Accuphase, Luxman, Nakamichi… Japan and high-end hi-fi have always gone well together.
Matsushita Electric (now Panasonic) had the technology to compete at the top, but lacked the prestige behind the name – so in 1965, they simply created a new one: Technics was the name given to a new slew of components with a mission to shake up the established big names in the upper price segment. It didn’t take the new brand long to gain a reputation as technological innovator: in 1970, Technics launched the SP-10, the first commercial direct-drive turntable on the market – the first step in a development that would cement the brand name in the hall of fame of hi-fi manufacturers. We are, of course, talking about the SL-1200, arguably the most famous of all turntables, which, with its rich feature set and, even more importantly, its legendary ruggedness, went down in the history of audio reproduction as the DJ turntable par excellence – and is still being manufactured today, with a few interruptions.
But Technics was much more than just a turntable manufacturer – the brand also stood out as an innovation driver in other areas of hi-fi. Examples of this include the first cassette deck with auto reverse in 1972 and the first three-head recording system a year later.
In the years that followed, Technics expanded its product portfolio to become a full-range supplier. Although the brand was originally conceived as a high-end division, it soon found its way into the entry-level segment. The affordable models in particular, such as the belt-driven SL-20 and SL-23 turntables, stood out for their excellent price-performance ratio.
Against the backdrop of an overall declining hi-fi market and numerous economic crises around the world, Panasonic discontinued the Technics brand in 2010, but revived it again at IFA 2014. Technics presented a range of new developments, ranging from amplifiers to digital sources. Finally, in 2016, the Mk7 revived the classic SL-1200, which is still available today in various sub-variants.
We congratulate Technics on its 60th anniversary and wish it many more years of sonic excellence and technical innovation!