Technics SL-M1
(1983 - 1984)

A serious player well hidden under cheap-ish looks, catering to an old fad (dynamic damping) and to a new one: T4P cartridges.

If the turntable base isn't Technics' usual diecast aluminium, the tonearm base is. The tonearm damping à la Denon is based on oil and springs to damp, damp, damp unwanted vibrations - clicke the "more" button below to a very precise schematic of it. Available torque is rather high and the signal to noise ratio shows dramatic improvements over the late 1970s record players.

The T4P cartridges allowed to swap carts in a jiffy without worrying about much. Of course, then, some MC cartridges were also available in T4P format such as Technics' own EPS-310MC. Deemed gimmicky by the powers that be, the T4P system didn't last long, unfortunately.