Technics SL-15, 1982
This 1982 Technics ad showcases the SL-15 linear-tracking turntable with a futuristic image designed to emphasize just how advanced it was for the time.
The SL-15 could automatically detect record size and speed, locate individual tracks, and even be programmed to play songs in a chosen order. The ad pushes that idea even further by showing the turntable floating upside down, paired with the line: “Program it to play any cut. In any order. Even upside down.”
It’s a great example of early-’80s electronics advertising, when sleek design and new automation features were often presented with an almost space-age feel.
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