1200's cd or vinyl- it's da sh*t...
Usability:
 Any good DJ who grew up using 1200's will feel at home with this cd deck. A few bells and whistles but what else would you expect from digital technology?
Sounds:
 input, output..the mix is all up to you...
Build quality:
 Any good DJ keepin it real who grew up using 1200's will feel at home with this cd deck.
Overall Rating:
Review written by J1000 on 04/14/2005
Overall:
 Was a small unit;works well if used correct. Durable, and great sampler built in, great for adding vocals and nice look function. Lacks: tap efx and a display that shows track lench during mp3 cds or with SD card. and you can bled efx from 1 to the other and each efx is active when browsing, even when you trying to find something you have to remember how many times you press the pad right or pad left. which puts stress when making a set cause if it hits "ring" it will ruin your set with stacty type anyoing sound espically when vocals are runing it sucks...nice vintage select mode..
Usability:
 not many options easy to use
Sounds:
 only analog type efx's nothing drastic just a ring and distortion type efx, and many only work when scatching.
Build quality:
 real soid build.
Overall Rating:
Review written by ceaseanddesist on 03/10/2005
Overall:
 I was wanting to get my hands on one of these for a while, and finally had the chance to see how it stacked up against the oposition at a recent music trade fair. overall:: its priced really high and is miles off the mark on being as user friendly and hardy as its compeditors
Usability:
 first impressions:: looked plush and similar layout to the standard 1200's. Hands on:: completly different to a 1200! the platter is very slippery and is like having 3-4 sheets of plastic under your slipmat. as such the pickup is slow and sloppy. the platter feels quite flimsy also and doesnt have the stable feel of the pioneer or numark. no adjustment for wind down or pick up either! I mean really guys, have you had a look at the compeditors?
Sounds:
 sound was as you'd expect, all the cdjs are on par in terms of sound and filters etc.
Build quality:
 a one armed waiter has more stability and gusto than this puppy. from the world standard 1200's you'd expect better gents!
Overall Rating:
Review written by DJ MACHO MAN on 05/26/2004
Overall:
 This is absolutely the best DJ cd player I have seen or experienced. I have been a DJ for over 15 years and never have I ever come across a peice like this! It feels just like a 1200 turntable. Technics really have out done themselves. Nothing I have seen yet comes close! First you definately would need to study the manual to understand how to use all the features it has. One of my favorites is the loop feature. One of the easiest and best to use. And it scrathes just like there turntable with absolutely no delay. Not like other cd players that scratch which have a slight delay. A very good looking and feeling cd player. Not to mention the ease of it's operation. The going price is 1,200.00. And that's to cheap for such a great cd player. The best price on line I've seen is 1,000.00. I have the Newmark cdn 88 dual cd player and I'm pissed off I don't have the technics cd player. Of course you would have to have 2. Don't get me wrong the cdn 88 is a nice peice but doesn't come close. I really wish I had the money right now I would buy them and go totally broke. If I ever get a pair of these the cdn 88 would definately go for a backup just in case the tecnics were to brake down. Which I really doubt! If you are a club owner and your DJ plays with cd's, you must get them a pair of these. If you are going to open a club this is a must!! This should and will become an industry standard. All ready a classic. I guarantee other companies will try and duplicate this cd player. But there is only one 1200's. Simply the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds:
 The best sound yet
Build quality:
 Very wisely built. Are really durable. LIKE I SAID SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Overall Rating:
Review written by IRONGOKU on 05/19/2004
Overall:
 I Love 'EM and they are just as sweet as they look. And If your trying to get back from hiatus into DJing like I am, the Technics SL-DZ1200 may be for you. The Technics SL-DZ1200 sounds and feels as real as its vinyl based counterpart. The Technics SL-DZ1200's platter is just the right size and has just the right amount of torque for scratching and mixing to make it feel like your on a analog SL-1200. I find that after coming off a couple analog 1200s, I tend to over backspin on smaller CD platters like the Denon S5000. The size and torque of the SL-DZ1200 makes this transition from analog to digital platter seemless. Sorry Denon. The unit is very sturdy and stable. For some reason I expected the unit to have a rubber base like the analog SL-1200 turntable but thats because with the SL-DZ1200 its easy to forget your dealing with CDs. Thats how much closer it feels to vinyl based analog turntables than any other CD based turntable. But with any new product there are bound to be some problems. The 4 problems that I have come across with this beautiful piece of harware is the Pitch Lock, AAC, and MP3 folder/file format. 1) When you speed up the BPM and keep the pitch fixed there is a time delay (echo) in the unit when you pull the track back. The track plays foward for about 1/4 of a sec. like a gated-attack on a drum machine. It sounds cool but I doubt it was Technics desired effect. 2) And just as I feared, the AAC file format is only compatible with SD cards and not with CDs. 3) Then you can't just burn a MP3 CD with any software you have to go through the trouble and learn how to burn your MP3 CDs in the Technics 3 prefix file naming format. i.e. 001 / 001 Yeah.mp3 - 052 FloatOn.mp3 for folder #1. 002 / 053 Roses.mp3 - 104 Candy.mp3 for folder #2. and etc..(folder / .mp3 file respectively). Editing each MP3 file can get quite annoying. 4) Finally. There is an unfortunate 192kbs rate minimum for MP3 and AAC files. But its not a big deal. I'm sure all 4 of these issues will be resolved with a firmware update in the near future. Overall, the Technics is one of the two best CD turntable that I have had so far. The other being the Pioneer CDJ-1000 MKII. Although, I do like the ALFA track effect of the Denon S5000s. Anyway, I'm glad Technics chose to use the SD cards rather than the fragile SmartMedia card. Smartmedia cards are just too darn fragile. In my opinion the Numark CDX is too big for something as small as a CD and the Denon platter is a little small for back-spinning if your accustomed to spinning on Technics SL-1200MKs. And to be honest very high torque (5.0 like the CDX) doesn't matter when it comes to CD decks. Torque is needed for those annoyning concaved vinyl records that tend to slow down analog turntable platters when your holding a record on CUE. I guess they had to do what they had to do to make it feel as real as their current line of analog turntables. Conclusion. If your trying to get back from hiatus into Club DJing like I am, I suggest you pick up a Pioneer CDJ-1000MKII and a Technics SL-DZ1200. You'll need to get familiar with both. Clubs that went from Analog to Digital in the last couple of years are using Pioneers and from what I hear, they won't be upgrading anytime soon. Those clubs that have yet to make the jump to digital are probably going to be drawn towards the Technics. Can't anyone of these companies produce a ultimate mixer? Denon has come real close with their X1500, but their display is way too small and I dont recall it having a BPM counter. I would like to retro fit some big-ol vinyl-based analog equipment to it too, you know. Someone needs to stick a crossfader on a Roland MC-909 and call it a day. Now that would be some kind of a mixer, huh? DJHAROLDSQUARE (A.K.A: IRONGOKU) OUT!!! NYC. http://www.spymac.com/gallery/show_memberpics.php?memberid=6524&ppp=12&ppp=32&typ=
Usability:
 The Technics SL-DZ1200 sounds and feels as real as its vinyl based counterpart. The Technics SL-DZ1200's platter is just the right size and has just the right amount of torque for scratching and mixing to make it feel like your on a analog SL-1200. I find that after coming off a couple analog 1200s, I tend to over backspin on smaller CD platters like the Denon S5000. The size and torque of the SL-DZ1200 makes this transition from analog to digital platter seemless. Sorry Denon.
Sounds:
 The Technics SL-DZ1200 sounds and feels as real as its vinyl based counterpart. There is an unfortunate 192kbs rate minimum for MP3 and AAC files.
Build quality:
 The unit is very sturdy and stable. For some reason I expected the unit to have a rubber base like the analog SL-1200 turntable but thats because with the SL-DZ1200 its easy to forget your dealing with CDs. Thats how much closer it feels to vinyl based analog turntables than any other CD based turntable.
Overall Rating:

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  • I have 2 of them as you will see on the picture (Ves.DPC Dj set studio)

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 Suggested retail price: €994.99