Technics has announced that its new premium wireless multi-room smart speaker, the Ottava SC-C50, will be available in specialist hi-fi retailers and selected John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Currys stores from the end of September, priced around £699.
The moves comes on the back of a significant increase in the number of Technics retailers.
There are now almost 200 outlets [195] selling Technics in the UK – this has more than doubled in the past 15 months, according to a spokesman for the brand.
The Technics Ottava SC-C50 (pictured) has Google Chromecast built-in, works with Google Assistant and supports Apple AirPlay, Spotify, Tidal and Bluetooth.
It also has a technology called Space Tune, which means the speaker can be calibrated to take account of where it’s placed in the home.
A built-in microphone allows the user to optimise the sound from the main unit or a smartphone, or a smartphone app, with a single touch.
Speaking exclusively to ERT about Technics’s retail base in the UK, Matthew Billing, business development manager, Technics (Audio) said: “We currently have 195 outlets selling Technics in the UK. I’ve more than doubled the dealer network in the 15 months I’ve been with Technics. That has been driven, almost purely, by our C70 [Technics Ottava SC-C70 lifestyle sound system].”
He added: “We have seven key high-end dealers who are strategically placed.”
The seven Reference Class high-end stores – Reference Class is Technics’s premium hi-fi line-up – are in locations in Scotland, Cambridgeshire, Berkshire, Dorset, Kent and Worcestershire.
Said Mr Billing: “The Ottava products are also available in a limited network of 15 DSG [Currys], but we will expand that with the launch of the SC-C50, which is more open to their type of customer.
“We will have new interactive displays going into John Lewis and Currys. There are already displays in Richer Sounds and there will be a wider distribution of displays for our independent network. We’ve also gone into Ireland in the past few months – Technics is in Harvey Norman stores and various independents.”
