Back at IFA 2014, Panasonic relaunched the venerable Technics brand. And this year at IFA 2015, under way in Berlin this week, the company has announced that it is developing a new version of the Technics Turntable.
During the trade show this year, Panasonic unveiled a prototype of said turntable. The direct-drive player is made of stark aluminum and has classic lines, giving it an aura of sophistication and looks similar to the previous models.
"Reminiscent of the other high-end (and extremely expensive) audio products in the Technics line," said Michael Rundle on his review of the prototype.
Panasonic plans to "completely rebuild" the analog turntable with "new elements on every level" but keep the sophistication that came with the popular SL-1200 turntable model, Rundle reported. "With this product we can show how seriously we can address the high-end market. For analog customers we have to bring our concept of music to them," said Michiko Ogawa, director of Technics, in his interview with Wired. The SL-1200 turntable was in production from its release in 1972 until 2010.
Analog technology continues to persist even in this digital age. Although digital offers convenience, there is nothing that beats the nostalgia that analog offers. This is evident within the music industry. It was reported that vinyl sales have continually risen in the recent years. In fact, vinyl record sales broke the 9 million mark in 2014, up from 2.8 million in 2010.
In addition, according to a Nielsen report that was released earlier this year, that increase in vinyl record sales is reflected in the 53 percent growth between January and March this year over the same period a year earlier. Catalog albums (those albums released at least 18 months prior) were also reported to have an increase of up to 66 percent in the same period.
Panasonic is looking to ship the new Technics Turntable between spring of next year and March 2017.
