Technics OTTAVA Series launches in Australia

The Technics Premium Class OTTAVA Series combines top-class build quality and acoustic engineering with a stunning design aesthetic.

Beautiful to look at and a joy to listen to, the secret to the Premium Class OTTAVA models’ success is that, despite their compact size, they deliver a powerful yet refined, room-filling sound.

The Technics Premium Class OTTAVA Series lineup is:

Premium Compact Stereo System SC-C70: $1649 RRP

Premium Wireless Speaker System SC-C50: $1429 RRP

Compact Wireless Speaker System SC-C30: $1149 RRP

The new models will be available from November 2019 via selected audio specialist retailers.

Aaron Waters, Product Marketing Manager – Audio and Video, Panasonic, said: “We’re proud to be able to launch the OTTAVA wireless range in Australia, offering pure, balanced sound, extensive streaming capabilities and premium design.”

OTTAVA lineup

With striking and stylish aesthetics, the SC-C70 all in one music system is the perfect addition to any home. The smooth acrylic glass plate covering the top-loading CD compartment and aluminium touch key adds a touch of elegance to this compact system. Apple iOS and Android Apps offer convenient control from a smart device.

The SC-C70 has three JENO Engines (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimisation) and five 2-way, 2.1-channel speakers to deliver powerful sound. The acoustic louver and acoustic lenses in front of the tweeter achieve spatial sound and a wider listening area.

For all three models, Panasonic offers Space Tune to allow for quick setup and optimum performance according to where the device is placed in a room.  The SC-C50 and SC-C30 offer further precise adjustment, with iOS calibration using a device’s integrated microphone.

The SC-C50 and SC-C30 possess an inspired combination of practical function with elegant design. The thick aluminium top panel increases the rigidity of the chassis, and the OLED display is surrounded by ring keys for easy operation. Rear louvers add further elegance while enhancing the function of an internal heat-reducing mechanism. The beautiful arc form, which helps to eliminate unwanted vibration in the chassis, incorporates acoustic technology to achieve a wide sound stage. A clever internal configuration of bass port and speaker drivers conjures up a powerful, remarkably expansive, yet deftly controlled sound. This allows the listener the freedom to place the unit anywhere in the room without compromise. They can also choose a black or white finish to match home décor.

As befits the Premium Class OTTAVA tag, each model in the series offers compatibility with a wide-range of sources and cutting-edge formats so that users can listen effortlessly.

Users can enjoy sources including USB, Internet radio, Spotify, and TIDAL and high-res audio. Wireless connectivity includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, AirPlay and DLNA. A ‘Favourite’ function provides easy access to radio stations and Spotify playlists.

The SC-C50 and SC-C30 include Chromecast built-in, support ‘works with Google Assistant’, AirPlay and Deezer. They offer multi-room and stereo pairing[i].

SC-C70: Outstanding sound and stunning design

Equipped with JENO Engines (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimisation), LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration), Space Tune calibration and an excellent audio technology concept, the compact SC-C70 delivers rich, high-quality sound, able to impress even the most discerning audio enthusiasts.

Powerful and impressive sound that fills any room thanks to JENO Engines and LAPC

The Technics brand is known for producing visually stunning and technically innovative audio products. The SC-C70 compact stereo system, featuring three JENO Engines that eliminate digital jitter, is no exception. The result is a crystal-clear sound with no perceptible distortion. The SC-C70 also features the LAPC function, which is load adaptive amplifier technology developed by Technics to ensure perfect alignment with the speakers. The system measures the phase and impedance properties of the integrated speakers and optimises the resulting sound output using the data it has obtained. Together with the precisely developed sound concept, which encompasses five 2-way, 2.1-channel speakers, the SC-C70 is able to create a wonderfully spatial sound experience.

In order to optimise the spatial effect, acoustic lenses are used in front of the tweeters to further distribute and disperse sound; especially in the high-frequency range. Furthermore, integrated acoustic louvers minimise fluctuations.

Versatile networking with the Technics app, Apple AirPlay and DLNA

In addition to boasting high-performance hardware, the SC-C70 is also easy to operate. No matter whether the music is to be played in high-resolution format via the network, a CD, USB connection or smartphone, music fans are always able to maintain full control thanks to the intuitive and easy-to-use Technics app. The integrated Apple AirPlay function also enables users to stream music files smoothly from various Apple devices such as an iPod, iPhone or iPad. The SC-C70 is DLNA-compatible and can also be easily connected to mobile end devices from other manufacturers via Bluetooth, allowing access to music from popular streaming services such as Spotify and TIDAL.

SC-C50 and SC-C30: Wide selection of streaming services and easy to use controls

These wireless speakers offer Chromecast compatibility to make it easy to enjoy a wide variety of music streaming services from a smartphone. And since the data is streamed directly to the main unit, there is no degradation in sound quality. Using a number of Chromecast built-in speakers, the same song can be played in several rooms, or different music can be played from room to room, for multi-room entertainment.

If a Google Voice-activated Speaker is included in the same network, Google Assistant can be used to operate SC-C50 and SC-C30 music playback and other functions. When the user doesn’t have a smartphone app in hand, or when hands are full, music can be easily played by voice command.

If you use the Technics Audio Center App and have another app-compatible Technics device, you can also enjoy other music sources in multi-room such as Bluetooth, AUX, Optical input, USB, Internet Radio, Spotify, Tidal and Network Playback.

Up to nine presets can be set on the main unit, such as favourite internet radio stations, a Spotify playlist, and USB songs. This makes it possible to listen to your favourite music without even starting up an app. If two SC-C50s or two SC-C30s are configured and set to stereo, you can enjoy highly ambient stereo sound.

SC-C50: Elegant wireless style and wide soundstage

The OTTAVA SC-C50 offers acoustic technologies that deliver clear sound across a remarkably wide soundstage. Space Tune calibration allows free speaker placement, and the system supports an advanced wireless music experience.

Four JENO Engines and LAPC

Technics’ original four JENO Engines produce optimal performance, with superior sound imaging through subwoofer, midrange, and tweeter alignment. LAPC measures the amp’s frequency amplitude phase characteristics with speakers connected to the unit, and performs digital signal processing to achieve the ideal impulse response. Parameters optimised for the low-frequency and high-frequency speaker load characteristics are pre-set in the LAPC computation circuit of the unit to realise ideal frequency and phase characteristics over the entire frequency range.

A compact body with powerful architecture

The arc-shaped body houses three midranges, three tweeters and one subwoofer, while left- and right-angled speakers and a centre speaker create rich stereo imaging and crisp vocals. A ‘directivity-control horn’ eliminates mutual speaker interference to achieve wide directivity, and a coaxial midrange and tweeter ensure vertical directivity with less frequency disorder from the compact body.

Three 1.6-cm tweeters deliver high-res sound up to 50 kHz. This combines with a front-firing 12-cm long-stroke subwoofer and a straight, large-diameter, long port. A total of seven units in the rigid, glass fibre body produce powerful sound from the 3.1-channel amplifier.

Optimal sound for any listening environment

To provide the OTTAVA SC-C50’s excellent sound in every room and listening position, Space Tune optimises the listening environment to the sound space. In addition to offering three preset modes to suit the mounting location, a microphone built into the main unit enables an Auto function to optimise the sound from the main unit or a smartphone app with a single touch.

SC-C30: A compact body offering a wide soundstage

In the SC-C30, a wide soundstage is achieved through the positioning of two 6.5cm woofers, two 1.6cm tweeters and one 12cm subwoofer within the arc form body. In the front surface of the body, the long-stroke subwoofer combines with a large-diameter long port to produce tight, punchy bass sounds while the tweeter features a unique acoustic lens that provides wide directivity. By placing these speaker units in optimal positions, a powerful, expansive sound is produced from a compact system.

Exceptional sound quality, perfectly calibrated

For hi-res audio enthusiasts, clarity is key. To ensure the SC-C30 delivers every nuance and detail found in Hi-Res Audio, the model has an exceptionally wide-ranging frequency response. At its heart is a state-of-the-art fully digital amp equipped with three of Technics’ ground-breaking JENO Engines. These are vital for ensuring each audio channel is perfectly aligned in terms of signal timing. Also on board is LAPC, which cleverly matches the sound to the characteristics of the internal loudspeakers. By harnessing these unique Technics technologies, the SC-C30 ensures listeners can enjoy a full-bodied, warm sound in exceptional detail rather than the clipped, overly bright sound associated with inferior digital amplifiers.

Sound quality is not just about power and clarity; sonic imaging is equally important and in order to ensure that it delivers a perfectly optimised sound, like its stablemates the SC-C70 and SC-C50, the SC-C30 uses Technics’ Space Tune room calibration software to produce a sound image that is perfectly balanced regardless of the shape and layout of the listening environment. For quick and easy setting, Space Tune also features a number of presets that can be chosen using the Technics Audio Center App.

[i] Google Home app is required