After a long absence, Technics has returned to Australian shores with its industry-standard of turntables, headphones and now a premium class of wireless speakers named OTTAVA.
The Technics Premium Class OTTAVA Series lineup will be available from November in Australia starting at $1149 RRP for the Compact SC-C30, $1429 RRP for the premium SC-C50 and finally $1649 RRP for the headlining SC-C70.
ChannelNews was invited to the re-launch of the Technics brand by Panasonic in Australia at the Pullman Grand Quay, where company executives demonstrated the audio capabilities of their new turntables, including the debut of its wireless networked speakers.
Described as beautiful to look at and a joy to listen to, the OTTAVA speaker lineup is poised to ‘deliver a powerful yet refined, room-filling sound’ in either a black or white finish.
Starting with the SC-C70 Premium Compact Stereo System, the all in one music system boosts a top-loading CD compartment with an aluminium touch keypad for operation.
Delivering powerful sound through the three JENO Engines (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimisation) and five 2-way, 2.1-channel speakers inside the unit, the SC-C70 uses the acoustic louver and acoustic lenses in front of the tweeter achieve spatial sound and a wider listening area.
The SC-C50 and SC-C30 offer stereo and multi-room connectivity, with nine configurable user presets for favourite sources for playback like a Spotify playlist or a particular internet radio station.
Inside the arc-shaped body of the SC-C50 are four JENO Engines, three midranges, three tweeters and one subwoofer, with left/right-angled speakers and a centre speaker.
The smaller SC-C30 boasts two 6.5cm woofers, two 1.6cm tweeters and one 12cm subwoofer.
For audio calibration, all three models offer Panasonic’s Space Tune for quick audio setup for optimal performance no matter where the device is placed in the room.
Using the Technics Audio Center companion app with the SC-C50 and SC-C30, users can also add further precise adjustment, with iOS and Android calibration utilising the device’s integrated microphone.
Each of the OTTAVA speakers can play audio from a range of sources including USB, Internet radio, Spotify, and TIDAL and high-res audio, with connectivity via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay and DLNA.
The SC-C50 and SC-C30 even include a built-in Chromecast for voice activation and smart home automation through the Google Home app.
Just like two Google Home Mini speakers (now Google Nest Mini), two SC-C30’s or two SC-50’s are pairable for ambient stereo playback.
Or if you have a mix of the three speakers, with two C50s/C30s playing in stereo as directed by the C70, that is if you can afford it.
The push into networked speakers by Technics on its relaunch into Australia highlights the market boom that is occurring in smart home and connected home devices at both the affordable and premium end of the market.
