Technics

Technics is a brand name of the Japan-based Matsushita company. Under this name the company produces a variety of hi-fi products, such as turntables, amplifiers, audio receivers, tape decks, CD players and speakers for sale in various countries. It was originally conceived for a line of high-end audio equipment to go against such companies as Nakamichi, but most of its home products have been rebranded as Panasonic starting in 2002 (except in Japan, where the brand is still popular). DJ equipment and electronic pianos are the only Technics products currently being sold in the USA and Europe.

The name Technics came to widespread fame with the production of turntables: in 1969 they introduced the SP-10, the first direct-drive model for the professional market, and in 1971 the SL-1100 for the consumer market. The SL-1100 was used by the influential DJ Kool Herc for the first sound system he set up after emigrating from Jamaica to New York. This latter model was the predecessor to the SL-1200 which, as the upgraded SL-1200 Mk2, became a widely used turntable by DJs. The SL-1200 Mk2 was a robust machine and incorporated a pitch control (or vari-speed), and kept the speed constant and the speed variability low, thus making it a popular tool with DJs.

The 1200 continues to evolve with the M3D series, followed by the MK5 series in 2003.

External Links

• Technics DJ home page
• Technics Musical Instruments home page
• Technics 1200 M3D
• Technics 1210 MK5