SL-G700 Grand Class Network From Technics

The SL-G700 covers a variety of media from CD/SACD to high-res and many streaming services

Technics is not just about turntables. It has also announced a high-end CD player with all of the trimmings. Here’s what it says. Brace yourself for lots of keywords and acronyms.

The CD drive mechanism features a triple chassis structure to, “…ensure accurate reading and to prevent the vibration from transmitting to the outside of the mechanism,” said the company. You’ll find an aluminium die-cast disc tray with a “high-vibration-damping, quiet structure”.

The SL-G700 is equipped with a dedicated power supply unit for analogue audio output. Its non-feedback switching power supply, “…suppresses switching frequency fluctuation.” Combined with the original stabilised power supply circuit, this dedicated power supply unit provides, “…stable power with low noise,” said the company. 

The discrete circuit structure does not use any general-purpose ICs but a discrete layout.

The unit uses a Asahi Kasei Microdevices’ top-of-the-line DAC AK4497. The power supply for the DAC is separated into five sections and the power supply for the clock employs an original Battery Driven Circuit System. The Dual Mono Construction and symmetrical layout lowers noise. 

The SL-G700’s filter circuit incorporates an amp module of original discrete construction, “The use of low-noise transistors and thin-film resistors suppresses the noise generated inside the circuits,” said the company. 

The audio system clock is supplied from an “Ultra-Low Jitter Clock Generator”. A low-noise power supply and a “high-quality” clock circuit are included. 

For the USB input terminals, the amplifier includes power conditioners using non-magnetic carbon film resistors with protection against magnetic distortion. Capacitors are ruby mica types.

You’ll also find low ESR film capacitors to the LAN terminal power supply and isolation by a pulse transformer in the digital output signal.

The Optimally Activated Circuit System allows the operation of various digital modules to be stopped – such as those used for display, analogue and digital interfaces – to minimise noise.

The SL-G700 is equipped with a dedicated circuit for headphones which is independent from that for analogue output. This circuitry incorporates Technics’ original sound processing LSI, the JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimization). Complete separation of the analogue output from the headphone output has, “…eliminated the mutual interference between the two circuits that serve different purposes,” said the company. 

What’s more, the Class AA system headphone amp uses separate amp circuits for the audio signal voltage amplification and current amplification. 

Equipped with an MQA decoder. When the MQA decoder is turned on, MQA files and MQA-CD are fully decoded for playback. There’s a dedicated SACD/CD playback mode too. In this mode, all power supplies except those to the circuit blocks necessary for SACD/CD playback are shut off.

DSD Native Playback is supported without converting it to a PCM. Low resolution digital signals can also be upscaled. 

The SL-G700 supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPlay. It is also compatible with streaming services such as Spotify, TIDAL, and Internet Radio and functions such as Google Chromecast and Google Assistant. Price is not fixed but is believed to be between €2,500-€3,000.

To learn more, click www.technics.com/uk

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