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November 27, 2009

Technics is Dead?

Technics is dead

Rumors are that according to spokesmen from Panasonic, the parent company has announced that as of February 2010 they will cease production of Technics Turntables. “It is a sad day today but due to low sales globally in analogue turntables a decision to stop production has been made on Technics Turntables.” — via inthemix.com.au

[UPDATE Nov 29, 2009] Both the rumors and the old ass info that some people believe debunks them are not coming from any official sources at this point. Hopefully Panasonic issues some sort of press release on the matter in the coming week. With this timed over the biggest shopping weekend of the year, this is coming off more like a marketing ploy to get people to panic and go buy.

[UPDATE Nov 30, 2009] Sounds like Technics is safe for now according to cnet.com.au: Panasonic’s Ian North (the guy the original article was quoting) has denied the reports and says while he is still waiting on clarification from Japan, news that sales would end in March was “premature”.

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Editor-In-Chief Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, by way of Edmonton, Alberta (now currently residing in Austin, Texas). I am ugsmag's dad. Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / 319heads.com

34 Responses

  4. outdated models and specs for higher prices left Technics out in the cold a LONG time ago. Not to say that the music game changing to mp3s hasn’t helped, but Panasonic didn’t TRULY update the 1200 after the MK5.

    Sad day.

  5. They should have did what akai did and started making shit that people could actually afford.

  7. weird. Especially with the popularity of analog/digital interfaces like Serato. But J-Soul’s right, they didn’t really update their wares, not significantly.

  10. with the release of these silly new dj-based video games, turntable sales might actually increase. this is sad news, i’ve had my pair for over a decade. and i was gonna by another pair….now i may have to hurry. i thought i read somewhere that vinyl sales were increasing.

  11. they didn’t NEED to update their wares, did they?? its a 1200, oooh its got quartz lock and a headshell holder, wow hahah.

    mine are just over a decade old now too and they run just as good as the day I bought em. I’ve been thinking of gripping another pair as well… but I’d want MKII’s, what’s the deal with the 5’s?

  13. alright, alarm is on again… everyone panic… the article I posted was old hahaha

    RIP faaack

  14. A Kung-Fu kick to an outdated (but classic) deck. There’s better shit out there anyway. DJ Shadow is a homo.

  15. I don’t understand why anybody would call it outdated. it certainly was ahead of its time and it still does everything that you’d need a turntable to do and it never stops turning. dj shadow is a gay homosexual though

  16. Outdated compared to modern ish:

    Shit RCA cables
    Shit RCA cables soldered to mainboard (not user swappable)
    No replaceable power cable.
    No straight tonearm.
    Low torque.
    Poor pitch shift consistency outside of quartz lock.
    Low pitch shift percentage +/-8.
    Difficult to self service parts.
    Rumble dampening isn’t very good.
    No reverse switch.
    Expensive as hell for no reason.
    No digital out.
    Difficult to replace light.

    Classic. But outdated.

  17. you’ve got a good argument… I guess I haven’t really thought about it. let’s hope they license their technology to somebody who is willing to make it better.

  18. OK. Let’s pay even more to some aftermarket homo to give our 1200’s the same features as other cheaper decks out.

    Oh, you got the reel-to-reel tape out function on yours right?

    You’re so analog and way cooler than everyone.

    I’d take digi out vs those shit RCA any day.

    1. I bet the digital out is of the highest quality, and the built in phono preamp must be awesome too! You obviously don’t understand what the fuck is going on inside those piece of shit USB/Digital turntables. Please explain what is wrong with unbalanced audio connections? Do you run the signal from your turntable across a football feild?

      Have you ever listened to vinyl on a decent deck, with a decent neddle and a halfway decent preamp all fed into a some good speakers?

      My dislike of digital outs on turntables stems from knowing and hearing the difference between shitty consumer “convience” based signal paths and a high quality signal path. All in one solutions rarely, if ever, provide higher quality than a signal chain comprised of specifically chosen discrete components.

      You’re just yet another one of the millions people ignorant to the point of beleiving that anything Digital must mean it’s better.

    2. USB out?

      Try SPDIF.

      Explain to me how crap unbalanced Technics RCA analog hook up is going to beat 24bit digi.

      Why are you trying to convince me the RCA cables on a Technics turntable aren’t total pieces of shit (break easy, soldered in etc).

      Even if I had an Avalon pre, I’d prefer something other than Technics RCA outs feeding it.

      You seem like some studio homo sitting on gearslutz all day trying to tell people what to do. Maybe you can also hear the difference between 24 and 32 bits. Good for you.

      Go read Bob Katz or something and implement K System on your clock radio.

      Fucking audio geeks… look at you fuming up a storm about some RCA cables.

      I’m running my RCA’s across your momma’s big fat ass, and I definitely need balanced outputs to cross that gap.

      The RCA cables on 1200’s are shit.

    3. Clearly you miss the point, and demonstrate the level of your ignorance with the Avalon pre comment. Why did you bring up a microphone/instrument preamp in a discussion about turntables and phono preamps?

      Do you honestly believe that just because you’re making use of a S/PDIF connection it’s magically going to make the built in phono preamp and A/D converter good?

      Your assumtion that I’m at all upset is absurd. I enjoy discussing audio. Yes I’m a “fucking audio geek”, and do read posts on gearsluts frequently, don’t post much though. Also can say I spend all day there, I do have a job, and have other activities that occupy the vast majority of my day.

      Do you honestly want to me to explain how unbalanced RCA cables fed into a proper signal chain is going to beat an all in one solution? I honestly don’t mind, but something tells me that that would contradict the ignorant and negative persona that you insist on perpetuating here.

      Do you have some knowledge related to the disscusion at hand that I might benifit from? Is there a technical detail I’ve overlooked? Or has expressing your uninformed opinion and being called out on it left you with nothing to offer the discussion other than somewhat funny insults? I have an open mind, I’ll be more than willing to admit I’m wrong if it can be shown that I am.

      I already have read Bob Katz book. Already have implemented the K-system in my calibrated “clock radio” monitoring chain.

    4. Answer me this oh Whunder Whizard.

      I have a ‘signal chain’ as you like to say. Regardless of what it is, it’s the same. What is going to be better:

      RCA *signal chain* to my PC
      SPDIF *signal chain* to my PC

      I am just trying to record something to my PC keep in mind.

      One of those methods is better than the other.

      My AC/DC converter is shitting all over your Big Ben clock.

      This argument is kind of rainbow. Don’t talk to me anymore.

  20. who cares, its not like it matters you can get “dj’s” like tiesto to charge 50 g’just to show there fuckin face and play off the gay little mac and people thinks it groundbreaking, rap missed the boat. your better of commiting suicide than trying to become a hip hop dj

  21. damn i was on a mission to have an army of technics
    looks like i need to hurry.
    r.i.p. to the “turntable tanks”
    you can’t fuck with perfection.

  22. actually it is a false alarm
    only a few models are being discontinued
    the mk 2 and mk5g’s are still going to be in production.

  23. no i talked to a homie who is an authorized technics/panasonic dealer.
    they were concerned so they contacted the distributor, and that is the answer they got back as well.

  24. just learned via sally from dmc status by way of technics japan, that THERE IS NO CONFIRMATION that the end is near for 1200’s & 1210’s.

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