Technics 1210 Turntables Return for €3,700 Each
Click to access the Technics Fan Page
Panasonic provoked delight and despair this week when they announced they’ll be re-launching and updated version of their technics sl1200 turntables then revealed that players will cost US$4,000 (€3,692) each.
Israeli vinyl enthusiast Moni Daniel, who helped persuade the Japanese corporation to revive the iconic turntable brand by launching a petition to ‘‘reintroduce the legendary Technic’ turntables which attracted over 27,000 signatures, was happy.
“We’ve done it!! “ he declared on his Technics sl1200 Facebook Fanpage.
“Thanks to all who signed the petition !! We can finally declare a victory!!!”
Numerous Fanpage supporters, however, disagreed.
“Technics is positioning to be a high-end audiophile brand now. This isn’t DJ hardware anymore. If anything, making it look like the old turns was a complete TROLL by Panasonic,” Cory James Hill complained.
“10s of thousands of DJs and vinyl audiophiles are being alienated here,” Willie Harris agreed.
“Technics has invented a new form of crack and they are smoking it. Never get high on your own supply. Hi-fi indeed. I am seriously pissed off,” he grumbled.
“Will they take trades?” Brad Saylor asked, “My first born child is a good worker and well worth 4 grand.”
“I guess this isn’t meant for kids getting into vinyl or working DJs,” Brad Cheng suggested in the comments section on WhatHiFi.com
“At the absurd prices of $4K it’s for old men in the ranks of the 1% who want to buy into some hipness and a sixth of a working family’s yearly income,” he complained.
Techcrunch expert Travis Bernard was more ambivalent suggesting the new tumtables will only sell if they succeed in becoming accepted as ‘luxury products.
“Technics definitely has the brand loyalty to be able to charge more than $699 (the price of Pioneer’s PLX-1000s) for the new decks,” he noted.
“But with tons of cheaper secondhand versions of the older variants still available on eBay and Craigslist, why would anyone who is seriously considering buying turntables choose the newer more expensive option? Functionally, both the new and the old versions do the exact same thing,” he said.
