@chakster you might have got lucky or something like that. I have been looking to buy a DD for the last 1.5 years. The main candidates were the Sp10 mk2 and Yamaha GT-2000. You can read my previous posts here, I have asked about these TTs many times. Both of them are similarly priced, between $2500 to $4000 for a "excellent" condition unit and also depends on what accessories you get (plinth and tonearm). I was almost sure of getting of a Yamaha but the voltage available is only 100v so I kind of postpone my purchase. For both these TTs I have been going through all the usual places (ebay, hifishark, audio-markt). I even contacted Bill Thallmann to ask if he has a good unit for sale. He had one unit for sale for $2995, without the krebs mods and in a DIY plinth. Here is the picture, please zoom and see:
https://s15.postimg.cc/uh7dzpl0r/IMG_1382.jpgAnyway, coming back to the real discussion of which is the better one.
True, but to some the 1200G may be better than the sp10 mark II and vice versa.
@tzh21y , anyone can prefer any TT, as it is a subjective thing. However, I wanted to eliminate the ifs and buts and hence I bought both of them and compared for myself using the same Tonearm, cartridge and LPs on the same system back to back. The fundamental difference remained a very clear and simple. The force and presence of instruments on the SP10 was simply more real. It pressurizes the room with higher dynamics and scale. It is like going from a $2000 to $5000 CDP. In both the players the level of details would be nearly similar but the $5k CDP presents a more dynamic and bigger picture filling up a bigger space and moreover the throw of the instruments and voices more like a direct cut. It is not about the quality of recording or the mat used or cartridge used etc. It is a simple A > B, especially since both comes from the same stable.
Again, it is not to spoil the jubiliance of a 1200G owner. The 1200G has made a dashing entry to the world of TTs. Very rarely do we see such an amazing acceptance of a new kid. Today anyone shopping for a mid-priced TT has or should have a 1200G in the shortlist. But as honest audiophiles we should know where it actually stands. The same goes to Sp10R. Its primary contenders are not so much the older Sp10 but the newer Regas and VPIs. So in that regards it is a new standard that people are comparing everything against. But the old warhorses have not been surpassed IMO. In fact that goes to show the level of understanding those old engineers had about music.
