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Technics SA-C600 Netzwerk-CD-Receiver – Neu in der Technics Premium C600 Serie

The new offspring of the Technics Premium C600 Series, the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver, presents itself with an elegant, compact CD top loader design. It is intended to close the gap between the company’s compact all-in-one systems and the individual components of the Technics C700 Series and Technics G700 Series.

The new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver presents itself as the new solution of the Technics Premium C600 Series, and it will play a very important role. Panasonic Corporation has identified a gap in the existing product range that the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is intended to fill.

The company states that the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver fits perfectly between the compact all-in-one systems of the Technics brand and the individual components of the Technics C700 Series and Technics G700 Series. The aim is to provide users with a solution that is more powerful and versatile than an all-in-one system, but still combines all the essential functions of a modern hi-fi system in one electronic component and thus does not require any individual components.

Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver – The compact all-in-one system

The new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver combines everything that makes up a modern hi-fi system, so that you can opt for a solution that offers full flexibility in the form of a compact, very elegant component that requires only a pair of matching speaker systems.

It is, as the name suggests, a CD receiver, and the manufacturer itself refers to it as an elegant, compact CD top-loader design.

“The SA-C600 is a logical addition to the Technics portfolio, bridging the gap between compact all-in-one systems such as the SC-C70MK2 and true stand-alone components such as the C700 and G700 systems. There is a huge demand for such products – an elegant yet compact, powerful network CD receiver that meets the exact requirements of many modern music lovers and ambitious hi-fi fans.” Frank Balzuweit, Product Manager Technics Europe

Extremely elegant appearance

The most striking feature of the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is, of course, the extremely elegant design chosen by the developers of Panasonic Corporation, which clearly follows the design language of the Technics brand.

The solid aluminium housing presents itself in an almost sober, technical way with clear edges, featuring a ribbed structure on the front and a brushed surface on the top. Also on the upper side, namely in the rear part, cooling elements take over a quite essential part of the design concept, namely as a contrast to the surface just mentioned. A trick of the designers, which sets an attractive accent in both the silver and black versions.

Another striking design element is the transparent cover of the CD drive on the top.

It should not go unmentioned that the design of the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver fits perfectly to the record players of the Technics brand, so that when they are placed side by side, they form a really outstanding, harmonious whole.

  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
  • Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver

Flexible source selection, all relevant connections

Even though it is a comparatively compact system, the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver nevertheless offers the full flexibility of modern hi-fi systems, starting with audio CD playback and extending to analogue and digital inputs and streaming.

There’s not much to say about the pure audio CD playback, but it’s more exciting to look at the available inputs, because in addition to a coaxial S/PDIF interface, there’s also an optical S/PDIF input with auto power-on function when the signal is detected, which can be used to connect a TV set, for example. There is also a USB port for direct connection to a PC or Mac, which uses USB Audio Class 2.0 and offers asynchronous data transfer.

In addition, there is a line in and a phono input. And even though this is reserved for drives equipped with MM cartridge systems, it is supposed to be a particularly high-quality solution that makes external phono preamplifiers obsolete.

The rear panel also offers an RJ45 Ethernet interface, a separate output for integrating an external subwoofer, solid screw terminals for connecting the speaker systems and an antenna connection for the integrated FM and DAB tuner.

The front features a headphone connection, designed as a 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack. A USB port is also found here, whereby this is used for the integration of storage media as source devices.

Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver

Streaming in all conceivable variations

Of course, the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver offers the greatest flexibility when integrated into a network, because here it is available as a UPnP streaming client as well as via Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2. With these two technology platforms, it is not only possible to comfortably use the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver as part of a multi-room audio streaming network, but also to establish a direct connection to the respective Smart Home platforms of the technology companies, be it Apple HomeKit or Google Home, including voice control options via Apple Siri or Google Assistant. However, and this should be explicitly pointed out, this does not work without additional smart speakers from the respective manufacturer in the network.

Services such as Spotify including Spotify Connect, TIDAL, Deezer and Amazon Music can also be accessed; the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver supports these directly.

In addition to FM and DAB+ radio, Internet radio is of course also available.

Hi-res Audio DAC

The D/A converter of the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is capable of processing signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 384 kHz. It also understands signals in DSD, whereby the spectrum reaches up to DSD256. It should also be mentioned that the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver can also decode signals encoded in lossy MQA.

By the way, this also applies to so-called MQA CDs, as they are offered by many labels.

Bluetooth on board

Of course, a solution like the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver should not be without Bluetooth as an option for the direct integration of mobile devices. This saves the integration of smartphones and tablets into the network, for example, and they can still be used directly for music playback.

Fully digital amplifier based on Technics JENO Engine

The central element of the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is, of course, once again – not surprisingly – a fully digital amplifier with the outstanding Technics JENO Engine, where this abbreviation stands for Jitter Eleminiation and Noise Shaping Optimisation.

This should also guarantee the basis for an extremely dynamic music reproduction completely free of artefacts, whereby an output of two times 60 watts at speaker systems with an impedance of 4 ohms is available, which is quite appropriate for the class of the device.

The amplifier, in turn, is powered by an extremely low-noise power supply, and the manufacturer refers to this as a particularly sophisticated twin power supply circuit system.

Technics Space Tune Function – Optimal adaptation to the room

A real special feature of the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is the so-called Space Tune Function, a room calibration that is carried out separately for the right and left channel and, in addition to the modes “Free”, “Near the wall”, “Near the corner”, also offers the option “In the shelf”. This is to achieve perfect reproduction even if the Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is used with so-called shelf loudspeaker systems and this term is taken literally, i.e. if they are actually placed in a piece of furniture. This calibration is carried out with the help of the Technics Audio Centre App for Apple iOS.

Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver
Foto © Panasonic Corporation | Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver

Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker as the ideal playing partner

As early as November 2021, Panasonic Corporation presented the Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker, a particularly compact speaker system from the Technics Premium C600 Series.

This is a two-way bass reflex system with a so-called Phase Precision Driver, which combines a 15 cm woofer with a 25 mm aluminium dome tweeter in its centre, and which has a Linear Phase Plug and uses the Balanced Driver Mounting Architecture.

The Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker is said to be the just about perfect playing partner for the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver.

“While many serious music listeners want a solution that is clearly positioned above typical all-in-one systems, compact receivers like the SA- C600 offer the ability to connect any speaker system. This allows a level of performance not possible with all-in-one solutions, but without having to set up multiple components.” Frank Balzuweit, Product Manager Technics Europe

Prices and availability

As already indicated, the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver will be offered in two design variants. First of all, there is the extremely elegant black version, but also the no less elegant silver version. No matter which version you choose, you have to calculate € 999,- for this solution. The new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver will be available from specialist dealers from February 2022. The matching loudspeaker systems in the form of the Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speakers are already available in matt black from specialist dealers at a price of € 999.

Getting to the point

The really exciting thing about the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver is that it offers all the functionality of a modern hi-fi system not only in a very compact, but also in a particularly elegant form. Audio CD, radio via FM or DAB+ as well as Internet radio, streaming via Apple AirPlay 2 and Google Chromecast, plus digital and analogue inputs, even an integrated phono preamplifier – the new Technics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver offers all this, so that you can use the full flexibility with only one component and only need the matching pair of speakers. And this is already available with the Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker, also from Technics.

PRODUCTTECHNICS SA-C600 NETWORK CD RECEIVER
PriceTechnics SA-C600 Network CD Receiver € 999,-
Technics SB-C600 Bookshelf Speaker € 999,-
BrandTECHNICS
ManufacturerPanasonic Corporation
DistributionPanasonic Deutschland – Eine Division der Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH
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Michael Holzinger

Michael Holzinger, founder and editor-in-chief of HiFi BLOG and sempre-audio.at, has been working for years as a journalist in the fields of IT, photography, telecommunications and consumer electronics.

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