Years ago, when the vinyl era seemed to be finally over, Technics stopped producing one of the most famous and popular turntables ever, the SL1200 model. It then returned a few years later, in an exclusive version, of very high quality and price (which we also tried here).
Meanwhile, the Japanese company has returned to the hi-fi market with a full line of products, including some turntables designed more for home use than in nightclubs, such as the excellent 1500C. which incorporates many of the features of the top version. Today comes a cheaper version, which also has a different acronym: 100C.
“The huge success of the 1500C model, complete with all functions and with classic Technics turntable technologies for Hi-Fi enthusiasts, was proof that we had landed a winning shot in a competitive category of turntables for the big public ”, commented Mutsue Sekihara, Product Manager of Technics Italia.
The new turntable features the Audio Technica VM95C cartridge, capable of offering refined sound quality, to meet the needs of music lovers. There is no built-in phono preamp, like on the 1500C, but the cartridge has an output level and is compatible with the common Phono MM inputs of Hi-Fi amplifiers.
The 100C model is a Technics turntable through and through: it has a sophisticated coreless direct drive motor (no iron core) with perfect rotational stability, a double layered platter, to ensure a meticulous tracking process and reduce external vibrations, in addition to the typical aluminum S-arm, capable of bringing out the subtlest nuances from any vinyl record. In addition, it features the automatic boom lift function (which can be deactivated) at the end of the vinyl groove, which prevents needle wear after each side of the LP is finished playing.
The Technics 100C will be available in Italy from June 2021 for 899 euros.
The Technics 100C turntable will be available in Italy from June 2021 for 899 euros
In addition, the progenitor of the generation, the SL 1200, is back in all its glory, here in the MK7 version. The new model inherits the functions and practical controls of the 1210MK7 model, introduced in January 2019 and quickly back as the favorite of the international vinyl DJ community.
Launched as a direct drive turntable for the general public in 1972, the SL 1200 model was the best-selling model of the series, with more than 3.5 million units sold. Its strengths were powerful torque, ease of use and high robustness. It was particularly popular with audio enthusiasts and DJs who helped spread the culture of disco music such as electronic dance. So the Technics, as well as a turntable, became a musical instrument: with hip hop, scratch spread, the art of bringing the record back a few laps and adjusting the speed with which it restarts with your hands. Perhaps the best example of scratching is still today Rock It, Herbie Hancock hit from 1983. But in the top ten of the 80s and 90s there are several tracks in which a turntable (almost always the SL1200) is used to create music and not to reproduce it, from Afrika Bambaataa to Portishead, from Grandmaster Flash to the Beastie Boys. The term “turntablism” was born to designate a musical genre and the world championships for scratch virtuosos were organized. Then with the advent of digital, the slow decline: the SL1200 went out of production and entered history. But for some time now vinyl has been resurrecting, even in Italy, and the most famous of turntables has been reborn and is in excellent health.
From the point of view of technology and functions, the 1200MK7 model offers the same features as the black version 1210MK7, which includes:
- Coreless direct drive motor for stable rotation and powerful torque
- Sensitive yet robust arm, to accurately read the signal recorded in the groove of the record
- Double layer platter with optimized vibration damping performance
- Very rigid and insulating structure with high damping, for the total suppression of all vibrations even in prohibitive conditions of use
- Adjustment of starting torque / braking speed
- Rotation control, for precise and stable adjustment of the disc rotation
- Reverse playback function, to offer DJs greater flexibility of use
- LED stylus illuminator with high brightness and long life
The Technics 1200MK7 arrives in Italy in May 2021 and costs 999.99 euros.