互聯網Hi-Fi潮流使日本名牌音響Ｔｅｃｈｎｉｃｓ復活

A few weeks ago the Asahi News on-line reported the following:

Ｔｅｃｈｎｉｃｓ復活　ハイレゾの波に乗る日本勢

ベルリン＝近藤郷平

2014年9月3日22時47分

　パナソニックが３日、高級音響機器ブランド「Ｔｅｃｈｎｉｃｓ（テクニクス）」の復活を発表した。小型端末にダウンロードした曲を聴く人が増え、部屋で楽しむ大型機器が中心の事業をいったん打ち切っていた。それを救ったのは「ハイレゾ」と呼ばれる超高音質のダウンロードビジネスだった。

　独ベルリンで５日に始まる家電見本市「ＩＦＡ」の会場で、１２月からの欧州展開を発表した。日本にも今年度中に投入する。車載音響機器市場の参入も視野に入れている。

　「テクニクス」ブランドは、前身の松下電器産業が１９６５年、高級スピーカーに使ったのが始まり。プレーヤーやアンプなどは７０年代から輸出も手がけ、欧州では一時、高級音響機器市場で上位のシェアを誇っていた。

　だが、近年は音楽ダウンロードの波に押され続けていた。それでも０８年発売のＤＪ用ターンテーブル「ＳＬ―１２００ＭＫ６」は、操作性や品質の高さから世界で累計３５０万台以上を売った。これも１０年に生産終了し、テクニクスはいったん消えた。

　復活のきっかけは、ＣＤの３倍超の情報量がある新規格「ハイレゾリューション（ハイレゾ）音源」の登場だ。大容量のネット環境が整い、ダウンロード形式で普及が始まっている。音質にこだわる消費者が、対応機器を買う動きも広がる。パナソニックの楠見雄規役員は「『テクニクス』を再び提案できるタイミングが来た」と話す。

(試譯文)

On the 3rd (September) the Panasonic announced the revival of its high-class audio equipment brand: the "Technics". As the number of those who listened to music downloaded into the small terminal increased, the main enterprise that produced the large-sized apparatus enjoyed in the room was closed momentarily. Yet the downloading business of super-high-quality sound the so called "High Resolution" now saved it.

In Berlin of German at the venue of the household appliance trade fair "IFA" which started on the 5^th , the deployment of Technics in Europe from December was announced. Also Technics would be supplied to Japan during the current fiscal year. Entry into the vehicle- audio equipment market was also under review.

About the "Technics" brand, it was first started with the former Matsushita Electric Industrial which used it for high-class speakers in 1965. It also dealt with the exportation of players and amplifiers etc. starting from the 1970s. It was proud of its high rank position at certain time within the high-class audio equipment market in Europe.

The push caused by the music downloading trend was continuing in recent years. The sale of turntable for DJ use the "SL-1200MK6" in 2008 reached a total of over 3,500,000 sets in the world because of its high operability and quality. Then by the end of 2010 the production stopped, and Technics momentarily disappeared.

The chance of resurrection was due to the appearance of a new form of "high-resolution sound source" which was 3 times more than CD in the amount of information. Massive net-environment was ready and the spreading in download format had started. A movement for the consumers to adhere to sound quality by buying corresponding equipment also grew. Katsunori Kusumi the employee of the Panasonic said "the timing has come that one can bring up the ‘Technics’ again".

I have heard of the brand name “Technics” since the 1970s. Its resurrection is good news for those who love enjoying high quality music at home.