Technics

Vinyl really is back; Panasonic has used its annual IFA press conference in Berlin to announce that it will relaunch and reinvent its iconic Technics turntable series, providing a lifeline to fans of analogue audio.

Panasonic presented a prototype of the new direct-drive turnable at the show, which is made from stark aluminium, and drawn with classic lines and a utilitarian aesthetic reminiscent of the other high-end (and extremely expensive) audio products in the Technics line.


The analog turntable will be completely rebuilt, Panasonic said, with new elements at every level. But it will also be designed to reflect the esteem in which the classic Technics turntables — the legendary SP10 and DJs' favourite SL-1200 turntables — are still held.

It's not a bad time to make the move, either. Recent data collected for the British Phonographic Industry shows that in the UK sales of vinyl are up 56 percent year-on-year, reaching their highest mark since 1994. Is it likely that vinyl will mount a genuine comeback against digital streaming, which could top 25 billion streams in the UK alone this year? No. But neither are audiophiles and purists willing to give up on analogue formats, and especially not those who are prepared to spend upwards of £20,000 on a Technics reference audio speaker setup.

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"Turntables are a very iconic product for the Technics brand," Michiko Ogawa, director of Technics and executive officer at Panasonic, tells WIRED. "It is important to show our sincere dedication [to that]. The turntable market is very small but it is a very important brand product."


Technics was once a genuinely important name in analogue audio systems, but years of decline saw it phased out entirely in the early 2000s. Panasonic relaunched the brand in 2014 at IFA with a pair of high-end audio systems, with the (admittedly somewhat vague) promise of helping its customers "re-experience music". "With this product we can show how seriously we can address the high-end market. For analogue customers we have to bring our concept of music to them," Ogawa told WIRED, through a translator.

Panasonic

There are however no details on exactly what form the new vinyl player will take, or when it will be available. Ogawa did indicate it will be coming to the UK, though, and also announced several new Technics products:

SU-G30 Grand Class Network Audio Amp : a high-end HiFi network amp designed to deliver "uncompromising audio quality" (pictured above)

: a high-end HiFi network amp designed to deliver "uncompromising audio quality" (pictured above) SC-C500 Premium Class All-in-one Hi-Fi: an all-in-one for the audiophile in your life, with 270-degree speakers and the handcrafted quality of Technics' 2014 systems

an all-in-one for the audiophile in your life, with 270-degree speakers and the handcrafted quality of Technics' 2014 systems EAH-T700 Premium Stereo Headphones: the first headphones in the 'new' Technics brand, including some interesting features like a side-adjusting headband and 100Hz-capable sound quality.

Technics' new turntable will hardly be alone in the marketplace. While sales of mid-range 'classic' record players have shrunk, brands like Crosley on the low end have seen booming sales by placing their players in Urban Outfitters rather than Currys, and giving them a deliberately retro 'suitcase' look.


Meanwhile WIRED recently featured the beautiful Merlin 1 in its annual Gear special, which allows you to play vinyl with excellent reproduction via the high-quality "friction free" turntable and stream high quality audio via Bluetooth aptX -- all for £1,300.

Still, in an era where music is defined increasingly by streaming services, 'curation' and bright plastic headphones, using an IFA press conference to announce a vinyl record player is both slightly old fashioned and admirable. In a show otherwise dominated by talk of 'smart' everything, from kitchens to cookers and intelligent mirrors, the announcement of a new turnable was a refreshing distraction and acknowledgement that not everything has to be digital.

Elsewhere in its show Panasonic announced 'Nubo', a 4G camera and security system for indoor and outdoor use, and its first commercial 4K OLED TV, the CZ950, which it said was tuned by Hollywood colourist Mike Sowa.