Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
SLBD20D is truly a gem ready to polished. The wow and fuller and signal to noise radio is truly among audiophile quality. The arm is light and tracks well. But, you need to change throw away cartridge to a high quality audio technica or shure brand. Once you do that, you're where many a high turntable wishes you weren't (in there territory). In the present state, you just don't get what this table can do. Buy one and make the upgrade that most can afford to do. I used the Audio Technica AT311ED, and further upgraded the stylus to the shibata diamond. People, you can't even imagine how good my LP's sound.

Strengths:
Cost
Quality
Specs (oh yeah)

Weaknesses:
The cartridge that came in it is like putting cheap radials on a Porsche.

Price Paid:  $129.00 from J&R

Summary:
You must look at the Technics SLBD20D as a piece of art. You can assume is 80 hours of someone's work, or underneath 60 years of emotion. On the surface, the turntable is inexpensive, and sounds mediocre, but underneath there's a lot more. Lurking in the design is a sound deading non-metalic base, and a very light tone arm. The P-mount design is based on standards for all of p-mount cartridge makers. The weight and poisition is designed into both the turntable and the cartridge. Counterweight and anti-skate are preset, and was the last hurrah of the phono age to make standards for cartridge and table designers. The wow and flutter is .045%, and the S/N -68 DB when the table is properly grounded. The platter is run by a servo controller on the motor, which keeps the speed accurate, even if the belt wears. You can't make changes to the table set, and in this case that's good. If you spend some on a new cartridge Audio Technica AT311EP, you've got a special turntable. If you add a shibata stylus, $50 at LPGear to the AT311EP, you've got a near audiophile quality turntable. The point of the review is that this turntable is both an inexpensive starter turntable, or a high quality lifetime instrument of audio satisfaction.

Strengths:
The design delivers no noise, and little error in speed. These specs sometimes are not equaled by $350-400 audiophile models.
The return to arm after lp plays, great when you can't sit by the turntable every second.
Cost, Cost, Cost
Easily upgradeable to give a real competition to high end turntable makers.
Appeal to critical listeners.
Not a DJ model.
Cueing on the tone arm, which some high end turntables don't have.
Being designed to used as a manual turntable, it works well to transcribe lp to cd.

Weaknesses:
Feet that don't adjust, forcing you to shim the legs for level play.
A mediocre cartridge to keep the base price low.
Probably not made by Technics, as they don't even have records on this turntable.

Similar Products Used:
Denon DP300F, upgraded by LPgear with exceptional stylus, plus their belt.

Price Paid:  $149.00 from Montgomery Wards

Summary:
It is what it is. That said, do not expect this 'table to perform like the legendary Technics mk1200 (a.k.a wheel of steel) or the M3D. This platter is for casual listening, not for dj professional use or archiving ancient and worn out vinyl to a digital recorder. I personally use the SLBD20D as a second turntable in another room for my own private listening. Speed accuracy and wow and flutter are up to par with more pricier esoteric belt-driven brands. The nice features and characteristics include front controls, semi-auto return, and an above average weighty feel to it (it still is prone to strong vibrations). Also, there are no antiskating or stylus weight controls which means, yes , this the tonearm will skip with slightly warped albums. It also looks sleek and contemporary without looking cheap or garish like other companies who replace quality with afterthought due to low demand for vinyl these days !

Strengths:
-Sturdy to almost near solid build -Easy frontal controls -Easy cartridge replacement -Pretty good playback speed accuracy -Clean and sleek look

Weaknesses:
-No tracking force, anti-skating adjustment controls -Will skip on older or minimally warped records -I would not use this to archive valuable lps to digital format -Prone to vibrations (if placed somewhat close to loud speakers or any floor movement)

Similar Products Used:
SLBD22 (while this is the upgrade version of the SLB20D with a pitch control and strobe, it's basically the same exact table). However, the SLBD22, no matter how well grounded I could always still hea

Price Paid:  $160.00 from A&B Sound

Summary:
I was looking for a decent, inexpensive turntable with a preamp to connect to a PC sound card to digitize LPs. After buying and returning THREE different Sony LX250H units for various reasons(what a total piece of junk), I dropped another $60 for the Technics and a separate preamp. Should have done this from the start - the Technics was superior in every way. Worked perfectly for intended use.

Strengths:
Sound quality

Weaknesses:
No preamp

Similar Products Used:
Sony LX250H (JUNK!)

Price Paid:  $169.00 from best buy

Summary:
a decent product producing a good sound with rock, r&b. a great addition to the rather clinical sound of a CD player.

Strengths:
i have experienced no skipping on circa 100 LP's ranging in age from 30 to 15 years old and well used. I am not an expert audiophile but the turntable has worked absolutely fine.

Weaknesses:
none so far