Stanton STR8150 High Torque Direct Drive DJ Turntable

I've had my pair of Stanton STR8-150 for over 10 years. I use them on almost a daily basis for mixing, scratching and general live DJing. I've owned a number of other turntables and without question these are the most sturdy, most solid, smooth, and hardcore bits of kit any DJ can own!The Torq is awesome, I'm heavy-handed and even when drunk, my shovel hands have no problems on these amazing turntables!I've spilt beer on them - no problem, Cats sit on them - no problem, Speakers fell into them - no problem - these are hard to the core! The needles are cheap enough to replace too.For me, I'd pick these over 1200/1210 every time - I truly wouldn't choose any other.Solid, Sexy, Sturdy Stanton!

To the guy slating them saying he bought one for £120!!! You bought a fake. Surely that penny must have dropped when you buy something nearly 4 times cheaper than the real thing and it turns out to be junk. Don't slate the turntables because you are a fool and got burned. Idiot.

I managed to buy one of these for what I thought was (at the time) a steal - £120. I have been the happy owner of a pair of SL1200mk2's since 1994. I read that the Stanton ST-150/STR8-150's were far superior and had significantly more torque. Due to a project I am working on I decided to buy one and having messed with it, I now feel I am in a position to review it - If not compare it.Firstly, this turntable was no doubt designed around the SL1200. It is an OEM unit (a rebadged item sold to be rebranded) and made by a Taiwanese company called Hanpin.Hanpin produce the same turntable with minor tweeks for Audio Technica, Reloop, American Audio and now Pioneer!Technics is the high end audio subsidiary of Panasonic, they have a team with a great pedigree and large budget that develops the high end audio-visual lines made in Japan - The SL series of turntables were originally designed for a very demanding customer - The audiophile.Now, a Taiwanese OEM turntable should'nt be an issue, as a lot of great stuff comes from there. However, the turntables are not spec'd and are made for a wide market, manufacturers with different budgets/buying power and they are also manufactured off site where there are often quality compromises and, well... There are a lot.The SL's have a well designed cast aluminium plinth which intricately holds the internals. It is then bolted to a thick molded nitrile type base which makes the SL's truly bombproof and give them the excellent damping characteristics. Hanpin went for the "Heavy means quality" trick. It's 16kg heavy - 5kg more than an SL and only due to a 10mm mild steel plinth! Not necessarily bad but having unscrewed mine from the cheap rubberised plastic base, it is just a flat plate which any hobbyist could acquire and tap a few holes in. I could go on with the internals but pictures speak a thousand words.Sound wise the Hanpin is ok, it incorporates the same brushless motor technology patented by Technics in the 70's but I don't think its Quartz drive which the Japanese (and Technics) pioneered. The platter is not flat, it's badly cast, not machined (there is a video of this elsewhere on the net). The torque is indeed good but I'm not sure if it's a significant difference to the SL as I think its just start up torque. The tonearm lets it down, again no comparison to the SL - It's clunkier, the bearing is poor and made from cast parts unlike some of the machined aluminium parts on the SL's.I like the removable LED target light, speed and pitch settings 33, 44 and 78 some little neat features like start and stop speed and reverse, but along with the digital out I can only think this is where the cost and development went - The bells and whistles. Everything else was done on the cheap - Including the all important tonearm.After owning it for a few weeks a hum developed - regardless of ground lift and phono/line select. After doing some googling I found its a common fault. Unfortunately as I bought mine used I do not have a warranty to fall back on.The verdict; It is an expensive but cheaply made clone that uses Technics patented technology, it has been designed for the DJ, unlike the SL's which were crafted for audiophiles. It fails on the fundamentals that got the SL's the reputation they have - Quality design. It could be so much better with the extra bells and whistles but Hanpin wouldn't be making it and it wouldn't cost £500.00. It's also worth noting the warranty is very limited (30 days on moving parts) and unlike Panasonic, Stanton's support is very limited in the U.K. - No stores, limited spare parts and no schematics available. If you want a turntable like the Technics SL1200/1210 save and buy a used one, they are a reliable investment.I hope this helps you make an informed decision.