Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

When the Panasonic Corporation wanted a bespoke high-end audio brand in 1965, it launched Technics. The brand name first surfaced on loudspeakers but by 1970 it graced a turntable motor unit invented by Shuichi Obata. The 'Technics by Panasonic' SP-10 was the first direct-drive seriously aimed at the pro market, and was rapidly adopted in broadcast studios worldwide. Supplied with the SH-10B2 plinth and Technics tonearm, it was called the SL-1000. The deck could reach speed within half a rotation of the platter and had two speeds with a variable pitch of ±2%. In 1975 the SP-10Mk2 followed, now with an outboard power supply unit (the SH-10E), fixed-pitch quartz-lock speed control and even greater motor torque for faster start-ups [see Vintage Review, HFN Nov '10]. For the package option, a new SH-10B3 Obsidian Base was offered, made from volcanic glass. In 1981 the SP-10Mk3 arrived, with a copper/aluminium alloy platter, and a restyled speed control unit with adjustable pitch of ±9%. With Compact Disc just around the corner, sales faltered, but 30 years on the tide is clearly turning back the other way.