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Technics SL-1200M7L 50th Anniversary Limited Edition

It’s going to be colourful, because on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the legendary Technics SL-1200 record player, the Japanese company Technics is celebrating this with a very special model in a wide variety of design variants, the new Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition.

Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition, with this limited special edition, the Japanese hi-fi specialist Technics celebrates a very special anniversary, namely the 50th birthday of the Technics SL-1200 Series and thus of probably one of the most legendary turntables. The fact that this is a very special occasion and that the Technics SL-1200M7L Direct Drive Turntable System is a very special turntable is demonstrated by the fact that Technics has really gone all out when it comes to design variations. A total of seven variations – Technics calls them 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition Colors – are available here. And so that there is no doubt that this is a limited edition, all models of the 50 Years Anniversary Edition have a golden tone arm and a special plaque with an engraved serial number.

Technics SL-1200 Series – On the market since 1972

It was in 1972 that Technics launched the first model of the Technics SL-1200 Series, opting for a special concept, a so-called direct drive turntable, which in this country is simply referred to as a turntable with direct drive.

Over the years, or rather decades, this concept was refined more and more, won over more and more enthusiasts and ultimately created nothing less than a true icon in the field of record players, which even in the years when the Technics brand was no longer present on the market and therefore no new turntables of this product series were manufactured, were virtually craving for them.

The interest was so great that the parent company of Technics, the Panasonic Corporation, finally decided to revive not only the Technics brand, but of course also the Technics SL-1200 Series.

Since the re-entry into the record player market, the development around the Technics SL-1200 Series has been an unprecedented success story. Little by little, Technics presented new turntables, now again covering a broad spectrum with a well-positioned range, whereby all current solutions have one thing in common, namely state-of-the-art features that allow turntables at the highest level of performance.

All this is of course to be found in the new Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition.

Technics SL-1200M7L Direct Drive Turntable System

As already described, the most outstanding feature is probably the drive. The Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition is also a so-called Direct Drive Turntable, which has a particularly powerful and at the same time highly precise drive.

Technics refers to a so-called coreless direct drive motor, which is supposed to ensure the highest precision in the drive and thus a constant speed.

It is a slowly rotating motor that drives the turntable directly and has a high rotational accuracy and a very strong torque in order to reach and maintain the exact speed immediately after switching on. Since this is a solution that does not use an iron core in the stator, the so-called cogging, i.e. irregularities in the rotational speed, should be prevented to begin with. Particularly powerful magnets in the rotor and a gap between the stator and rotor optimised for maximum synchronisation also contribute to this.

Essentially a drive for DJs

One thing is clear: even though the Technics SL-1200 Series is held in the highest esteem by hi-fi enthusiasts these days, at its core it is a turntable that meets the special requirements of DJs. Thus, the Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition also has various features that can be located in this area, such as a so-called Torque Brake Speed Adjustment, a Pitch Control Function, as well as a Reverse Play Function.

S-shaped tone arm in gold

Of course, the Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition also features the popular S-shaped tonearm that has been an integral part of the entire Technics SL-1200 Series for years. A robust construction with a tonearm tube made of lightweight, high-strength aluminium as well as a base with particularly precise bearings should guarantee exact, reliable operation under all circumstances, even if the turntable is actually used as a DJ, for example for scratching. The aluminium of the Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition tonearm is anodised in gold.

Stylus Illuminator

Another striking feature of the product range is, of course, the so-called Stylus Illuminator, which is equipped with a particularly bright, white and long-lasting LED. According to the manufacturer, improvements have been made here to guarantee even better illumination, even in very dark surroundings.

Solid housing in sandwich construction

The cabinet of the Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition relies first on an aluminium die-cast chassis, but also on a two-layer sandwich construction in combination with glass-fibre reinforced ABS. Stiffness and vibration damping, two essential characteristics of a record player, are said to have been optimised by this special construction.

The turntable rests on specially designed feet for optimal decoupling, combining the function of a spring and rubber to guarantee optimal frequency response.

The new Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition measures 453 x 169 x 353 mm and thus weighs 9.6 kg.

Technics does it colourful…

As already mentioned, the Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition is available in a wide variety of designs. The customer can choose from seven different colours, ranging from black and white to blue, red, green, beige and yello.

Another important feature is that the rubber mat for the turntable, which is included in the delivery, not only has a discreet golden edge, but also the lettering appears in gold.

Prices and availability

The Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition should be available in specialist shops in the near future. The manufacturer states the recommended retail price at € 999,-. The scope of delivery of the SL-1200M7L includes, besides the already mentioned slipmate with golden Technics logo and a dust cover, a limited edition Technics sticker and a vinyl sticker in the colour of the turntable.

Getting to the point

Panasonic Corporation has achieved a real feat with its Technics turntables. Hardly any other turntable has been so successful on the market for so long, so it comes as no surprise that the Technics SL-1200 series turntables enjoy cult status, not only among DJs, for whom they were actually designed, but also in the hi-fi segment. It goes without saying that the upcoming 50th anniversary will be celebrated with the presentation of the new Technics SL-1200M7L 50 Years Anniversary Limited Edition, which will make the hearts of many vinyl enthusiasts beat faster. 12.000 units of this turntable will be available worldwide, according to the manufacturer’s announcement.

PRODUCTTECHNICS SL-1200M7L 50 YEARS ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION
Price€ 999,-
BrandTECHNICS
ManufacturerPanasonic Corporation
DistributionPanasonic Deutschland – Eine Division der Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH
More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG
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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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