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View Full Version : SL1200/1210 production to cease?



bhasi
27-11-2009, 17:17
Apologies if this has been noted here before, but I've just been alerted to this via Another Forum:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/45075/Technics_is_dead

bacobits
27-11-2009, 17:59
Damn, I just read that.
I thought they were still selling great.
What is the likes of KAB going to do?

D

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 17:59
Seems odd.. Didn't they just anounce the release of the mk6

Mike
27-11-2009, 18:00
Excellent news! :lol:

Well no, not really. :(

Dave Cawley
27-11-2009, 18:01
Actually the Mk6 is old...

I have a cunning plan~~~~

Dave

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 18:02
I'm sure dave (soundhifi - timestep - for the unintiated) in his infinate resoursefulness will be just fine!

Mike
27-11-2009, 18:03
Actually the Mk6 is old...

I have a cunning plan~~~~

Dave

Just think of all those dedicated owners who'll now need support and upgrades for their cherished babies! ;)

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 18:04
Actually the Mk6 is old...

I have a cunning plan~~~~

Dave

:lolsign: good timing dave! Did you recive my deck yet? I stupidly didn't put my name very clearly on it ... It was in a hard case! Fairly easily identifiabe by the broken oc9!

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 18:07
And the purple LEDs (I'm gonna chang them again for orange ones I think.. Purples a bit to Chavy :) )

Marco
27-11-2009, 18:44
Apologies if this has been noted here before, but I've just been alerted to this via Another Forum:

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/45075/Technics_is_dead

I'll believe it when I see it...

It's not the first time I've heard this type of thing before and then the companies responsible have changed their mind :)

What are all the thousands of 12" dance singles being produced for clubs going to be played on? There are shops dedicated to selling new 12" dance singles all around where I live. Vinyl is still a big thing on the dance music scene.

It's yet another example though of how convenience and laziness kills quality in many aspects of life. Nothing sounds better than music recorded on a 12" single, and DJs who abandon vinyl quite simply no longer deserve the title.

Marco.

Mike
27-11-2009, 19:04
What are all the thousands of 12" dance singles being produced for clubs going to be played on?

Stuff like this. Obviously!

http://www.westenddj.co.uk/Categories/Turntables/DJ+Turntables/ (3 pages of 'em!)

Marco
27-11-2009, 19:15
Yes, but they're all shite! :eyebrows:

S'ok, I know what you mean. Like I said, I'll believe the SL-1200/1210 is 'dead' when I see it...

Fancy a wager that this time next year they'll still be rolling off the Matsushita production line? ;)

Marco.

Mike
27-11-2009, 19:23
Yes, but they're all shite! :eyebrows:

Like I'm gonna argue with that. Pah!

Thing is (and I'm going back a bit here, ahem!) from what I remember of dance clubs et al... It's much more about quantity than quality!

I don't think I've ever seen a 'clubber' (or DJ, for that matter) who, while their 'on it' gives a flying feck about 'separation', 'detail', 'sound-staging' etc. etc.

You might say the SL12XX was somewhat wasted in it's natural habitat. :confused:

The big boys like Matsushita couldn't give a crap about it if the profit isn't there!... Sad but true, I fear. :(

Marco
27-11-2009, 19:58
Mikey,


Thing is (and I'm going back a bit here, ahem!) from what I remember of dance clubs et al... It's much more about quantity than quality!

I don't think I've ever seen a 'clubber' (or DJ, for that matter) who, while their 'on it' gives a flying feck about 'separation', 'detail', 'sound-staging' etc. etc.


Nope, you're absolutely right. It's got bugger all to with sound quality. But the name 'Technics' was/is iconic in the club scene. DJs were 'no-one' without a pair of 1200s or 1210s, so they gave a "flying feck" from that point of view, and about what was 'cool'.

All the other pish plastic things you linked to are mere toys in comparison and don't have the same 'iconic' status, so no serious image-conscious DJ (and let's face it, such things matter to those guys) would use anything else.

If they're going to abandon vinyl for computer audio, that's fine, but the guys who still want to play all the new dance music being produced on 12" singles will still want a Technics 1200 or 1210 to spin them on for reasons mentioned above.

I predict that they'll still be doing so this time next year, and on brand new, not second-hand decks! Time will tell, but mark my words... ;)

Marco.

Alex_UK
27-11-2009, 20:05
Nothing to do with more profit in these, of course.

http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/cd-players/single-desktop-cd-players/technics- (http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/cd-players/single-desktop-cd-players/technics-sl-dz1200.html)
sl-dz1200.html (http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/cd-players/single-desktop-cd-players/technics-sl-dz1200.html)

Mike
27-11-2009, 20:08
the guys who still want to play all the new dance music being produced on 12" singles will still want a Technics 1200 or 1210

That's the tail wagging the dog, I'm afraid. The singles aren't there for the Techy... it's the other way round. :(

Look at the price of some of those decks, they're just about disposable. You can't even buy a decent stylus for some of those prices!

I'm not happy to see it go, but it seems inevitable really...

Marco
27-11-2009, 20:08
Interesting product, Alex. I've never seen those before! :)

Marco.

Mike
27-11-2009, 20:10
Interesting product, Alex. I've never seen those before! :)

Marco.

You've never seen a DJ CD deck? :scratch:

Oh!

Marco
27-11-2009, 20:12
Look at the price of some of those decks, they're just about disposable. You can't even buy a decent stylus for some of those prices!


You're forgetting about the image thing, Mikey. Image is very important to DJs, and none of the serious 'respected' ones would be seen dead using that shite!


I'm not happy to see it go, but it seems inevitable really...

Like I said, I'll believe it when I see it. It's rather like the threat of FM radio being switched off... How long do you think it's going to be until that actually happens? ;)

Marco.

Marco
27-11-2009, 20:15
You've never seen a DJ CD deck? :scratch:

Oh!

Nope! Should I have?

What sort of chav circles do you think I mingle in? :lol:

Marco.

Mike
27-11-2009, 20:31
Nope! Should I have?

What sort of chav circles do you think I mingle in? :lol:

Marco.

Well... I did at least thought you might read from time to time? :lol:

They as been around fer yonks!

Marco
27-11-2009, 20:32
Yes, but I'm fussy about what I read! :lolsign:

;)

Marco.

Alex_UK
27-11-2009, 20:52
Yes, but I'm fussy about what I read!

Unless its got tits in it!


(i.e. the RSPB Journal! :lol:)

Alex_UK
27-11-2009, 20:55
Pioneer Pioneered (sorry!) the pro DJ CD player with the CDJ - I suspect Technics is still desperate to get that back... But like you Marco, I'll believe it when I see it!

Marco
27-11-2009, 20:57
Unless its got tits in it!

(i.e. the RSPB Journal!)


Exactly! You know me too well, Alex! :lol:

Marco.

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 22:11
Some night clubs use a computerised mp3 dj less system available over the Internet...

Marco
27-11-2009, 22:18
Bloody hell, that's just taking the piss!! :guns:

:baa:

Marco.

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 22:27
I bloody know... It's like that bloody Sony camera dock that rotates and takes photos using smile detection and the 3rds rule... Why make something that does something a human can do better??

Spectral Morn
27-11-2009, 22:27
CD decks are old hat now in DJ circles its all done via a lap top now (in many cases). Last time I saw the ORB it was laptops; first time TT's. The group (genre, musicians, DJs) that kept it (vinyl) going are now going PC :doh::doh::doh::doh:. Oh don't you just want to cry ?


:( D S D L

Themis
27-11-2009, 22:29
When I was young (17, then 20) I worked as a disk-jockey in Athens.

1st club : The Trip, prog/hard rock only, almost no dance, could put a 15-minute Meddley or EL&P or Tangerine, we were shut down by the Police every month for illegal substances...

2nd club : Easy Rider, straight rock only, not much dancing, Wishbone Ash, Creedence CR, plenty of bikers with Harleys, topless girls dancing, knives, lots of alcohol and pyramids...

... what are these mp3's for ? Young virgin executives ? :D

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 22:40
http://www.cdscratch.com/

"enjoy the optional warm vinyl-crackle ambience on your latest CD."

:lolsign:

The Vinyl Adventure
27-11-2009, 22:41
Or, buy an actual record player!

dmckean
27-11-2009, 22:43
Panasonic's marketing department just plain sucks. First they couldn't find a market for their excellent all digital home theater receivers (they work great for two channel digital audio playback also). Now this happens.

mike1210
28-11-2009, 01:37
I really hope this doesn't happen. I think shops etc have tried to get rid of vinyl a few times now. I remember in Cardiff mid 90's HMV tried to kill it off but it came back with a vengance. I've been buying dance tunes on vinyl since 95 and back then a lot of it was vinyl only, less so now due to downloads. This year HMV got rid of all the vinyl again.......but now a small section has re-appeared again albeit not a very big one this time around. Every week I go on Juno to buy my tunes and most of that is still vinyl to be honest, well certainly the singles anyway.

I tried a Vestax pdx-2300 back in 2004 and wasn't impressed. Even though out of the box using an Ortofon Nighclub E Cart it sounded good (I actually thought it edged the techy in standard form) I had to send it back because the pitch was wobbling big time. Even when I had it back I still wasn't convinced it was 100%. My dad also noticed it too. This made beat mixing nigh on impossible. I have 2 1210's that are 10 years old and neither have missed a beat since day one.

REM
28-11-2009, 08:25
The news of the Techies' demise appears a little premature, it seems. LOOK HERE (http://www.residentclubber.co.uk/newsinfo/2009-11/2009-11-27.htm):)

Marco
28-11-2009, 08:40
Hi Mike,

I share your sentiments.


Every week I go on Juno to buy my tunes and most of that is still vinyl to be honest, well certainly the singles anyway.


Exactly. Even in a relatively small place like Wrexham there is a pretty big store which sells DJ-related merchandise and loads of new (exclusive) dance releases on 12" vinyl. In Liverpool, too, just along from Probe (where I buy vinyl) there is a shop which is dedicated purely to selling 12" dance singles; I also know of a place just like that in Wigan and in Birmingham - they're all over the country selling thousands of records like this to punters.

Therefore DJs with high standards who want to play this music (which is not available on any other format) to people in clubs, will want to use a pair of SL-1200s or 1210s, and not some inferior plastic piece of crap. So when you factor in the hundreds of thousands of such DJs all over the world, not to mention sales from other areas, I can't see how there isn't a sufficient market in order to make it viable for Matsushita Electric to continue producing the SL-1200 and 1210.

And of course there's the reliabilty factor, too:


I tried a Vestax pdx-2300 back in 2004 and wasn't impressed. Even though out of the box using an Ortofon Nighclub E Cart it sounded good (I actually thought it edged the techy in standard form) I had to send it back because the pitch was wobbling big time. Even when I had it back I still wasn't convinced it was 100%. My dad also noticed it too. This made beat mixing nigh on impossible. I have 2 1210's that are 10 years old and neither have missed a beat since day one.


Would a carpenter or a builder use inferior tools for the job? No. Well, neither would any serious DJ! ;)

As far as I'm concerned, until I see more convincing evidence, talk of the Technics being discontinued is simply idle, or at best, ill-informed rumour. Let's see what happens and worry about things if or when what's suggested actually comes true! :)

Marco.

bhasi
28-11-2009, 08:48
I fear this may be wishful thinking - referring to Ralph's post above - as the skratchworx item quoted from seems to date from, ahem, 10 January 2007:

http://www.skratchworx.com/news3/comments.php?id=603

(Is anyone else quite enjoying delving into the netherworld of DJ kit? Quite a change from the relatively staid world most of us inhabit - kit-wise, at least - the rest of the time?!)

Personally, I'll be delighted if this does turn out to be just a rumour. (I've never heard of many of these DJ sites or, rather, I've never heard of ANY DJ sites!) If it's true, it'll leave hardly any quality DD's in production: the Brinkmann Oasis + .... ?

Marco
28-11-2009, 09:40
Hi Ralph,

From your link:


Rumours are spreading around the internet of the demise of the beloved Technics 1200 and 1210 decks!

Fuelled by a statement posted on dance forums, the company behind the production of the Technics turntables Panasonic announced that they would cease the manufacture of Technics turntables in February next year (2010), citing an increasing decline in sales as the motivation behind the line’s demise.

However, on Skratchworx.com they've dug a bit deeper, but it's not as bad as it sounds . . .

The 1200MK5 and 1210MK5 WILL be discontinued leaving the 1210MK5G as the top of the range and most definitely NOT discontinued. It never was a limited edition, just a flagship special edition model. And the 1200 and 1210 MK2 will continue as normal.


That's good enough for me! :)

Marco.

Marco
28-11-2009, 09:45
Bhasi,


I fear this may be wishful thinking - referring to Ralph's post above - as the skratchworx item quoted from seems to date from, ahem, 10 January 2007...


Well if that's true then the rumour of discontinuation (and that's all this is I think) has been around for nearly 3 years, and the SL-1200/1210 is still in production!

...Which kind of backs up what I said earlier.

I predict that 3 years from now, we'll still be in the same situation ;)

It's all 'Chinese whispers'.

Marco.

bhasi
28-11-2009, 09:54
Yes, I hope you're right, Marco.

Listening to CD Review on Radio 3 this lovely Saturday morning in Putney, I'm more concerned about the demise of FM in the UK!

Marco
28-11-2009, 10:04
I don't see that happening for some time yet, either...

Btw, what's your proper first name - or is it Bhasi? :)

Marco.

bhasi
28-11-2009, 11:09
Hi Marco

Yes, it's as per my moniker. Never properly intro-ed myself here. 50-something, omnivore musically, like valves, vinyl and T-amps and most things Italian (having lived in Como and worked in Milan for most of the 90's).

Nice site you've got here!

Bhasi

Marco
28-11-2009, 11:14
Hi Bhasi,

Cheers!

Nice one. Como is lovely - well, away from all the tourists it is ;)

So you're living in London now, then? You certainly get about! :)

Marco.

chris@panteg
28-11-2009, 16:18
Guys as soon as i read that 1st link ' i thought it was a ruse ' one of the mk's is discontinued ' someone get's hold of the story and blow's it up .

They should get a job at the SUN ' no probs :eyebrows:

leo
28-11-2009, 17:14
I finally got one , I've been wanting a fiddle with vinyl anyway, better late than never;)

Beobloke
01-12-2009, 13:21
A few thoughts from me -

(1) I'll believe it when I see it and most sincerely hope it is a mistake.

(2) I agree with Marco regarding the DJs who do not use vinyl - let's officially re-name them MP3Js!

(3) I have also played with more DJ decks than is good for me and have to raise the Vestax name once more. I would agree that their more recent PDX2000/2300/3000 units are disappointlingly plasticky and I have also heard of reliability problems, but the older PDX-A1/A2/A3 and the PDT-5000 are surprisingly capable. I also thought my standard PDX-A1Mk2 sounded better than my standard Technics SL1210 when I compared them closely using identical cartridges (I still have the PDX-A1 and am pondering what best to do with it).
Apparently the king of them all was the PDX-8000 which has an arm very similar in appearance and construction to those found on the old Yamaha YP-D8 and GT1000/2000 turntables; sadly it has Vestax's short, straight 'ASTS' type armtube for scratching use, otherwise I suspect this could have been a giant killer.