R.I.P. Technics Turntables

[dakatabg]

Technics's done making turntables.

http://www.prefixmag.com/news/rip-technics-turntables/46228/

[GMichael]

Does that make my TTT a classic?

[dakatabg]

He he after 30 years or more there is a possibility ;)

[GMichael]

25-30 is about right.

[basite]

it's a sad tale like I hear it...

a very sad tale and a great loss for the analog world...

but yeah, if you build a turntable that will outlive you, there will once be a point, that nobody needs a new one, because they just keep on going... it's like a family piece :)

oh well, I don't understand them from one point, vinyl is making a "rise" again (which is good), and so there is need for turntables...

but then again, alot of audiophiles start feeling sick when you say the word "technics", let alone with the words "audiophile quality" in the same sentence (although there is no reason to get sick, at all...). The other people those that are starting with vinyl, or (young) starting DJ's (most of them actually) don't want to spend so much money on a turntable, especially not when you can get a much cheaper rip-off for 3 to 400 dollars less (Yes, audiotechnica AT-LP120, and so many others, We're looking at you...)

they made, and probably still do so, superb turntables, which will last more than a lifetime. They are reliable as possibly could be, you could abuse them as much as you want, but they'd still be doing 33.3rpm as normally. And, they will most certainly be missed...

and so a TRUE classic went...

best,
Bert.

[thekid]

It is sad they stopped making them but all the ones of theirs that I own or want to own they stopped making about 35-40 years ago anyway.

[poppachubby]

I guess we'll have to settle for the 8 billion tables that are currently circulating. Technics did their part and indeed, made a couple of analog classics. The 1200 remains a staple.

That said, let's not get too weepy here. Face it, the great majority of their tables were average at best. I have an SL-Q2 which I love, but I have no illusions about it's place in the hierarchy of analog.

[E-Stat]

That said, let's not get too weepy here. Face it, the great majority of their tables were average at best.
I put an SME on a SL110 when I was seventeen. It was extremely cool looking and put on a great show with the built in strobe, but I moved on when I heard it compared with the Ariston that replaced it in '76.

http://home.cablelynx.com/~rhw/audio/sl110.jpg

rw

[pixelthis]

a technics turntable never breaks. THE ONES already around will be around longer than
HERPES.:1:

[Woochifer]

Wow, this is something I never would've expected to hear! The SL-1200 is the standard with DJs, and that was the strongest niche in the vinyl market during the 1990s. High demand from the DJ market alone kept a lot of vinyl pressing houses going.

Sales on the Technics turntables remained strong even when other manufacturers right and left were discontinuing their turntable lines and/or going out of business. I've long through the SL-1200 would be the last turntable standing hundreds of years from now. The top DJs in the world all mixed with vinyl, and the top clubs all used the SL-1200 line.

But, lately I've been seeing a lot more digital media controllers used at clubs, so perhaps a sea change is occurring if a heavyweight player like Technics decides to exit the market. Having put together a modest collection of 12" dance singles, I know that a lot of tracks are difficult to find, go out of print in a hurry, and can be expensive. Maybe the writing is on the wall for DJs mixing with vinyl.

Then again, the quotes I've read on this story seem to indicate supply chain issues for the SL-1200 in particular, as Panasonic anticipates that certain parts are getting more and more difficult to obtain. The SL-1200 has certain features that differentiate it from other turntables -- it uses a high torque direct drive motor, it has a S-shaped tonearm, and the base itself weighs 27 lbs. A corrected story that I read on Gizmodo indicates that it's only the SL-1200 series that Technics is discontinuing. No word on any of their other turntable lines.

This would be a similar situation as the Shure V15 cartridge and Yamaha's NS-10 studio monitor -- well regarded industry standard products that were selling well, but had to be discontinued because reliable supplies of certain components could no longer be assured.

[Poultrygeist]

I recently got my SL-1300 down from the attic and thanks to some recommendations from this forum I purchased a Sure M97xe. I sort of dread having to re-learn how to set it up.

[02audionoob]

Regarding setting up that SL-1300...The easiest way to align a cartridge is to set it to the dimensions of the Technics overhang gauge, which was available from http://www.kabusa.com last time I checked. It looks like this...

http://www.vinylengine.com/images/model/technics_overhanggauge.jpg

The easiest way to set the tracking force is to use a tracking force gauge or a mini digital scale, like this...

http://pic.tradeage.com/ds-11-mini-digital-carat-scale-aaa-107819.jpeg

[Mash]

I picked up two SL1200 Mk5 a few years back, one silver & one black, because the fancy belt drives with the little motors did not last and replacement parts could be expensive. I also bought some Shure V15 mk 5-whatevers for $125 each. First the V15 went away & now the 1200. I feel old....................

[02audionoob]

As poppachubby noted, there will always be plenty of Technics turntables around. I suspect there will be at least one 1200 on my local Craigslist quite regularly for the rest of my days. I had one, though. I won't likely ever want another.

[Poultrygeist]

Manual smanual. Why is my automatic SL-1300 worth less than an SL-1200 when it costs more?

Why wouldn't anyone who isn't anal retentive not love the convenience of an automatic set down and return?

Plus the 1300 will memo repeat till the cows come home.

[jrhymeammo]

Manual smanual. Why is my automatic SL-1300 worth less than an SL-1200 when it costs more?

Why wouldn't anyone who isn't anal retentive not love the convenience of an automatic set down and return?

Plus the 1300 will memo repeat till the cows come home.

Because SL-1200mkII+ was still in production, and SP10 mk2 and up are priced out the roof.
SL-1300 is just overshadowed by other TT. Plus audiophiles will never consider fully-automatic TT acceptable...