New Technics 1200 Turntables Coming Soon, Will Be Very Expensive

Photo via Technics website

Last year, Panasonic revealed plans to relaunch its Technics turntable line, which it shelved in 2010 after decades as DJs’ industry standard. In January, the electronics manufacturer unveiled its new Grand Class SL-1200G and limited-edition Grand Class SL-1200GAE at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.  The only question was the price, which What Hi-Fi? reported at the time to be $4,000 for the non-limited model. (Pitchfork has reached out to Panasonic for exact pricing information.)

Technics CTO Tetsuya Itani has explained the price tag in a new interview with What Hi-Fi?. Itani said the new model costs more because it was redesigned “from scratch,” as nearly all of the tools in the manufacturing process were no longer usable. Plus, the new Technics-1200 should be sturdier.

“Everything is new … except for the dust cover,” Itani told What Hi-Fi?. “The weight of the platter is nearly three times the old 1200, and we also have a new motor, which is a very important point of the new model. The feet too. It’s heavy, the old 1200 was more plastic.”

Itani also reportedly hinted to What Hi-Fi? that Panasonic would consider releasing a less expensive model in the future.

The new limited-edition SL-1200GAE is set to be available this summer and restricted to 1,200 units, according to Panasonic’s announcement during CES. The SL-1200G is scheduled for late 2016.

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