Panasonic held a quick press event at CES 2017, during which they introduced the Technics SL-1200GR. It’s another direct-drive turntable system, but it’s still designed for audio enthusiasts, not DJs. The price? $2,000 per unit.
Technics Signature turntable, grand speakers and amplifier. #PANASONIC #CES2017 #CES #technics pic.twitter.com/ixVzFsruiC
— Tee/ThatsITLA (@ThatsITLA) January 4, 2017
Technics SL-1200GR at CES 2017
The concept of introducing a lower-priced version of a high-end model is one that’s familiar to almost every consumer electronics manufacturer. That’s exactly what Panasonic did with this new version of the SL-1200, but instead of putting it in a price range that becomes reasonable for DJs looking to casually add turntables, they built a model that’s still absurdly expensive.
For $2,000 a piece, many DJs will have a hard time not comparing purchasing these decks to buying top-of-the-line CDJs from Pioneer. The SL-1200GR might make sense if you’re a die-hard vinyl DJ who wants a top-of-the-line deck, but it still won’t have any features that you can’t find on similar, cheaper offerings from Stanton, Pioneer DJ, Reloop, and others.
Update (4:30 PM 1/5/15): It looks like Westend DJ, a shop in the UK is reporting that they’ve heard the Technics SL-1200GR will be priced at £1300 each. Assuming the current pound-to-dollar applies here, that’s only $1,613 – a bit more reasonable.
Tech Specs vs SL-1200G
The SL-1200GR has a lot of the same technical specifications as the higher-end models – it still has the coreless direct-drive motor, motor control technology, high-ridigity platter, high-sensitivty tonearm, etc. Compared to the SL-1200G, this model has
- slightly lower starting torque (2.2 kg/cm vs 3.3 kg/cm)
- A solely aluminum die-cast platter (as opposed to a brass and aluminum platter)
- A slightly lighter platter (2.5 kg vs 3.6 kg)
- The dimensions of the unit are exactly the same.
See the full tech specs on Technics’ official announcement here.