Technics is adding an affordable turntable to its legendary SL range of decks, and it's called the SL-100C.
The new model inherits many features of the popular (not to mention five-star) Technics SL-1500C. It has the same iron-coreless direct-drive motor designed to avoid issues such as cogging and speed control, plus a version of the company’s long-running S-shaped aluminium tonearm. And the best news? The SL-100C is cheaper than its What Hi-Fi? award-winning sibling by £100.
To hit Technics' entry-level price point of £799 (€899), the SL-100C loses the phono stage of the SL-1500C. It's also fitted with a different cartridge, in this case, Audio-Technica's VM95C, complete with a conical stylus plus aluminium cantilever and coil.
The SL-100C features both a high-rigidity cabinet and a high-damping insulator to help minimise vibrations. Technic’s in-house developments in platter design are carried over with a two-layer structure combining deadened rubber and aluminium.
Speaking about the launch, Technics product manager Frank Balzuweit said: “The huge success of the SL-1500C, offering a fully-featured package for the dedicated hi-fi enthusiast, with all the core Technics turntable technologies, has shown we have hit the mark within a popular and competitive turntable class.
The demand for this high-quality ‘Plug'n'Play turntable – having exceeded our own expectations – is still undiminished even to this day. However, there is still a strong appetite from the market to deliver a similarly attractive package at an even more affordable price.”
The SL-100C will be available in Europe from June 2021, priced at £799 (€899, around AU$1500) from Amazon.
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