Wheels of Steel: Technics Turntable Returns

Without doubt, the turntable that revolutionized club DJ-ing as we know it is the iconic Technics SL-1200. In what must seem in retrospect the worst timing imaginable, Panasonic, parent company of the Technics brand, killed the manufacturing of this beloved piece of equipment just as the vinyl revival was heating up in 2010. Now, apparently coming to their senses, Panasonic has decided to roll this deck out once again. The response has been muted, but that's only because audio people can be a cynical bunch. In truth, this is a restoration to prominence and availability nothing less then the single most important turntable ever produced since Edison and Gramophone. My hope is that the price point will be affordable, relatively speaking.

Below is a video of the press conference at the Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES) from Tuesday. It's not an exciting presentation. At least the management of this corporation is doing something most managers hate to do: admitting a mistake!