Technics has explained why its recently relaunched SL-1200 turntable model will come with a $4000 price tag.
Speaking to What Hi-Fi about the turntable, the company’s chief technology officer Tetsuya Itani said that the updated model required a complete redesign and a new manufacturing process, thereby resulting in a need to pass costs on to the buyer. “The cost was the biggest problem for us, from the start of the project,” Itani said. “Because the original 1210 turntables were manufactured for so many years, the manufacturing process had got to a very low cost. Now we need to invest in all the tools again, and the price now is much higher than the 1970s.
“Everything is new, except for the dust cover. The weight of the platter is nearly three times the old 1200, and we also have a new motor, which is a very important point of the new model. The feet too. It’s heavy, the old 1200 was more plastic.” The new Technics SL-1200G is expected to this summer.
