TECHNICS SC-CX700

The idea of an entire streaming system in a pair of speakers is no longer a novelty – so it's performance that separates the ‘great’ from the merely ‘good’. Well, that and a finish that feels a bit like a carpet...

- Simon Lucas

The Technics SC-CX700 is a well-specified, properly built pair of active speakers with plenty of power (200W), an integrated streaming platform, and a load of physical and wireless inputs allowing it to be a full-on audio system with support for everything from a turntable to a television. It has several control options, including an app that's not much to look at but covers every eventuality. And it has a tactile finish in a suede-like material called Dinamica.

Separate thrives

Inside, each cabinet is divided into two chambers – the amplification is separated from the drivers in what Technics calls "acoustic solitude construction". And while we're discussing important-sounding features, the Technics Orchestration Concept uses “model-based diaphragm control” to reduce distortion based on simulations of driver movement.

As is usual in products like this, one speaker is in charge and the other does as it's told. So one just has amplification, a socket for mains power, a button for wireless pairing to its partner and an RJ45 socket for making a wired connection instead, with a bass reflex slot below the coaxial drivers. The other has all that plus the connectivity stuff, and a few buttons on top.

And that performance?