Technics SL-1500CS Premium Class Direct Drive Turntable w/ Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge

Legendary Drive Technology 

Coreless Direct Drive Motor Achieving Stable Rotation

For decades, Technics’ direct drive has delivered accurate, maintenance free rotation. This mechanism, which directly spins the platter with strong torque, has evolved to offer even greater precision with a coreless motor that eliminates cogging. 

ΔΣ-Drive (Delta Sigma Drive)

The SL-1500CS pushes rotational accuracy to an even higher level with ΔΣ-Drive, a digital control technology developed for our Grand Class. Appearing for the first time in a more accessible Premium Class turntable, this innovative technology ensures even subtle noise in the motor-drive signal is eliminated.

Unlock a realm of audio precision with the ΔΣ-Drive – a state-of-the-art system harnessing Technics’ expertise in PWM signal processing. In addition to reducing harmonics, the drive suppresses vibrations from the motor for smoother, more accurate rotation, ensuring a rich reproduction of the music.  

Plug and Play Convenience

Built-in Phono Equalizer

The built-in phono equalizer (phono preamplifier) allows immediate playback without an external preamp. A short internal signal path minimizes noise and preserves signal integrity, while the circuit is fully bypassed when an external phono EQ is used, has evolved to offer even greater precision with a coreless motor that eliminates cogging.

To preserve purity, the phono EQ circuit was refined through repeated listening tests. For high-quality, low-noise sound, the Technics team carefully designed shielding, dedicated ± power supplies, and separate grounding to reduce any interference.

If you already have an outboard phono preamp, this functionality can be disabled via a switch on the back of the turntable. 

Ortofon 2M Red cartridge

Ortofon’s highly acclaimed MM cartridge has been selected for high sound fidelity and more dynamic playback. Bundling this high-quality cartridge with the high-performance SL-1500C turntable ensures you can the sound quality of your vinyl records right out of the box, providing you with audiophile-grade listening pleasure.

Automatic Lifting Tonearm

When the tonearm reaches the end of the record, the Auto Lifter function automatically raises the cartridge. This prevents unnecessary wear on your valuable vinyl records and stylus.

By embedding the Auto Lifter function in the base portion of the tonearm, it eliminates direct impacts to the tonearm. Due to a simple design that doesn’t use motor power, the functions required to playback records were kept to a bare minimum, achieving simple and easy-to-use operability without degrading audio quality.

Engineered Precision

Two-layered Platter with Improved Damping

The platter — on which a vinyl record is placed — features a two-layer structure: an aluminum die-cast platter reinforced with ribs on the reverse side, and a deadening rubber layer to eliminate unwanted resonance.

Aluminum S-Shaped Tonearm

The tonearm pipe is made of lightweight, high-rigidity aluminum. The bearing section of the gimbal suspension construction tonearm consists of a machined housing and high-precision bearing to provide high initial sensitivity.

High Rigidity Cabinet

The aluminum die-cast chassis is rigidly integrated with a special material consisting of ABS mixed with glass fiber to achieve a two-layer construction. The combination of this special high-rigidity material and a metal chassis raised the rigidity and vibration-damping performance to higher levels, realizing a robust cabinet for beautiful sound reproduction.

High Damping Insulator

The insulator is comprised of a spring and rubber to provide optimal frequency characteristics. This not only assures high sound quality and superb howling resistance, but also effectively shuts out external vibrations under high sound level conditions.

Finished to Perfection

New Colour: Metallic Gray

Technics introduces Metallic Gray for the first time, a new colour inspired by the advanced ΔΣ Drive technology and designed to express a modern, forward-looking identity. With its overall elegant, minimalistic design, the SL-1500CS has a uniquely cool charisma, complementing both black and silver audio components.

Eco-friendly Cushioning & Packaging Materials

The SL-1500CS adopts eco-friendly packaging materials to help curtail marine plastics and other environmental problems. The cushioning has been changed from styrene foam to corrugated cardboard, reducing the amount of plastic used by around 70% compared to existing product packaging. We have also taken steps to improve convenience by combining accessories into one box while maintaining the strength of the cushioning to protect against the product’s heavy weight, so it arrives to you ready to enjoy.

Specifications