Technics SL-15
The SL-15 is a linear tracking quartz direct-drive turntable manufactured by the Technics Corporation of Japan. This was one of their earliest linear tracking designs, which was very popular and is still available for sale in second-hand markets such as eBay. This turntable usually came with the EPC-P205 CMK3 moving magnet stereo cartridge. It is a compact unit with dimensions 315 mm × 88 mm × 315 mm, and mass 6.6 kg.
Features
- Direct drive motor
- 10-track preset programming
- Dynamically balanced tone arm
- Aluminium die-cast cabinet
- Automatic speed selection
- Automatic cueing
- Moving magnet cartridge with Boron pipe cantilever
Specifications
| Platter | 30 cm diameter, aluminium die-cast |
| Speed accuracy | ±0.002 % |
| Wow and flutter | 0.025 % wrms |
| Rumble | -78 dB |
| Tonearm type | Dynamic balanced, linear tracking |
| Effective length | 105 mm |
| Cartridge | EPC-P205 CMK3 Moving magnet |
| Frequency response | 15 Hz to 60 kHz ±3 dB |
Cost / eBay
These record players are extremely popular today as they provide a huge amount of automation, and they are ideal for those who do not like fiddling with controls every few minutes after the record ends. Once programmed, you can have it repeat a track so that you can listen to your favourite song repeatedly. Even a basic unit such as this was ahead of its time incorporating optoelectronic sensors and microcontroller IC to provide fully automatic operation. These are complicated systems to repair and things like replacement motors and sensors difficult to find, hence a non-operational unit might sell for less than fifty pounds. However, a working one can sell for over a hundred depending upon the cosmetic condition.