New Technics SU-G700 Mk II on the horizon

It’s a matter of taste, like all things audio. You won’t know until you try it. I love the sound regardless of whether I use the digital or analog inputs. The only way I don’t like it is with Coax, but that’s me. If I were stuck with just one choice, I’d use the Toslink digital input and call it a day. With all the talk about which DAC is better, I’m always tempted to say to heck with DACs and just get the Technics.

I’ve posted this before but it’s worth doing so again,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0iM7mwEC98

For some reason, any YT video I try won’t fully embed but the link works if you click on it.

All the best,
Nonoise

Thanks for the impressions. I haven't tried digital out after the first few days and the SU-G700 has fleshed out some since. I'll give it a try later one to see how digital out now fares.

All the best,
Nonoise

I read that same Stereonet review and missed that it didn't mention the use of GaN FETs. I guess from all my reading up on reviews I took it for granted and just didn't notice that. Maybe it wasn't that big a deal to the reviewer who should have know better.

I agree with your choice of going for the SL-G700 SACD player as one dedicated to  a particular format is better than a jack of all trades since there's no short cutting and therefore compromising.

Even though I was told by MusicDirect that it wouldn't be that big an improvement over my Marantz SA-15S2b, after listening to the SU_G700M2, I think their SACD player will extract that much more out of a recording (both CD and SACD) than the 9 year old Marantz can.

All the best,
Nonoise

Oh, one more thing. SACDs playing through the Technics have a definite edge over most CDs. There's that something, that je ne sais quoi that CDs don't normally have unless they're mastered by an artist and not some guy just doing his job. 

The Technics processes the signal as intended and it shows. 

All the best,
Nonoise

I’m using a pair of JBL 4319 monitors. For the first few days I thought that the JBLs didn’t have enough body as the sound was so clean but a tad bit lean. After things fleshed out over the past week, my CD case’s glass doors now vibrate in sympathy with not only the base, but the lower mids as well. Now I have to close them completely until they latch shut. I’m even feeling those vibes in my body over a much wider range or music.

They’re rated at 38Hz-40Hz (-6db) but when the mids and base are realistically reproduced, as the Technics does, believe me when I say they’re not base light. Not in the least.

And, yes, the Kinki is one great integrated and can run over the Technics, so to speak, but it doesn’t have the finesse and naturalness. Picture calm and strong compared to excited and strong. Both can do the trick but I’d never tire of the Technics.

All the best,
Nonoise

Ah, @mr_bill , you caught me after listening to Anais Reno and Lady Blackbird. I sit about 7.5' from the plane of my speakers and both sound like they were about 10' away with a level of clarity I've not previously experienced. With my Marantz they just okay, with the Technics, absolutely wonderful. 

The separation I mentioned last week is much, much better as well as the layering. There are now distinct rows and what is placed towards the back stays locked in place, just like the engineer wanted, with lateral presence in that layer. Kind of what you'd hear in real life.

It fleshed out even more (just today) with a lower midrange and base to die for. I'm talking real presence without absolutely any bloat or smear. Both my Marantz and my Kinki don't do what the Technics does. The Kinki betters the Marantz with a bold, detailed and in your face presentation but lacks the Technics effortlessness, grace, texture, tone, and naturalness. This is real iron fist in velvet glove performance. I really can't stress enough the naturalness of the Technics. 

For awhile I thought that there was something missing as it was so engaging but light in tone. I was just too greedy and wanted it all from the start. For anyone who says break in is a myth, just smile and leave them alone to their misery, unaware of what is within their reach.

All this prompted me to rearrange my speakers a bit and now I have some of the best imaging I've heard. Ever. What made me aware of it was while playing Bach's Solo Cello Suite No.1 in G Major-Prelude from Dialoghi, by Elinor Frey, I noticed that Elinor is not facing directly at the listener but just right of center, facing a bit to the left. When she played, the body of the cello came out so robustly that it traveled some to the left speaker and that was when I noticed a bit of a blank area dead center.

I've never experienced that with my previous two integrateds. The lengths Technics has gone to to lower the noise floor and deliver the cleanest signal is evident in everything I'm playing now. Please don't anyone confuse clean with stark, shrill, dry or etched. I've never winced once with the Technics and I have with the previous ones mentioned. It happened with strong female singers as they belt out the tunes and some horns and woodwinds. With the Technics, they just get louder like they would in real life, which leads me to what the Technics does so well: it scales dynamically like a champ. 

I can't tell you how many times I'd adjusted the volume to a nice, acceptable level (for apartment living) only to quickly reach for the remote to bring the volume down a bit when a singer puts in some real lung power. 

I've yet to delve into rock as I don't really listen to it anymore but some Black Keys sounded especially grungy and cleaner than I've heard. That's about it for now, except that I'm sorely tempted to say "to heck with it" and just get the matching SL-G700 SACD player and call it a day until I pass on from this mortal coil.

All the best,
Nonoise

Hello @mr_bill ,

I don't know where to begin but first thing is, this is not going back. First day, cold out of the box, it was a tad sinewy but showed lots of promise. It exhibited the fastest break in I've experienced. On the 2nd day it fleshed out some and on the 3rd day, not one hour ago, it blossomed quite a bit without losing any clarity or detail. 

Like Andrew Robinson said of it's predecessor, it doesn't sound like anything, really. Just music coming forth and very pleasantly natural in presentation. No sugarcoating, highlighting or imbalance that I can hear, but it just now threw me for a loop with that blossoming that I mentioned. More meat on the bones, so to speak. Still early so who knows if I start looking for my jaw tomorrow. 😄

Those GaNfets are incredibly fast: they hear everything. Nothing escapes them. I thought I was hearing so much more on those 1st two days but just today with that added body came even more musical information. Separation is top notch and though not deep in soundstage, there is lots of layering going on. I have the easiest time conjuring mental images. They just come right to the fore (most welcome).

I'm fiddling with Coax and Toslink cables for digital out on my SACD player and still find the RCA outs to sound best. There seems to be no way of messing up the sound, just a change of character. I even took out my TV soundbar and now enjoy TV through my stereo rig.

Build quality is top drawer (having Panasonic as parent company does wonders). I've seen this level of fit 'n finish on much more expensive stuff. I thought I'd be looking for a CDT but what I have sounds fabulous as is (still I'd like everything to match 👍). Hope that satisfies until I come back up for air sometime later.

All the best,
Nonoise

Well lets hope it doesn't any time soon. 👍

Yes, it would be great for some to have the XLRs but I use short (1 meter) ICs so there's that. However, it would be nice to see just one more set of RCA inputs and maybe a HDMI input but I'm not going to obsess over that. It's the sound that I'm interested in. 

All the best,
Nonoise

Well, I woke up this morning and while checking my emails and reading up on how the world is going to pot, a new email came in with a shipping notice that something is coming my way from Music Direct. 

It could only be one thing so I called them to verify and hopefully, by Monday, I'll be the proud owner of the new Technics SU-G700M2. 👍😄👍

Not bad considering the wait. 

All the best,
Nonoise

@ja_kub_sz Thanks for the detailed breakdown. And congrats on the discount you got with the SU-R1000. That’s quite the savings. Of all the reviews on the SU-R1000, the last two from Stereophile and Twittering Machines really got my attention and whetted my appetite even more.

All the best,
Nonoise

I'm bummed to hear it won't be until February until the M2 comes out. I was under the impression it would be December or just a bit later but I've waited this long so whats another couple of months?

I wish I had answers to your questions but I'm more in the dark than you. I've yet to get any response from Technics and they guys at Music Direct have no idea. I was told as long as I'm on the waiting list (which I've been since they first announced it on the date of this thread) I'll get one. 

As for the number of units that are going to be made, your guess is as good as mine. If the info above is correct, then there will only be 200 units per year, which will make them rather scarce. As for the sound, if it's anything like the SU-R1000, it should be quite a bit more than 2% better than the standard SU-G700. 

All the best,
Nonoise

I checked with Music Direct when I got their new catalog showing the M2 with the updates but they're not in stock yet. I made sure I'm still on the waiting list and now it's just a matter of time, which is killing me. 😄

In the meantime, here's two recent reviews of the SU-R1000 to hold you over:

https://twitteringmachines.com/review-technics-stereo-integrated-amplifier-su-r1000/

&

https://www.stereophile.com/content/technics-su-r1000-integrated-amplifier

All the best,
Nonoise