Technics Announces 55th Anniversary Turntable 

Technics announces the SL-1210GAE Limited Edition direct drive turntable to commemorate the brand’s 55th anniversary. This special model, with only 1000 to be sold worldwide, is based on the internationally acclaimed Grand Class SL-1200G hi-fi turntable. 

The SL-1210GAE features a premium full black colour scheme – featuring a hairline processed black top panel – which has already proved popular with other recent Technics products. Made in Japan by skilled Technics artisans, it has a special badge inscribed with a unique serial number to signify that it is a 55th anniversary model. The turntable also features an insulator with specialised shock-absorbing gel to isolate vibration and ensure a stunning listening experience. 

Aaron Waters, Product Marketing Manager – Audio and Video, Panasonic said: “We’ve had a strong response from Technics aficionados since we re-introduced the brand in November last year. It’s exciting to celebrate the brand’s 55th anniversary by offering this premium limited edition model to vinyl enthusiasts, with just 40 units to be available for Australian customers.”

The Technics SL-1210GAE will be rolled out in Australia from July 2020, limited to a total of just 40 units. The turntable will be available via selected audio specialist retailers, priced at $6999 RRP.

Specifications exclusive to SL-1210GAE 55th anniversary model

All-black colour scheme
The SL-1210GAE’s 10mm-thick aluminium top panel sports a meticulously anodised black brushed hairline finish. In addition, the operation buttons and tonearm also employ a high quality black finish that results in a uniform, premium appearance. 

Special badge inscribed with a serial number
The SL-1210GAE is wholly made in Japan by skilled artisans’ hands, with a significant level of hand-made processes to ensure the highest quality possible. The top panel features a special badge, inscribed with the unique serial number to signify that it is a 55th anniversary model. 

Insulator
The specially developed zinc insulator features αGEL, a soft gel-like material with excellent shock absorbing properties which is also used on the highly acclaimed, ‘flagship’ SL-1000R reference turntable. The high-density zinc die-cast housing offers superb vibration damping characteristics and excellent long-term reliability. The new insulator effectively isolates the turntable from external vibrations, ensuring completely undisturbed music reproduction whilst preserving every fine nuance and detail within the musical signal.

Strobe light ON-OFF switch
The strobe light can now be turned off as required, allowing the listener to simply concentrate on the music, especially in a dimmed environment. 

SL-1210GAE product features 

Coreless Direct Drive Motor
Conventional analogue turntables have problems with degradation in sound quality caused by factors such as minute speed vibration during rotation and rotation irregularity called ‘cogging’. In the SL-1210GAE, the use of a coreless direct-drive motor with no iron core eliminates cogging. Also, the twin-rotor construction reduces the bearing load while maintaining high torque, and also reduces minute vibration during rotation. These factors enable reproduction of the warm, exquisitely detailed sound etched on analogue records. 

High-Precision Motor Control Technology
The application of motor control technology developed for Blu-ray devices, and switching the drive mode depending on the operational status of the motor, achieves a high starting torque and high speed stability for optimum playback. 

Three-layered Turntable Platter
The turntable features a three-layered construction with a rigidly combined brass top-plate, an aluminium die cast core platter and a solid rubber coating covering its entire rear surface to eliminate unwanted resonance, thereby achieving overall superior rigidity and vibration damping. This delivers smooth rotational stability and high inertial mass surpassing the SP-10MK2 (the direct-drive turntable standard used by broadcast stations worldwide), as well as having more than twice the inertial mass of the SL-1200MK5. 

High-level Balance Adjustment
When the weight distribution of the turntable is uneven, excess vibration or noise occurs during rotation, which causes degradation in sound quality. To counteract this, the balance of the turntable is adjusted at the factory by using specialised high-precision balance adjustment equipment for each and every item after the turntable is assembled. Turntables that have undergone adjustment are labelled with a sticker reading ‘BALANCED’ to indicate that individual adjustment has been done. 

High Sensitivity Tonearm
The tonearm employs lightweight magnesium which has a high damping effect, with cold drawing improving the characteristics of the material and achieving the high-precision required. In addition, high initial-motion sensitivity is attained by employing the traditional Technics gimbal suspension construction with the horizontal rotation axis and the vertical rotation axis intersecting at a single central point, as well as high-precision bearings using a cut-processed housing.  

High-Quality Terminals
The use of brass-milled and gold-plated phono terminals and ground terminals prevents degradation in sound quality while enabling the easy attaching and detaching of cables. Also, the use of metal shielding construction inside the case reduces the effects of external noise. 4

Four-layered Cabinet Construction
A hairline-processed, 10mm-thick black top panel of immaculate aluminium is added to a three-layered construction of aluminium die-cast, BMC (Bulk Moulding Compound), and heavyweight-class rubber. This four-layered construction combines the high rigidity necessary for superb vibration damping with a superior solid build and a luxurious finish and feel.