Panasonic announce revival of
Technics brand
Panasonic’s much-loved Technics brand is being given a
dust-off and reintroduced into the wild. The company revealed a new range of
audio equipment under the brand name, including speaker systems, amplifiers,
controllers…even a CD player. A glaring omission from the line-up, however,
were turntables.
For audio-fanboys and girls hoping for a new series of
SL-1200s (I’m including myself in this one), this is pretty gutting. Technics
SL-1200s and 1210s are the industry standard decks which you will see in most
commercial music venues, and are used and loved by established artists, bedroom
DJs and audiophiles alike. Panasonic discontinued them in 2010 and since then
second-hand decks have been much in demand, with prices for a single turntable
peaking at more than £500.
Panasonic haven’t commented on the decision not to include
turntables in the new range of Technics products. Hopefully, the company are
just trying to generate suspense and whip up some hype before announcing a new
series of 1200s in the near future. With the turntables’ die-hard fan base,
respected reputation and fashionable brand name, it seems like a business
no-brainer. Fingers crossed the boys in Japan are thinking the same thing.
