For Inspiring Music Experiences
The 60-year History of Technics’ Love of Music

Technics 60 Anniversary

The Technics brand name originates from the word technology. Founded in 1965, Technics was born from the passion of engineers dedicated to advancing music culture through exceptional technology.

Over its 60-year history, Technics has significantly grown, pioneering numerous world-leading innovative technologies and products. Here, we trace the company’s rich history.

1965
The Genesis of Our Brand
Fostering Music Culture with Cutting-Edge Technology

In 1965, Technics launched the bookshelf-type speaker system, Technics 1.This marked the origin and starting point of the Technics brand. Technics 1 was designed based on the optimization of cabinet volume and speaker diameter for superior bass reproduction. At its launch, it received acclaim from numerous critics for its rich sound despite its size, and it became a huge hit. With the philosophy of “unless we improve acoustic characteristics, we can’t reproduce great sound,” we began releasing a series of products backed by extensive research and technology, rather than relying solely on the auditory senses of engineers.

1970
The World’s First Direct Drive Turntable
The Dawn of a New Era in Turntable Technology

The development of direct-drive turntables began with a desire from fans for a belt-drive player that would remain consistent even in freezing temperatures. While improving the belt material, we challenged ourselves to create an entirely new drive system that would solve the issue altogether. This led to the development of a direct-drive system, where the turntable spins directly on the shaft of a low-speed motor. The result was the SP-10, the world’s first direct-drive turntable with unparalleled rotational performance. The SP-10 series earned the trust of broadcasters worldwide, including the BBC. The popularity of Technics’ direct-drive turntables soared, spreading globally. The robustness of the direct-drive turntable also became the catalyst for the creation of DJ play.

– See also: History of the SL-1200, an Icon of Music Culture

1975
Development of Linear Phase Speakers
Pivotal Time in the Evolution of Speaker Systems

The Technics 7 (SB-7000), the world’s first linear phase speaker, solved problematic phase characteristics and directional anomalies found in other multi-way speaker systems. Before that time, it was believed that human ears could not detect phase misalignment, misaligned sound waves, coming from speakers. The Technics 7 proved this common belief wrong, and it sold over 100,000 units. Technics’ unique linear phase idea led to the “point-sound-source” concept and a flat coaxial speaker design. The SB-RX50 was born in 1986. In the SB-RX50’s flat coaxial two-way drive unit, the sound source of the woofer and tweeter in each speaker is aligned to a single point — side-to-side, top-to-bottom, and front-to-back — delivering excellent sound imaging and soundstage focus. This point-sound-source concept continues to this day in Technics speakers.

1976
Isolated Loop Open Reel Tape Deck
Iconic Open Reel Tape Deck:
A Symbol of 100 Years of Audio Innovation
1976 tape deck

In the 1970s, the open reel tape deck market was undergoing significant changes. Technics adopted an innovative approach by developing and commercializing a unique single-capstan closed-loop system that fully utilized direct-drive motors.

This system allowed us to lower product costs while delivering high performance, including tape running stabilization and noise reduction. The outcome was the RS-1500U, which was well-received in the market and became a major success.

In 1977, marking the 100th anniversary of Edison’s invention of the phonograph, a German audio magazine featured the gramophone and the RS-1500U in a special issue titled “Audio Equipment for the Next 200 Years.” The RS-1500U was selected as a symbol of progress among all audio equipment worldwide.

1977
SE-A1 Power Amplifier / SU-A2 Control Amplifier
Pursuit for the World’s Best Amplifier System

To demonstrate its technological prowess, Technics tackled the challenge of developing the highest quality amplifiers to faithfully reproduce musical waveforms. This has been a long-standing theme in Hi-Fi audio. The results were groundbreaking innovations, the SE-A1, a top-of-the-line “Class-A+ power amplifier,” and the SU-A2 preamplifier with Class-A operation in all stages. These special amplifiers were built to order, with only one unit made per day. The concept of “Class-A+ operation” aimed to achieve the efficient output of Class-B amplifiers while maintaining the low distortion and high sound quality of Class-A amplifiers. This technology has been carried forward into the headphone amplifiers in current Technics products.

1979
SL-10 Turntable System
Jacket-Size Turntable Inducted into MoMA’s Permanent Collection
The SL-10 jacket-sized turntable system was designed with an emphasis on functional beauty. It introduced several innovative technologies, including a newly developed linear tracking tonearm and the original T4P cartridge, to achieve its compact size. The Technics SL-10 quickly gained recognition as a masterpiece. It won numerous awards, including the Good Design Award in Japan. It was also honored by being included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.
1982
Technics’ First CD Player, The SL-P10
Driving the Digital Age from Its Genesis
1982 saw the introduction of compact discs, prompting audio manufacturers to quickly release their first CD players. In our quest to deliver the ultimate digital sound experience, Technics set out to develop a CD player utilizing all available technological advancements. Our debut CD player, the SL-P10, featuring nearly all newly developed specialized circuits, emerged from this endeavor. Aiming for exceptional sound quality and user-friendliness, the SL-P10 set a new standard for future consumer optical disc players, including DVD and Blu-ray disc players.
1988
Audio Flat Panel AFP1000
Vienna State Opera and Technics
1988 Vienna State Opera and Technics
The Audio Flat Panel (AFP) speaker was designed to capture the shimmering air and immersive experience of live music in a concert hall. After evaluating 80 different test models and conducting thorough computer simulations, we successfully developed the AFP1000. The first unit of the AFP1000 was delivered to the Vienna State Opera, one of the world’s leading opera houses, where it has been used for rehearsals by opera singers.
1988
Speaker System SST-1
Artwork that Produces Sound
1988 speakers

The SST-1 twin-load horn speaker system utilized a unique acoustic design. Known for delivering authentic hi-fi sound from a form resembling a wind instrument, it achieved both functional and aesthetic excellence. In March 1990, the revolutionary design of the SST-1 was recognized by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and became part of its permanent collection.

2000
The World’s First DVD Audio Player
The Original High-resolution Audio
2000 dvd player
DVD audio emerged as a new global audio standard 16 years after the CD’s introduction, providing more information than CDs and serving as the origin of today’s high-resolution audio. The world’s first DVD audio player, the DVD-A10 was designed with a focus on high-sound quality in every aspect, including signal processing, materials, and vibration countermeasures. Since then, Technics has been committed to high-quality high-resolution playback technology.
2014
Rebirth of Technics
Rediscover Music
With the rise of compressed audio formats like MP3 and the decline of analog audio sources, the Technics brand was put on hiatus. However, the evolution of digital media and the introduction of Hi-Res audio formats prompted a revitalized approach to delivering a modern musical experience. Since then, brand new Technics has been dedicated to exploring new technologies in both the analog and digital realms.
1971
Prelude to the Birth of the DJ Culture
SL-1100​

The SL-1100 introduced in 1971 was the second direct drive turntable model. In addition to the direct drive system, this model featured a die-cast body with integrated tonearm and platter to achieve the compact size. The integrated structure adopted in the SL-1100 had a major impact on the later disco/club scene.

Those years saw the birth of hip-hop music. DJ Kool Herc is known as the founding father of hip-hop music. He threw a birthday party for his sister in the early 1970s, and used two turntables to play music. His performance is said to be the origin of hip-hop music. In those years, many people held “block parties” in which DJs brought their own equipment to play music. Therefore, the ease of equipment use and its portability were key factors. The SL-1100 integrated construction turntable was the turntable that the founder of the hip-hop culture, DJ Kool Herc, continued to use at block

1970
The World’s First Turntable with a Direct Drive System​
SP-10

Introduced in 1970, the SP-10 was the world’s first direct drive turntable, which SL-1200 models developed thereafter were based on. In the belt drive system and idler system, noise is generated due to rotation irregularities or belt vibrations that result from aging. The direct drive system, in which a low-speed motor was directly connected to the platter, eliminated this problem because it used no belt or idler. The direct drive system thus established itself as an alternative drive system to the belt drive and idler drive leading to the development of the SL-1200. The stable rotation and quickness to reach the rated speed offered by the direct drive system undeniably had a major influence on the performance techniques of club DJs who began to appear in the late 1970s.

From 1960 to 1970, funk music became popular and it formed the base of all dance beats that followed. James Brown and many other music artists assembled new “Black Music” groove, who led to further development of hip-hop music.

Surpassing Conventional Analog Technology

As analog sound sources gained renewed appreciation, Technics developed a coreless direct-drive motor that dramatically improves sound quality by eliminating cogging, a common issue with conventional direct-drive motors. This innovation was perfected into a Direct Drive Turntable System, making it highly suitable for today’s music scene.

Surpassing Conventional Analog Technology

Integration of Digital and Analog Sound Technologies

Technics has also been utilizing advanced digital control technology to improve sound quality produced by audio devices. ΔΣ-Drive (Delta Sigma) was developed in 2023. This drive can suppress slight rotational irregularities and minute vibrations by reducing distortion of the signal driving the direct-drive motor, enabling even higher sound quality in record playback. Model Based Diaphragm Control (MBDC) in the Wireless Speaker System SC-CX700 is a signal processing technology that generates distortion correction signals by simulating diaphragm movement.
Integration of Digital and Analog Sound Technologies

The Great Stories Continue…

Since its inception, we have aimed to “faithfully represent sound expression of the creators and performers and deliver the best possible musical experience to listeners.”

We remain perpetually inquisitive and curious, questioning common sense and pushing ourselves to go beyond the limits. Our goal is to contribute to the development of music culture worldwide. We will continue to move forward alongside those who love music.