Legendary turntable brand Technics has announced it’s adding a new entry-level deck to its product lineup, the SL-100C.
Technics says the turntable will act as a more affordable successor to the excellent SL-1500C, maintaining its older sibling’s winning combination of value, sound quality and compatibility.
To keep costs down, the company has dropped the phono stage of its predecessor and fitted the SL-100C with a different cartridge, Audio-Technica's VM95C, while retaining the same iron-coreless direct-drive motor and S-shaped aluminum tonearm.
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- Check out our review of the SL-1500C
- Read our review of the mightily-impressive Pro-ject Carbon Debut Evo
The SL-100C will also come equipped with the same two-layer platter design, along with a high-rigidity cabinet and high-damping insulator which Technics claims will minimize vibrations and ensure a smooth vinyl-tracking process.
What’s more, the aforementioned aluminum tonearm (which looks just as great before, by the way) will come with an auto-lift function to lessen the risk of needle wear-out – though this is a feature we expect to see on most of the best turntables you can buy today.
The SL-100C will be available in Europe from June 2021, and retail for £799 (around $1,100 / AU$1,450) at launch, with global availability still to be confirmed. That's not cheap by any means, but is still about $100 / £100 less than its predecessor.
Entry-level value
When it comes to mixing with the best decks out there, the SL-100C isn’t likely to make a scratch on the competition, not least the best turntable of 2021, the Pro-Ject Carbon Debut Evo.
That said, it’s intended as a more budget-friendly alternative from a brand which boasts some of the most established heritage in the turntable industry.
If the SL-100C is anything like its predecessor, sound-staging will be impressive, and individual instruments will be given the space to make their presence felt. It looks pretty damn good, too – like something you’d be happy enough to sit and stare at, let alone listen to.
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