Anyone who thought the return of the Technics brand to the hi-fi market was just about the revival of its range of direct-drive turntables has had to reconsider; since the announcement was made, a little over 10 years ago, there have been all-in-one systems, very high-end amplification and speakers – and yes, lots of different turntable models, even if it can take an expert eye to determine the differences between some of them.

A hallmark of all the latest products has been a wealth of technology developed in-house, from jitter reduction to amplifier technology, and seemingly capable of being ported across between different product categories, for example using the company’s digital and amplifier expertise to control the stability of the motors powering the platters of its record players. It seems being part of a much larger corporation – in this case Panasonic – provides the R&D resources to allow extensive in-house engineering, rather than having to buy in off-the-shelf solutions from third parties.

That’s certainly the case with the £2399 SC-CX700, a complete hi-fi system housed in a pair of decidedly stylish speakers. Available in a choice of colours – Charcoal Black, Silky Grey and Terracotta Brown – and wrapped in a soft-touch microfibre material with a suede-like finish, the speakers are compact enough, at just over 31cm tall, 20cm wide and around 27cm deep, to fit in just about anywhere. However, they are substantial, at around 9kg each, this signalling the degree of technology within while also requiring the use of solid supports: flimsy shelves won’t do, and perhaps the best bet is a decent pair of speaker stands.

The headline summary of the SC‑CX700, the company’s first bookshelf-sized wireless speaker system, is that it offers a wide range of streaming options, has built-in power amplifiers for the active drive of its two-way drivers, and offers control via on-speaker touch-buttons, the conventional remote handset supplied or, most conveniently, the Technics Audio Centre app. But all that’s only the start of the story behind what’s quite possibly the most advanced system of its type – or at least in its market sector.

To begin with the driver system, this is a concentric design, with the 19mm tweeter at the centre of a 15cm mid/bass driver, driven actively with a total of 100W of amplifier power per speaker: 40W for the tweeter, 60W for the woofer. Ahead of these amplifiers is an active crossover network, but also what the company calls its Model Based Diaphragm Control (MBDC) system, designed to reduce harmonic distortion using lab measurements of the diaphragm’s movement to apply processing to compensate for the way the driver reacts under load, with the intention of maximising definition and reducing distortion.

The speakers also use the Technics JENO Engine, a digital processing amplifier employed both to resolve problems in digital processing, such as degradation caused by jitter, and minimise degradation of sound quality during the conversion of multibit signals into the one-bit PWM signals used by the main amplification in each speaker. It also controls the digital transmission between the left and right speakers, matching the sonic characteristics of the two speakers to realize high-quality stereo reproduction.

The amplification and control electronics are mounted behind a false wall in the rear of each speaker, kept away from the vibration effects of the drivers, something Technics calls Acoustic Solitude Construction, and use separate sections for each of the functions involved. Thus the twin power supplies for audio and small signal sections are kept apart, as are the digital processing and main audio boards, even to the extent of having a separate section for the analogue inputs.

All of this is what the company calls the Technics Orchestration Concept, bringing together designs for speakers, amplifiers, and signal processing drawn from previous products in the Technics catalogue.The SC-CX700 also has the company’s Space Tune system, which allows the user to adjust the sound to suit the speakers’ positions. You can set one of four presets – Free/Wall/Corner/In a Shelf – for each speaker; use the system’s built-in microphone to set Space Tune automatically; or measure the set-up using the microphone in a connected iOS device running the Audio Centre app.

Just as flexible is the range of streaming options and connectivity on offer here: the SC-CX700 offers Amazon Music, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal (including their Connect versions), Deezer and Internet radio, along with UPnP playback of the user’s own network library, AirPlay and Chromecast. It’s also Roon-ready, this having been added by a recent firmware upgrade.

The main physical connections are on what’s described as the primary speaker, which can be designated as the left or right channel: there’s a wired network port, though the system will also connect via Wi-Fi, along with an HDMI for TV sound, USB-C for connection to a computer, and an optical digital input. In addition, there’s a moving magnet phono input on RCA sockets, and a 3.5mm stereo auxiliary analogue unput.

A 3m link cable is provided to connect the speakers, each of which requires its own power connection, but better by far is to use the wireless link between the two: pairing is quick and easy, the connection is stable, and this allows much greater flexibility of positioning for the speakers.

PERFORMANCE

I spent an interesting morning with the Technics engineers from Japan explaining the technology behind the speakers and – though the room provided at Panasonic’s UK HQ was far from ideal – the initial demonstrations of the SC-CX700 were sufficient to pique my interest. And when the review system arrived, it didn’t take long for it to reveal that it’s capable of so much more than the initial quick listen suggested.

Not least is the ability of these compact speakers to deliver really satisfying bass, giving music a generous weight and scale, while the fine integration between the drivers ensures excellent soundstaging and focus with everything from solo instrumental recitals to large-scale works, and that MBDC really does seem to work well, keeping the sound clean and precise even when the speakers are working hard. And they will work hard, being capable of volume levels able to fill even large spaces with music without showing any signs of stress.

What’s more, the Space Tune system is effective, whether using one of the presets or the automatic measurement system: even pushing its capabilities by placing one speaker in free space and the other in a corner found it correcting effectively to give a balanced sound. What’s more, the dedicated app gives simple, logical access to the range of streaming options on offer, and an attractive interface.

So, is this innovative Technics set-up a convincing replacement for a more conventional network music system? The answer, for anyone wanting a compact system capable of high standards of performance and flexibility, must be a definite yes.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type Wireless speaker system

Price £2399

Drivers Two-way coaxial unit in each speaker, 19mm tweeter and 15cm mid/bass unit

Amplification (each speaker) 40W for tweeter, 60W for mid/bass

Services supported Amazon Music, Deezer, Qobuz, Spotify and Tidal Connect; Internet radio; UPnP playback, AirPlay and Chromecast; Roon-ready

Networking Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Connections MM phono, aux line in, optical digital, HDMI, USB-C

Control Touch-panel on ‘Primary’ speaker, remote handset supplied, app control on Android or iOS

Finishes Charcoal Black, Silky Grey and Terracotta Brown

Dimensions (WxHxD) 201x313x276 mm (Primary speaker), Secondary is 272mm deep

technics.com