Technics pens the final chapter on an iconic turntable line. HTSA wraps up its fall conference in Salt Lake City. And Focal has a new all-in-one audio product that aims to shake up multicomponent home system setups. A decent bit happened this week in the world of custom integration, so, let’s get to the Playback.
The Week in Playback
- Focal Launches Mu-so Hekla All-in-One Audio System
- Eversolo’s New DAC-Z10 Preamp is Coming to North America for Christmas
- Technics is Discontinuing its Iconic SL-1200 Turntable (But There’s Some Good News)
- At HTSA’s Fall Gathering, AI Optimism Meets a More Tempered Approach in Adoption
HTSA’s Members Pen ‘Elevate’ as Their New Year Resolution
We’re in the home stretch for the holiday season now. With CEDIA Expo wrapped, all that really leaves is Total Tech Summit and the buying group conferences before we can all take a breather, reflect on the past year and see what resolutions we can come up with for the new year. Granted, if you’re a member of HTSA, chances are you already have a resolution in mind.
Of all the resolutions/challenges to give oneself, “Elevate,” is a good one. Especially nowadays. It’s succinct, aspirational and just broad enough that you can choose to elevate just about anything and have it work out fine. Sales, business processes, maybe even your social media presence: there’s plenty of options to pick and choose.
The beauty of it all? You have plenty of AI tools out there to do just that, and if conversations with HTSA members are anything to go by, there’s still plenty of room for growth when it comes to those magical machines.
The SL-1200G is Soon to be Dead, Long Live the SL-1200GME
Is it just me or is the end of the year making people a little nostalgic? I know revisiting old lines is nothing new, but between KEF, Meze and now Technics, there’s been a lot of retrains of old products in the past few months. I’m not complaining, though. Not like I was around for when most these made their debut.
For those that were, however, I imagine something like the news of Technics discontinuing their iconic G series must sting. Having been in production since the 70s, the lineup of turntables has managed to rack up quite the string of accolades over the years. It’s all the more painful to know that the discontinuation isn’t even coming from a lack of love for the line in modern times.
Hey, at least the good news is that the line is going out with a proper sendoff. The stately silver and black finishes with custom gold accents even make it seem like its more of a celebratory New Year’s gift rather than a bow to tie off an iconic line.
Eversolo’s Latest DAC Arrives in Time for the Holidays
Speaking of holiday gifts: news broke earlier this week that Eversolo’s latest DAC, the DAC-Z10, is going to be hitting North American markets in December, available exclusively through Forte Distribution out of Canada.
From first blush, the DAC is a compact little ditty that runs the line between analog and digital, however, according to the specs released by Eversolo, a noteworthy chunk of effort has gone into signal isolation as it tries to accommodate both legacy and modern system setups.
What I think is the most modern thing about it may just be its ability to be at home on someone’s desk. Don’t fret, though, as from all appearances, the DAC-Z10 is likely going to be scalable into much bigger systems, should the desire arise.
A 7.1.2 Sound System, in This?
Focal announced a new all-in-one home-cinema and music system earlier this week called the Mu-so Hekla, with a U.S. release slated for Q1 2026. Sporting a 7.1.2 arrangement and Dolby Atmos processing, the company states that the product is designed to replace multicomponent set-ups in favor of a simpler, easier to install single unit.
At the heart of Mu-so Hekla is the Naim Pulse Platform, a digital streaming and processing engine that powers connectivity and acoustic calibration. Focal explains that the system’s Sphere module supports multiple audio modes including Sphere Music, Sphere Movie, Dolby Music, Dolby Movie, and Dolby Night.
For those interested, the system will be showcased at CES 2026 in Las Vegas (January 6–9) and ISE 2026 in Barcelona (February 3–6).
