Technics debuts the latest must-have version of the epic SL-1500 record player 

Technics has been keen to push out more versions of its iconic record players in recent years and the SL-1500CS is set to be one of the most desirable yet.

While last year’s SL-1200/1210G Master Edition Turntables were super-expensive limited editions, the SL-1500CS brings the expense down, sitting at $1499/£1099 and offering the classic Technics experience.

It has a smart metallic finish and brings  Technics ΔΣ-Drive technology to a cheaper model (the tech was first introduced in 2023 with the SL-1200GR2/1210GR2) and improves upon 2024’s SL-1500C significantly.

Frank Balzuweit, product manager at Technics Europe said that “the ΔΣ-Drive technology is all about eliminating motor vibrations down to the very limits of [what you can measure]. Therefore, especially lighter turntable platforms, using lighter platter constructions, benefit greatly from the vibration elimination of the ΔΣ-Drive.

“Through this, the new SL-1500CS achieves sonic performance levels far beyond the perceived standards of its class.”

While mechanically similar to the SL-1500C, there are some more advanced touches including an aluminium chassis that has been made more rigid using glass fibre to dampen vibrations, There’s also

As well as this new turntable from Technics, Panasonic also debuted a party speaker at its own Panasonic Experience launch event this week, the SC-BMAX30 Transportable Speaker. The £400 speaker Is designed for out-and-out bass power amd features a light show just like

Portable and ready to go, Panasonic’s flagship BMAX30 Party Speaker is designed to be the life of the party with 320W output, rich deep bass and an on board light show, available from March 2026 at an RRP of £399.99.

It’s designed to move, with a handle, wheels and 14 hours of battery life. You can also daisy chain multiple speakers together, while the unit also boasts aux mic and guitar inputs should you wish to take the entertainment a little further.

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Dan Grabham Editor-in-Chief

About

Dan is Editor-in-chief of Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website.  Our Editor-in-Chief is a regular at tech shows such as CES in Las Vegas, IFA in Berlin and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona as well as at other launches and events. He has been a CES Innovation Awards judge. Dan is completely platform agnostic and very at home using and writing about Windows, macOS, Android and iOS/iPadOS plus lots and lots of gadgets including audio and smart home gear, laptops and smartphones. He's also been interviewed and quoted in a wide variety of places including The Sun, BBC World Service, BBC News Online, BBC Radio 5Live, BBC Radio 4, Sky News Radio and BBC Local Radio.

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Computing, mobile, audio, smart home