After years out of production, Panasonic has announced that its legendary audio brand Technics will be launching two new in home Hi-FI systems later this year.
The Reference Class R1 and Premium Class C700 series’ are aimed at high-end audio consumers, in response to the shift towards digital audio and a rising demand for high sound quality.
Technics director Michigo Ogawa announced the re-launch at last week’s IFA show in Berlin, however no mention was made of any plans to recommence production of the brand’s legendary SL-1200 vinyl turntable.
An international campaign to bring back the long-time favourite of vinyl DJs has lead to a change.org petition attracting over 22,000 supporters, and hopefully this latest announcement is a precursor to the news that so many are waiting to hear.
Back in July we reported on Pioneer’s new PLX-1000 turntable, which seemed to be trying to fill the void in the market left by the Technics 1200. The big question now is: will the 1200 return to reclaim its title as the industry standard?
Written by Will Van de Pol
