[CES 2016] Old is gold, which is why Panasonic has decided that they will revive the Technics brand last year, and with the promise that a new turntable is set to arrive. Well, Panasonic certainly stays true to their word, having rolled out the new Technics Grand Class SL-1200GAE. What makes this particular turntable so special is the very fact that it will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Technics brand, where it is tipped to arrive some time later this summer – and it will be in extremely limited quantities of just 1,200 units.
Needless to say, since there will only be 1,200 of these bad boys around, each of them will sport a serial number plate. This new direct-drive turntable system will incorporate a newly-developed direct-drive motor and high-precision motor control technology which in turn reduces vibrations of the motor and rotational speed fluctuations.
The platter itself will comprise of a trio of layers – brass, aluminum die-cast and deadening rubber, and it will also see rigidity improved alongside a highly stable rotation. The tonearm makes use of Technics’ traditional gimbal suspension where lateral and vertical axes of rotation cross at one point. Expect the SL-1200G standard model to roll out in winter later this year.