Technics knows that accuracy is the name of the game for audiophiles.
The legendary Japanese hi-fi company has just unveiled a new turntable called the SL-1300G that will have you hearing new details in even your favourite records. The new player features improved direct drive technology that helps reduce unwanted vibrations when you’re listening to tunes.
The SL-1300G is part of the Technics’s audiophile-geared Grand Class line of turntables. At the heart of the record player is the brand’s ΔΣ-Drive (Delta Sigma Drive), which made its debut in last year’s SL-1200GR. The technology reduces the “minute” mechanical vibrations caused by the rotation of the turntable’s powerful iron-coreless double rotor/single stator motor, allowing for smoother and more accurate rotation. Thanks to this, the cartridge is better able to read the grooves of all the vinyl in your collection.
The Delta Sigma Drive may be the SL-1300G’s headline feature, but the brand has taken other steps to reduce unwanted vibrations. The player also features an “anti-vibration structure” that includes a massive three-layer aluminium platter and two-layer chassis. Add in a rigid body, damping silicon insulators, as well as a tonearm with high-initial motion sensitivity, and playback should be smooth and precise. No record player will ever be able to recreate the sensation of hearing your favourite musical artist in the recording studio, but all the effort put into this turntable shows that Technics remains dedicated to getting as close as it can.
Yes, the SL-1300G is unusually accurate, but it’s also one of the better-looking turntables we’ve seen this year. Technics’s latest features a clean, minimalist design meant to highlight the player’s focus on audio purity. It also comes in two colours, black or silver, both of which work look excellent against the platter’s brass weight. A translucent dust cover is also included.
The SL-1300G will launch this December, just in time for the holidays if you have an audiophile on your gift list. Technics’s has announced a $3,299.99 (RM14,352.40) price tag for the turntable. That makes the SL-1300G significantly more accessible than anything in the brand’s Reference Series line, none of which comes with Delta Sigma Drive technology—at least not yet.
