Panasonic relaunches legendary Technics audio brand

More than six years have passed since the last Technics product was released, but today Panasonic has announced the rebirth of the legendary audio brand.
Michigo Ogawa, Director of the Technics project and renowned jazz pianist, announced two new series of Technics branded Hi-Fi audio systems at consumer electronic show IFA 2014 held in Berlin, Germany.
The first is the Reference Class R1 series which consists of three components; the Stereo Power Amplifier SE-R1, the Network Audio Control Player SU-R1 and the Speaker System SB-R1.
The Reference Class R1 is aimed at the high-end audio consumer and is designed to “deliver superlative musical experiences” according to manufacturer Panasonic.
The Premium Class C700 Series, on the other hand, consists of four H-Fi components:
- Stereo Integrated Amplifier SU-C700
- Network Audio Player ST-C700
- Compact Disc Player SL-C700
- Speaker System SB-C700
The C700 uses technologies employed in the Reference Class R1 to deliver “emotionally-engaging music with a refined style”.
Both series of products are built around three major technical elements that reflect the major shift to digital music. ‘Accurate Digital Technology’ ensures precise phase and gain signal transmission with ideal power conversion, ‘Noiseless Signal Technology’ attempts to reduce digital audio noise and ‘Emotive Acoustic Technology’ will attempt to achieve the clearest possible sound image and a high dynamic range.
Quite how these will translate to the final products we will have to wait to see. The Technics Reference Class R1 and Premium Class C700 will be launched in Europe before the end of 2014 and then gradually to other territories next year. Technical specs and pricing have not yet been announced.
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