October 28, 2010

End of an era - the Technics SL-1200.

If you were a DJ or Rap 'artist', your record player of choice was the Technics SL-1200. Built like a tank, bulletproof and immune to abuse. From Gizmodo:
End Of An Era: Panasonic Kills Off Technics Turntables
If you�ve ever been a DJ, known a DJ or listened to a DJ, there�s a good chance you�re familiar with Technics. Panasonic�s analogue turntables are legend among scratchers and spinners. And now they�re gone.

Panny made the announcement that they�d cease Technics production because of �a decline in demand for these analogue products and also the growing difficulty of procuring key analogue components necessary to sustain production�. In a word: obsolescence.

Around 3.5 million SL-1200 turntables have been sold since 1972. Countless audio mixers and stereo headphones that also bear the Technics name. But with sales of analogue decks being just 5 per cent of what they were 10 years ago, Panasonic�s finally pulled the plug on a classic.

What made Technics so good? A reliable Direct Drive turning mechanism. A heavy, rock-solid 12kg base. And three decades of tradition.
Not a bad run -- thirty eight years is not shabby... Posted by DaveH at October 28, 2010 8:09 PM
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