Technics SL-G700M2 Network/SACD Player Offers Dazzling Sonics for Brilliant Streaming, Astonishing Disc Playback, Full MQA Decoding, and More
The Technics SL-G700M2 network/SACD player can serve as the agile, potent centerpiece of your hi-fi system, providing exquisite sonics whenever you stream music or play discs. An improved successor to the acclaimed SL-G700, the SL-G700M2 offers numerous digital and analog upgrades to improve its performance and sound. It supports SACD and standard CD playback, full MQA decoding, numerous other high-resolution audio sources, and a wide variety of streaming services. Not for nothing did The Absolute Sound give it a Golden Ear Award in 2024.
Precision engineering enables the SL-G700M2 to offer spectacular sound. Under the hood, the unit is divided into four sections, with the power supply, digital interface, analog circuitry, and disk drive sections each being independent of one another. This design suppresses mutual interference between circuits and reduces potential sonic degradation. The disc drive adopts a meticulously designed, three-layer chassis configuration. Additional vibration-damping and low-noise techniques and materials—including a disc tray made of die-cast aluminum—ensure high-precision disc playback.
The SL-G700M2 is equipped with the High Precision Coherent D/A Converter, which converts digital values to analog signals with the utmost precision and outputs them to an amplifier. The three precisely engineered elements include coherent processing; a high-performance D/A converter in dual monaural configuration; and a proprietary discrete amplifier circuit. The dual ESS ES9026PRO is newly adopted for the DAC chip. The symmetrical placement of one (Left/Right) unit on each side, and their independent transmission structures, reduce mutual interference and faithfully reproduce the image and spatial perspective contained in the original sound source. The filter circuit after the D/A conversion uses an amplifier circuit with a unique discrete configuration. This results in higher responsiveness and a better signal-to-noise ratio.
Technics' proprietary coherent processing technology improves the reproducibility of impulse signals by minimizing amplitude and phase deviations that occur throughout the D/A conversion process for signals up to 192kHz PCM, using proprietary digital signal processing. With this processing, the purity of the sound is increased, and the imaging is clearer. (DSD signals such as those from a Super Audio CD are input directly to the DAC without performing this processing.)
Digital audio players that handle small signals require thorough noise suppression because even the slightest noise can significantly affect the sound quality. Technics' Multi-Stage Silent Power Supply provides thorough noise suppression in three stages: (1) a high-speed switching power supply, (2) a low-noise regulator, and (3) current injection active noise cancelling (ANC). The SL-G700M2 uses a high-speed switching power supply of approximately 300kHz (which is also used for the analog circuits of the reference-class SU-R1000 integrated amplifier).
For enhanced sound quality, a Pure Disc Playback mode is available for Super Audio CD and standard CD playback. In Pure Disc Playback mode, all circuit blocks except those required for Super Audio CD/CD playback are shut off to reduce the internal noise and enhance sound quality.
This unit is capable of full decoding playback of MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) files and MQA-CDs. Various other high-resolution formats are also supported, including WAV/AIFF (up to 32-bit/384kHz), FLAC/ALAC (up to 24-bit/384kHz), and DSD up to 11.2MHz file playback. Furthermore, the SL-G700M2 is equipped with a USB-B port that allows for constant connection to a network audio server or PC for playback of high-res sources from the connected device.
The SL-G700M2 supports Chromecast built-in, which enables a wide range of streaming services from Google Chromecast-enabled apps, along with AirPlay 2. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connections are also supported. (Other compatible music streaming services will be supported in the future through firmware updates.)
The exterior of the chassis features a hairline-finished 7mm-thick aluminum front panel and 3mm-thick aluminum side panels, as well as an engraved Technics logo for aesthetic appeal.
"Not only were the differences between the sound of the SL-G700M2 and other more expensive rivals relatively small, but it was also clear that the sonic nuances from the different speakers, listening rooms, and choices in music and recordings did far more to impose a sound character on the system the different digital players did. That’s damn good performance from the Technics SL-G700M2 for what was sometimes a $10,000 difference in price."
—Anthony Cordesman, The Absolute Sound
"The fittingly named SL-G700M2 possesses all the features that made the original such a Swiss-army knife of a digital source, including an SACD player that supports CD, SACD and MQA discs and is complete with a dedicated 'Pure Disc Playback' mode for enhanced performance."
—Becky Roberts, What Hi-Fi?
"It’s the perfect bridge between disc playing and streaming, doing both with equal grace and force. That ‘disc and streaming’ solution usually needs at least two boxes. Those that pull both together usually do so at great cost or by compromising the overall performance. The SL-G700 Mk2 doesn’t compromise!"
—Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+
Precision Engineering
While developing digital audio signal processing technology for the next generation, Technics' goal has been to achieve phase alignment and ideal impulse response. Starting with LAPC (Load Adaptive Phase Calibration), which was first incorporated in the SE-R1 in 2014, and continuing with Space Tune and the PHONO Response Optimizer, this concept has been consistently applied according to product and class. The SL-G700M2 is equipped with the High Precision Coherent D/A Converter, which is the result of the accumulation of these technologies.
High-Speed Switching Power Supply
The SL-G700M2 uses a high-speed switching power supply of approximately 300 kHz. By increasing the switching frequency, the interference of noise on the music playback bandwidth is reduced, and a highly responsive power supply is achieved.
Low-Noise Regulator
Combined with the original stabilized power supply circuit, the dedicated power supply unit provides stable power with low noise. The discrete circuit structure does not use any general-purpose ICs, and meticulous tuning provides power optimized for analog circuits. Low noise (even at high volume levels) and a stable power supply are achieved, in part, because of the careful fine-tuning of circuit patterns.
Current Injection ANC
Current injection active noise canceling removes unwanted noise by applying an inverse phase current to the detected noise. More effective current noise rejection can be achieved by using the push/pull method in combination with conventional noise rejection by drawing current.
