Picking up on the news we ran a couple of weeks ago, it would appear that the rumours are true — Technics is coming back. This news started with a tweet from @Digital_Day via @vigorsolair who posted a picture of a Technics press conference at IFA 2014 in Berlin. Being the studious news hound that I am, I soon discovered that www.technics.com was alive, kicking, and rocking an all new website. Digging deeper, it’s clear that original story was bang on, and Technics is being relaunched as a high-end pro audio dream site, that has a distinct lack of turntables.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNn7Y-Llxf8
UPDATE: Panasonic has posted a video.
The original picture shows the Technics press conference in full swing. It’s worth pointing out that this slide shows old products, and is mirrored on the new Technics website. This does not mean 1200s are coming back, and there are no turntables on the site either.
What is on the site is an overall message that Technics has always been a prestigious brand , and that quality is being built upon with a small range of very high spec hifi separates that basically look like an audiophile’s wet dream. There’s everything you need… well almost everything. Conspicuous by its absence is a turntable, and given the 1200’s pro audio (not DJ) heritage, it’s not beyond the realms of reason that a turntable may be added at some point. But that’s pure speculation based on no facts or even rumours.
No official word on pricing of such things, but they look insanely expensive, and most probably fall outside of the scope of the DJWORX core readership. I just like to post these things before the “OMG 1200s is bak” rumours start. So yes, Technics is back, but it’s a high-end consumer hi-fi brand selling separates and not DJ gear.
Check out the web designer’s dream but user’s nightmare of a site over at www.technics.com.
Thank god they have a CD player
yay! nostalgia! when’s the last time anyone announced a hi-fi cd player? or a hi-fi system that got coverage outside of the audiophile mafia ;-)?
Those are some pretty separates… I’d swap my trusty Cambridge Audio amp for one of those sexy beasts…
Also, I think it’s a damn shame we’re witnessing the slow death of hi-fi systems in the living room. I have so many memories of sitting and listening to music with my dad on a Technics amp with a big metal volume dial and some Wharfedale kit speakers.
Ah, back when Wharfedale was a respected name in hifi speakers… that’s going back a bit! :)
The word Yorkville sprang to mind there….that was our wooden beast :)
There’s some irony going on here… Technics is back, but the 1200s – by far their most successful product – isn’t. Why come back?
maybe because they haven’t finished developing them yet:) all new shiny ones. just putting it out there
maybe they will release a Hanpin turntable like Pioneer, or a belt driven hifi audiophile deck but a real 1200 naah not gonna happen
Ah, reminds me of my old Techncs SU-7300 that got left in a recording studio years ago…
http://i48.servimg.com/u/f48/11/18/43/84/techni11.jpg
I bought a SU-7700 a few months ago. Looks great, sounds great. And it matches my turntables.
Actually, looking at pics I think mine was a 7700 too. Post edited!
We told you…speculation not good…our black decks still lookin beautiful at our…they don’t call it bedroom anymore… yeah, at our studio…
Technically (no punn intended… or was there…..) – the 1200 was created as a HIFI turntable and not as a DJ product, it was only later when DJ’s started using them that they became what they are today. So maybe they will introduce it not as a DJ product, but as a HIFI product. Who knows…. Now that Pio has pretty much copied them if they started production again it wouldn’t have all the hype that it deserves. Hopefully they have something new coming up – with midi perhaps.
thats not entirely true, the Technics 1200 MK1 was a hifi deck, the SL 1600/1700/1800MK2 where created for radio usuage as well in 1978, the 1700MK2 actually had fader start option, i know, i had them all.
They were popular at radio stations.
They released the 1200MK2, because they were aware DJs needed better control (pitch fader), at that time disco was booming and a lot of club and radion DJs were using Technics already. So the SL-1200MK2 was not created as a hifi turntable, it was created when the already SL-1700Mk2 was getting popular by DJs.
Now let this “only hifi” fairytale not fool readers
I am eagerly awaiting the next hi-fi news story ;)
other than @4:16 in the vid. where they say they want to create “a live DJ in your living room”–the rest sounds like an old bose tv ad. just announce the doggone 10″ no needle TT already, jeeezz
Next news they buy the pioneer DJ range to fill the gap in their products. :)
The price of the R1 system will be around 40.000 Euro and the C700 system around 4000 euro…
technics-stages-comeback-with-super-expensive-digital-audio-system