NEWS CATEGORIES:

NEWS ARCHIVE >>
SOFTPEDIA REVIEWS >>
MEET THE EDITORS >>

Find us on Google+

Home > News > Technology and Gadgets > Professional Audio

October 29th, 2010, 09:01 GMT · By Alex Vochin

Panasonic Kills the Technics Analog Turntables

Adjust text size:

It really seems that we're seeing the latest remnants of the analog age being killed one at a time by the companies that still manufactured them, thus marking the final and inexorable transition to the digital age, to a world where everything is stored in files saved onto various types of memory modules, rather than actual, physical media, such as cassettes or vinyl discs.

So, after learning about the official demise of the cassette Sony Walkman earlier on this week, it would seem that yet another icon of the analog age is heading towards oblivion, namely the Panasonic Technics turntable.

So, as the TokyoReporter informs us, Panasonic announced earlier this month that it would be discontinuing the audio products within its Technics brand, famous especially for its line of high-end turntables, used by DJs and musicians from all over the world.

The Technics brand of turntables had achieved a huge level of popularity over time, especially due to the use of the Direct Drive (via magnets) turning mechanism and its heavy 12.5-kilogram base (composed of what is known as the Technics Non Resonance Compound), which isolated the platter so as to reduce feedback and the chance that the cartridge would jump.

However, the advent of the digital age has led to a significant collapse in this market segment, very few people (typically, audiophiles and professional DJs) still going for vinyl discs, that are harder and harder to come by (especially as far as new albums are concerned).

Similar to some other iconic products out there, it's very likely that analog turntables will still be around for quite a while, although probably being produced by very small outfits in limited-edition series, targeting an ever-diminishing segment of hard-core audiophiles, who can't simply let go of the past and the analog products that marked forever their lives.

FILED UNDER:

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK:

1,536 hits · 1 comment · Link to this article · Print article · Send to friend · Subscribe to news

MUST-READ RELATED ARTICLES:

New High-End Panasonic Indestructible In-Ear Headphones

The Uber-Expensive Transrotor Quintessence Turntable

The New VPI Scout II Turntable

Ortery Intros 3D Photography Machine, Photosimile

The iPod DJ Mixer for Instant Parties, Anywhere

READER COMMENTS:

Comment #1 by: DJ Gerber on 29 Oct 2010, 11:47 UTC	reply to this comment
So sad! As a DJ myself, my life revolved around Technics. I had Technics shirts, hats, you name it! R.I.P. Technics!

SUBMIT PROGRAM \| ADVERTISE \| GET HELP \| SEND US FEEDBACK \| RSS FEEDS \| UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE \| ROMANIAN FORUM
© 2001 - 2012 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Softpedia® and the Softpedia® logo are registered trademarks of SoftNews NET SRL.	Copyright Information \| Privacy Policy \| Terms of Use