Review Technics SL-1500C – playing vinyl seriously easy

Spinning records with the Technics SL-1500C

Operating the turntable is very simple. The most striking feature is how quiet the table is. Both the noiseless mechanical operation of the player itself, and the absence of audible needle noise in playback of records.

The Technics SL-1500C comes with Technics’ famous S-arm mechanism and Direct Drive magnetically driven table. Technics’ Direct Drive is proven robust and stably spins its rounds at 33, 45 or 78 rpm. Perhaps the strongest asset of the Technics drive system is that you hardly hear any difference in sound quality between the beginning and the end of the record. For those who associate vinyl with crackles and splatters, this turntable will amaze.

The Technics SL-1500C loves dynamic, modern pressings like David Bowie’s ‘The Next Day’. You will be rewarded with a wide stereo image and a clean and open sound with crisp mid-high, without becoming intrusive or aggressive. The turntable has a bass presence. Notes start and stop quickly, the music is presented with almost surgical precision, but it is never analytical or cold.
It is not playful in character, but more a lively, correct sound in which details are easily audible.

The importance of a good signal cable for the Technics SL-1500C

The included signal cable looks like one that you will find supplied with a Nintendo, with plastic red and white RCA plugs. The appearance does not immediately associate with serious hi-fi, but appearance is often deceiving. The supplied cable is adequate, but certainly does not draw the best out of the record player. You can do better Technics!

From the great interlink investigation, a number of cables were still available during this review. A QED Performane 40i (€99), a Nordost White Lightning (€415) and a Nordost Red Dawn (€1185) were listened to. All prices are for 2 metres of cable.

The Red Dawn is as expensive as the player itself. Using it is not to assess performance with this cable, but to hear where the limits of the turntable can be found. Those limits are ‘over the hills and far away’, especially given the price of the turntable and the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge used. That is quite a surprising find.

The match with the QED is not there, the turntable then tends towards a somewhat thin sound and pregnant highs. The Nordost White Lightning is much better balanced, but pricey for someone considering this turntable. There is no need to spend so much money, but if the proud owner of a Technics SL-1500C wants to get the most out of the player, a suitable signal cable is recommended. Unable to test it, the cable arrived too late, but your reviewer suspects that a Chris Cables Core Function (€50) from the same test is an excellent first step up.

Comparing these cables also answers the question: invest in a better element or a better signal cable? You get the most return from the cable initially. The Ortofon 2M Red element can let you hear a lot of detail and with a better cable the depth of sound will emerge.