Technics SL-G700 Grand Class Network Streamer/Super Audio CD Player thread

the Technics Audio Center app requires it, probably using Google Home to discover the local network and the SL G700. Home asks for permissions to use Bluetooth, microphone, your Google Acct - typical Google shakedown. The Technics app doesnt appear to do anything else, just transfers control to Google Home after setup which only lets you choose various Internet radio stations and streaming sources. I will probably delete Home and the Technics app after I look into it.

UPDATE: I think the TAC may use Bluetooth to discover the unit. I just deleted it and reinstalled and held phone close to the unit; it came up and discovered “speaker already setup.” Now I can see it as a full featured remote to select inputs and also navigate tge media server / NAS in a more user friendly fashion. Thank goodness.

With TAC you can select Radio, Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, podcasts and chromecast. You can also select the sources for the SL G700. Next you have a user friendly way to navigate your NAS and music from the iOS device. I don’t think it needs Google Home after the device is setup. Then TAC lets you control all config settings for the unit all from your iOS device. It also appears to let you add songs from NAS onto a favorites list (up to 9). So the technics app is good after you get it working correctly.

 

Glad I’m an iPhone user.

Music Direct is showing FedEx delivery Sunday.

 

SL-G700 arrived today. Have only a few hours with it. Here are my early impressions:

• Sound is exquisite, much more detail than my Cambridge Azur 851c it replaced. I’ve never heard CD’s sound this good before, ever.
• I’ve played Staind, Clapton and Tracy Chapman regular CD’s. I have no SACD’s, but have Norah Jones’ Analogue Productions box set coming to test it out. Excited to side by side it with the vinyl and will report. Again, CD’s sound next level.
  
• I’ve streamed Amazon Music and my iTunes Library. I’m not much of a streamer on my main system, but based on the sound of what I played, I’ll be very comfortable buying digital when vinyl/cd isn’t available. Matt Maeson’s stripped version of his Bank on the Funeral album is only digital and is utterly incredible streaming on this. I used to listen to it on a portable Bluetooth speaker, so the difference is shocking for me.
  
• The cohesiveness between the SU-G700 Amp and this makes it a no brainer IMHO if you own the amp. They’re made to be together. However why no balanced inputs on the SU-G700 when the outs are on the SL-G700. My only gripe so far.

Overall thrilled with the purchase. Worth every penny.

 

• Yeah strange it is, even 40 years after the birth of the CD format, the hardware still improve. I will have mine SL-G700 in august, as the salesman told me. With lots of CDs from the 80's and first half of the 90s, and hundreds of MoFi and japanese SHM-SACD's, I think I will be in a position for having a good time for years to come. When dipping your toe in the great SACD format, try some very good and high resolution digital recordings. Your Technics amp has a pretty low noise floor, so I think you should take advantage of high-rez recordings. Hong Kong based Master Music has some great sounding hybrid SACDs with various music.

 

I agree, each session just continues to open up. Very large depth. Have you been listening in Direct mode or one of the filters. I have been primarily Direct and haven’t spent time with the filters. The app is great for streaming my digital library, not sure what other reviewers’ fuss was about other than setup?

 

I haven't used any filters yet. I saw them in there last night, but didn't try them. I was having so much fun with just the default settings! Direct makes the most sense to me so I'll give it a whirl tonight! Yeah, the app seems to work very well, I had not one issue with it. I already use Google Home since I have the Google Nest router. I used Airplay for Amazon Music and tested it out on Sirius XM app too. Worked like a charm. Will be having another listening session in a couple hours! I never thought CD's and Digital could sound this good. I do remember reading on here that there are times when vinyl is superior and others when cd is superior. I'm finding it to be true with this player.

Just checked shipping on the SACD box set from Acoustic Sounds of Norah Jones. I really want to side-by-side that with the vinyl. The vinyl has always been my "test" records. If the SACD tops it, I'll probably wet myself!

 

I haven’t looked at what the technical differences are on the filter. Most folks in other forums prefer Filter 3 which seems to be ‘warmer’ and seemed to have more base than the other two. But I’ve been using Direct. I don’t have any plans to use MQA mode.

 

I noticed that myself with that filter. I definitely don't need more bass. I'm running dual subs. I had them dialed in for my vinyl, but had to turn them down for the digital/cd's, anything with a heavy bass was a bit too much. Loving this unit though, last one I'll buy until it breaks....

 

Same for me.

 

Purely curious, did you use the audio cable shipped with the unit or a different one? I had an AQ on prior rig and just used that, didn’t try theirs out which looks unremarkable. Maybe I’ll A/B them. The power cable seems stout, though.

I was going to connect digital out. from the G700 to my DAC and then to the amp as usual. Then I can switch amp inputs to compare (assuming the G700 doesn’t disable audio out when digital out is in use). I note that when using the headphone amp, that audio out to the amp is still active. I don’t like that. Does anyone know if this is typical when using headphones? Is there some setting I missed? (I do realize that you wouldn’t have the amp on while listening through headphones, but I’d prefer no signal going to it in that scenario.)

 

What's the downside?

 

I use Blue Jeans on everything, so the cable stayed in the box. I didn't even test it with the packaged cable. It honestly looked like a cheap Walmart one to me. I have my backup TT running through my Puffin TOSLINK out into the SL-G700. Haven't tested that out yet, but will this weekend. My old Azur 851c did a pretty spectacular job with the same setup, so expecting the SL-G700 to be next level here as well. Will post those results. Power cable is very nice on this, same as the SU-G700 Int Amp.

Interested to hear what you think of your external DAC vs. the internal DAC of the SL-G700. I don't use headphones, so can't comment on that.

 

Well, that was easy. Use the mobile app to turn off ‘Analog Output’ while listening to headphones, lol. Similarly, you can turn Analog Output off while listening to Digital Out or vice versa (“to reduce chance of noise interference”).

The edge is to the built-in DAC / Analog Out of the G700. A little warmer. I may have to listen on different days and see if I feel the same. (Funkadelic / Maggotbrain - lots of stuff in track 1 to hear). But at this point since the G700 has digital in from any source, I guess I can retire my DAC (M51 NAD) and simplify the bench with no second guessing. (I still think the M51 is a very good DAC, at least in my system.)

 

Los Lobos | Kiko | SACD | MoFi Limited Edition - should be a demo CD when you’re showing it to your friends. Such a wonderful dynamic recording with delicious sounds.

 

Nice! I’ll get a copy. I just read about shutting off the digital/analog outs in the manual today. Planned on posting, but you beat me to it! Thanks for the update on the internal DAC, just shut off my digital out as well.

 

Hello everyone!

Really glad to find this thread, and learn folks are loving their sl-g700.

I wonder if Technics will switch or has already switched to ESS instead of AKM based on this update on the Panasonic ub9000,
Panasonic launches UB9000 mk2 UHD Blu-ray player

Also, it looks like the Technics sc-c70 mkii now supports streaming Amazon Music directly, not sure if the sl-g700 also does, or is getting the same update via a firmware upgrade.. any idea?

 

There have been posts on the ESS (post 57 here and posts on this thread: Is Panasonic Technics out of business? ). When I ordered mine and a conversation with Music Direct sales on this topic, he said it could a couple of years to redesign - no idea if Panasonic has a stock of them or whether/when such a redesign may be completed. Haven’t looked elsewhere since I got my unit as ‘whatever is in it’ is absolutely fine by me.

I guess a unit would have a new designator on its back plate for such a redesign.

 

Good point there -- had they revised it then they'd have referred to the new ones as MKII in true Technics tradition. I only wondered because this was out of stock for a while and is back in stock, and AKM restarted operation but is not making 4497 anymore.

Anyways, sounds like nothing's changed, or what's on the market is the last set before the upcoming switch.. who knows?!

Any idea on the Amazon music question I had?

Also, balanced out on these seems be only 2V instead of the usual 4V and up, not sure why that is. Again based on an online review that I can't seem to find anymore, and the manual doesn't disclose much on this front.

 

The manual shows 2.3Vrms for SACD, 2.0Vrms for CD for both balanced and unbalanced. Look through this thread for link to manual (I think). I downloaded and have it stored locally. There were I think 3 manuals (of various lengths) on the website. This is from one that has tall and skinny pages. Haven’t tried Amazon Music yet. In looking at the remote app (I’m not near the system) it doesn’t show Amazon Music - doesn’t provide which firmware I have. May look over the weekend. (I have a few songs in Amazon Music.)

 

Thanks!

So, yes, in that case, the Bal out is indeed limited to 2V, which is kinda unusual. The general norm is 2V for unbal and 4V for bal as I have seen so far.

Another interesting thing is.. in all digital products Technics calls out their JENO engine, and how awesome it is, etc., but in the SL-G700 it's limited to just the headphone specific circuit.. again no idea why that is.

 

Dunno, my M51 DAC also has 2V out (balanced and unbalanced).

 

Their product site still refers to the AKM4497. Grand Class G700 Series SL-G700 - Technics US

 

No FW update since Nov 2021: Grand Class SL-G700 Firmware | Firmware Update | Technics. no Amazon Music support

 

Now that you mention it, their description is hard to parse:

Generally, the analogue output signal (Balanced / Unbalanced) and headphone output signal are generated by the same D/A circuit. The SL-G700 is equipped with a dedicated D/A circuit for headphones which is independent from that for analogue output. This circuitry incorporates Technics’ original sound processing LSI, the JENO Engine (Jitter Elimination and Noise-shaping Optimisation). Complete separation of the analogue output from the headphone output has eliminated the mutual interference between the two circuits that serve different purposes. In addition, each circuit receives the most suitable sound tuning. As a result, both outputs provide maximum performance. Furthermore, the SL-G700 is equipped with an operation optimisation system that automatically turns on the JENO Engine when a pair of headphones is connected. This eliminates the adverse effect of the analogue output on the sound quality when headphones are not connected.

What’s more, the Class AA System headphone amp uses separate amp circuits for the audio signal voltage amplification and current amplification. The high-grade operation amp amplifies voltage, and the separate operation amp with high power supply capacity amplifies current. This enables high-precision conversion of the high-resolution PWM signal output from the JENO Engine to an analogue signal. Achieving ideal drive of headphones with a wide range of load impedance, it delivers low-distortion sound across a broad frequency range.


See the figure here: Grand Class G700 Series SL-G700 - Technics US

 

Yep, that's exactly why I got curious, as in.. if JENO is so great why is not used in both circuits, etc.?!

Wish they added support for Amazon music, just like they updated for the sc-c70 mkii. The TAC app's artwork in the app store now shows Amazon in the listing.. hopefully it'll come to the sl-g700 w/o the need for an mkii.

Thank you for looking into this and sharing your findings!