Should i sell my Ortofon Windfeld?

SP10 0.015%, rumble -92dB

1200 Mk2 0.025% rumble - 78dB

enough to be audible? Yes, okay but there's not much in it.

Fit a decent bearing to a 1210 and that figure will be SP10 like.

What magical pixie dust exists in an SP10 that makes it loads better than an SL1200?

On a Mk2 SL1200 the wow and flutter match the SP10 and the rumble is better on a MkII Sl1200 than an SP10 MkII. You need a MkIII SP10 to get the really good performance.

Other than wow and flutter, and rumble, what else matters? The arm support? I am sure you could modify an SL1200 to mount it in a panzer plinth as well.

Modification to the power supply on an SL1200 (beyond removing the on board PSU) is not something I undertood. It is not in the audio chain directly, and if the platter is already spinning at the correct speed, what do all of these mods do?

It needs a lot of torque to drag a stylus through a record. The SL1200 has enough to get the platter up to speed quickly.

Anyway don't want to get bogged down in this, clearly the SP10 has better performance figures, no question, and IMO always has been one of the best decks you can own. It was just the suggestion that you can downgrade to a Rega which is inferior motor unit in every respect to an SL1200

When I looked up the W&F figures for Technics earlier they come right up, top search, you don't even need to click on the link to see them.

I searched for W&F for Rega, all that comes up is links to forum posts. There's a reason for that.

The tiny speed fluctuations/variations (stability) will likely be better controlled by a motor with more torque potentially. Not necessarily measurable in an A to B comparison of the motor's torque/speed ability taken in a short term technical 'snap shot' of one against the other. But, the one with the better torque may hold the speed more consistently at random intervals.

The improvement of one over the other may be picked up by the human ear though, yeah that's right a fricking ear.

The facts are that people generally seem to prefer the SP10 which happens to have a motor with torque ability far in excess of the SL1200's one. If, as some have said, the other modifications are irrelevant and the platters/bearings etc are similar (good enough) then the motor is the main variable (I'm not saying it is necessarily) it would be silly to rule it out as the potential keystone to the reported audible performance increase.

At the end of the day Oli, only you can decide what you want to do.
However, putting a lesser cartridge on your SP10 is similar to putting remoulds on a Ferrari, or a cheap exhaust.
It looks great, but the performance/sound is just not there.

Decided that I am going to buy a MM cart, and see for myself as to whether they really do offer any kind of performance that can hold up against the MCs I have heard.

The Windfeld is going to stay. myles is quite right, if I sell it, I won't get another.

True, also there are lesser carts and arguably lesser carts.  It would make no sense to stick some cheapo, rubbish cart on the end of the SP10.

IMO, there are mm's that would shine and really show there stuf, from the platform/foundation of an SP10. The 2MB black in any guise immediately comes to mind, not heard the Nag 500, but I'm sure that would shine too, whilst veering more towards the warmer, lush, a little romantic side, compared to the more 'true to the groove' way the Ortofon's tend to present. 

I'd love to hear some of these excellent mm's on the end of an SP10, I reckon it would be enlightening, in a good way. . 

Yes my response was pointing out the possible effect that the extra torque of the motor has, which you initially said you weren't aware of how it could affect sound quality.

Personally I've only ever heard 1210's (regarding higher end techies) and lightly modded ones at that. However I have audibly heard the benefits of upgrading bearings and platters on belt drive TT's so I wouldn't rule it out with others....

For MM's I have heard a couple of Nag's and they are superb, think they were 'lower end' ones but they did nothing wrong.

Gonna loan an AT MM.. just a budget one, but I think I might like blasting some of my lesser condition vinyl with it. I think that will convince me if the need for a rough rider.

Have you missed the gullwing?

I have been offered a VM540ML loan for a bit, which I have accepted.

Now, just need my MK8 arm to come back and we'll be in full flow.

Ha! Here we go again.

I'll do this later and post my fave. See what happens.

I haven’t had any vinyl front end since I did it, it sickened me a bit lol. Been concentrating on the speakers for now, and the SP10 is sitting there looking at me..