Technics' name change to Panasonic (1 Viewer)

[Danny Tse]

Not exactly equipment specific, but why the name change from Technics to Panasonic? I still remember those Technics reel-to-reel tape decks, the dbx-equipped cassette decks, the LP-sized linear tracking turntables, the stereo power amps with the giant VU meters, etc.... And who can forget those Technics 1200/1300 DJ turntables? It will be strange to see the "Panasonic" badge on one of those turntables....

 

[Saurav]

I didn't know they were the same company. Did they get bought over recently or something?

 

[Eric_Lakes]

Technics, Panasonic & JVC are all the same company.
I think that, in Europe Technics is more popular, in Japan Panasonic and in the US JVC.

 

[Craig Robertson]

they are various brands of Matsushita Electronics.

 

[John Kotches]

Eric,

I was under the impression that JVC, was an independent corporation.

I'll be danged if it isn't listed as a Matsushita domestic subsidiary.

Nice tidbit of info -- thanks Eric.

Regards,

 

[Eric_Lakes]

John,

"Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd - produces electric and electronic products under the Panasonic, National, Technics, Quasar, Victor and JVC trade names."

The 2 Sub Divisions are Panasonic and Technics. I think that JVC falls under the Panasonic Division.

I was shocked when I first heard that Lexicon was a subsidiary of Harmon International. I knew that JBL and Infinity was a subsidiary but I didnt know that Lexicon was.

Here's another shocker.
Reconton Corporation is the parrent of Advent, AR, Jensen , NHT and Phase Linear.

 

[Dalton]

.. never mind wrong thread

 

[GordonL]

JVC is owned by Victor Company of Japan. They were never wholly owned by Matsushita (52% stake, according to Hoovers). Technics (owned by Matsushita) was the brand that was targeted at audiophiles, but was never really taken seriously in the US.

 

[Eric_Lakes]

Here's a Yahoo search.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Mat...sonic+technics
Just got your edit... Gordon, you may be right. But 52% ownership or whole ownership is the same to me.

 

[Dalton]

GordonL,
This comes from Matsushita's site:
1954 Matsushita Electric Industrial acquires Japan Victor Co.
Loks like they do own JVC.
Principal domestic subsidiaries:
Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Electronic Components Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Industrial Equipment Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Refrigeration Company
Kyushu Matsushita Electric Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Seiko Co., Ltd.
Matsushita Graphic Communication Systems, Inc.
Matsushita Kotobuki Electronics Industries, Ltd.
Victor Company of Japan, Ltd.

 

[Larry B]

Gordon:

Technics (owned by Matsushita) was the brand that was targeted at audiophiles, but was never really taken seriously in the US.

Right. Technics was the higher end of their product line, not unlike SONY ES.

Larry

 

[John.Meer]

I always liked Technics, I had their first front loader cassett deck (mid 70's, remember seeing a picture in Stereo Review, and had to have one). I still have a DD turntable(SL3300), and an SU8080 integrated amp. I purchased this stuff around 1977 that is still in service today. The SU8080 is really neat for an integrated amp in it's time. It has dual transformers, discrete construction, DC-100khz bandwidth, tone control bypass, phono stage input adjustment for capacitance and resistance.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Technics turntables ruled in the 70's and early '80s... The best mass produced turntables there were. "Not taken seriously," indeed!

 

[KeithH]

Gordon said:

Technics (owned by Matsushita) was the brand that was targeted at audiophiles, but was never really taken seriously in the US.

I believe Technics once was a respected brand in the US. In recent years, the name was relegated to Best Buy and Circuit City, outside of the turntables. I read What Hi*Fi? and Hi-Fi Choice out of the UK frequently, and it seems that some decent stereo components with the Technics badge are sold over there.
It's a shame that the Technics name is leaving us. I guess the handwriting was on the wall when I started seeing new Panasonic receivers on Crutchfield's web site a couple of months ago. Oh well. Now I view my Technics DVD-A10 DVD-Audio player as a classic from a better time. It's vintage!

 

[Chris PC]

Technics was my only stereo for 12 years and it did a good job with my Boston Acoustics speakers. I am impressed that this forum does not *BLEEP* out the Matsushita name. I guess someone must have put it in cause it used to get bleeped and appear as Matsu****a. Heheh. I used to get around that buy typing Matsu$hita.

 

[John Kotches]

Eric,

The Harmon International has more brand names than you realize -- the collective also owns the Madrigal group, which encompasses the Mark Levinson, Madrigal Imaging, Proceed, Revel and Audio Access brand names as well.

I was already cognizant of Recoton's ownership of the other brand names.

Regards,

 

[KeithH]

John, good point. Harman is a monster in the audio world. Quite an amazing conglomerate.

 

[GordonL]

Maybe Technics had a bit of a following with turntables, but I don't remember Technics as being considered high-end. Maybe I didn't pay much attention to Hi-Fi back then as much as I do now. The first integrated amplifier I ever bought over 20 years ago was a 50 wpc stereo amp by Technics (which I still have, BTW). I picked it up from a place called Reliable Home Appliances, which was a discount appliance store. It was sort of a warehouse type operation that offered low prices because they didn't have showrooms. All of their merchandise were stacked on the floor and you couldn't tell what they had unless you went thru their binders stuffed with manufacturer's brochures. So even back then, Technics was considered a mass market brand. If I recall correctly, back in those days, for turntables, audiophiles were more into such brands as AR, Dual, Thorens, and a few others I don't remember. Those brands you could only get in the Hi-Fi stores. Sniff, the good old days....

 

[Justin Doring]

I knew that Panasonic and Technics were Matsushita brands, but I didn't know about JVC, as I thought they were independent. Interesting information. Thanks!

 

[KeithH]

Gordon, Technics was never considered high-end. However, there was a time where stereo components bearing the Technics badge were far better than the $99 stuff you see at Best Buy or Circuit City. Technics' best turntables have always been well regarded, though they are better appreciated by DJs than audiophiles.