Technics SL-P1200 (c. 1987)

The SL-P1200 is a professional-oriented CD player from Technics. It was aimed at broadcast booths and sound-reinforcement work, where vibration and deafening SPLs create airborne vibration that lesser players might not handle. Audio (December 1987, p.116) made that point in its equipment profile and presented the deck as Technics coming to the rescue of these professionals. The same review called the SL-P1200 one of the most feature-laden and best-performing players its reviewer had seen to date. It concluded that both the audio pro and the serious audiophile would do well to check it out.

The design was unusual for the period. Instead of a front-loading drawer, the transport and nearly all of the controls sit on the top panel. The special construction of the base, per Audio (December 1987, p.108), converts vibration into thermal energy while providing stability and strength. For precise cueing, the audible search functions let you shift the laser pickup forward or backward one pit track - about 0.1 second - while in play or pause. Technics labelled these keys "Rocking/Search," and the reviewer compared the effect to rocking the reels of a reel-to-reel recorder.

Audio (December 1987, p.106) published the manufacturer's specifications:

Frequency response: 4 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Dynamic range: greater than 96 dB
S/N ratio: 106 dB
Power: 120 V, 60 Hz, 29 W
Dimensions: 16-15/16 in W × 6-3/4 in H × 14-15/16 in D (43 × 16.8 × 38 cm)

Beyond this equipment profile, the record on the SL-P1200 is thin. Production years, original pricing and the player's later market history aren't pinned down in the archive's sources.