SL-1200
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Technics' iconic turntable gets a seven-color makeover for its 50th anniversary
Technics plans to only sell 12,000 units of the SL-1200M7L.
Technics made a black version of its SL-1200 turntable you can actually buy
After dipping its toes in the world of Bluetooth earbuds last year, Technics is back to releasing new turntables and audiophile equipment.
Technics explains why its new SL-1200 turntable costs $4,000
Back at CES, Panasonic's revived Technics brand pulled the wraps off of its new direct-drive SL-1200 turntable. While that announcement surely kicked up all sorts of feelings, the new gear comes with a steep price tag: $4,000. As many have noted, that's a dramatic increase from what Technics' turntables used to go for before the brand was discontinued. What Hi-Fi reports that new materials, including a new motor, and increased production costs are the reasons you'll need to empty your savings account to nab one later this year.
Panasonic's Technics revival has a new direct-drive SL-1200
During its CES 2016 press conference, Panasonic took some time out to talk about its new line of Technics turntables. This year it's releasing two versions of a direct-drive model: the limited edition 50th Anniversary Grand Class SL-1200GAE (limited to 1,200 units of course) and a non-limited Grand Class SL-1200G. In these editions, the reborn Technics says it even cured "cogging" with a newly developed coreless motor. There's no word on price, but the turntables should arrive in late 2016.
Panasonic is reviving Technics' legendary DJ turntables
Ask DJs about their favorite turntables and they'll frequently swear by Technics' SL-1200 -- even though it hasn't been made since 2007, the super-reliable deck is still the gold standard for vinyl spinners. If you're one of those enthusiasts, you'll be glad to hear that Panasonic is bringing Technics turntables back as part of a larger revival for the audio brand. Many of the details are still under wraps, but the turntable set will have a new direct-drive motor that should improve the audio quality. The gear won't show up until some point during Panasonic's next fiscal year (sometime between April 2016 and March 2017), but more development time is likely a good thing. After all, the SL-1200 thrives precisely because its makers were careful to preserve elements that worked well -- a rushed product could easily hurt more than it helps. Check out all the news from Berlin at our IFA 2015 hub.
DJ Hero controller hands-on faceoff with an SL-1200MK2
Activision was kind enough to send over an early evaluation copy of DJ Hero, and while we haven't had a chance to dive deeply into the game yet, we thought you might want to see how the controller itself stacks up against one of our Technics SL-1200MK2s. As you might expect, compared to the legendarily tank-like construction of the MK2, the DJ Hero controller looks and feels exactly like the plastic game controller it is, although the wheel itself is nice and weighty and the buttons are pleasantly clicky. We definitely have some doubts about how this is all going to work when actually trying to mix tunes together, but we're eager to try it out -- in the meantime, hit the gallery for the full set of pics. %Gallery-72951%
