Technics SL-QL1
Not much is documented about the Technics SL-QL1 outside the period audio press. What the record shows: it was a fully automatic, quartz phase-locked direct-drive turntable with a brushless DC motor, offered at 33⅓ and 45 rpm, and sold with the P22S moving-magnet phono cartridge.
Audio magazine gave the SL-QL1 a full equipment profile in November 1981 (p.51-52). The manufacturer's specs listed the P22S cartridge with a 20 Hz to 35 kHz (±3 dB) frequency response and output greater than 2.5 mV. The reviewer's measurements of wow and flutter, rumble, and tracking showed the deck could stand comparison with the best of its day. The review also noted a handy feature: an optical sensor under the platter set the arm's drop point over the lead-in grooves automatically, with manual positions for three record sizes if you wanted to do it yourself.
The SL-QL1 showed up again in Audio's October 1982 turntable roundup (p.52), alongside the SOTA Sapphire, Kyocera PL-901, and Trans Audio Premiere. Otherwise the surviving documentation is thin. Production years, original price, and a full spec sheet have not surfaced in the archive.
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