Two brand new Technics turntables are headed your way this year, as the company announced the SL-1200G and Grand Class SL-1200GAE direct drive turntables to celebrate 50 years of the iconic SL-1200. The SL-1200G will come in an aluminium casing, while the Grand Class SL-1200GAE will feature a magnesium housing and a “Limited Edition” plate, reminding all that it is indeed limited lest any punter forget.
The latter is the Anniversary Edition model, and will be the one collectors will have their eyes on as there will only be 1200 units (naturally), and assumably a price bordering on oppressive (edit: price will be US$4,000 per deck!) ensuring you’ll be the envy of every rich, ageing microhouse DJ (and his nurse).
Note that these are “premium turntables meant for audiophile use” – what makes them usable for DJing are the pitch faders and direct drive motor, apart from the obvious Technics pedigree (the original Technics were always intended for hi-fi, not DJ, use, anyway).
If you’re even remotely considering them, you’ll want to make sure that you’re going to be spinning actual vinyl to eek every ounce of “analogue warmth” – you’ve paid handsomely, and all the fancy gobbledygook they’ve got onboard won’t make your 96kbps MP3 file sound any more “hi-fi” (or half the dodgy vinyl pressings around nowadays, pressed from such…) – we can tell you that much.
Of course, you could just buy a used pair of decks (or four if you’re the next Sasha) for a fraction of the price – the Technics 1200s are the gold standard because they’re built like tanks and last for years, so you may want to consider that instead if you promised your kids they’d go to college (big mistake!).
Check out the photo gallery below.
Photo gallery
• The Grand Class SL-1200GAE will be available from Summer 2016, and the SL-1200G later in the year.
What do you think about the new Technics? Something in your sights, or something to pass on? Let us know below.
Joey Santos
