Thread: New compact all-in-one system for the studio

There’s no practical way to have a two speaker setup in my painting studio that would make sense. Plus, I move around while working, so a true stereo situation is impossible. Mostly I just want to play music while I work, and for it not to sound like crap.

For years I’ve used a Geneva M all-in-one system, set off to one side. The Geneva line (they made different sizes) was pretty slick, and they looked and sounded good, with four drivers and four amps. My model had a CD player, FM tuner, iPod dock -still use my 60 gb 5th gen iPod! - and an AUX in. A remote, but no streaming, wifi, etc.

I heard about Technics’ new Ottava system and the ability to have internet radio as well as play from an attached USB drive got me interested. Plus it has CD, a radio tuner, streaming capability, bluetooth, wifi, some room correction, a mobile app, plus optical and AUX inputs. (Not surprisingly, no iPod dock… could connect it through the AUX, although no power charging that way.)

So I got the Ottava f SC-C70MK2, to use its full name. Below it sits, next to the outgoing white Geneva.



The build quality appears to be very good and the aesthetics appeal to me, although I did like the elegance of the Geneva. The Ottava has flush power and volume buttons, and touch switches for other functions.









There is a downward firing woofer:





It’s shorter but wider, and wouldn’t fit where I had the Geneva, so after figuring out a new arrangement, I set it up and powered it on. Don't have an easy way to hard wire to the network, so it's wifi.
First thing I learn is that internet radio is NOT available for some reason. I emailed Technics and got a response that they don’t know when it’ll be available (aka probably never). This is something I really wanted. Grrrr.

FM radio works fine; I need a better antenna to really explore that. Didn’t bother with AM.
The CD player is nice, and has a cover that swings aside to place the disc. I do prefer this to a powered slot feed as there's less chance of scratching.





Figured I could use a large USB flash drive with music files as a substitute for the iPod. Put a few test files on, and the drive wasn’t recognized. Turns out, this player will only accept drives formatted in FAT 32 or NTFS. No exFAT. WHY? This isn't 2005. My flash drive is too large for FAT 32. My Mac computer won’t format NTFS. Grrr AGAIN.

I had to purchase a program that would let me format the drive.




There’s a simple room correction function, called Space Tune, that’s set up through the mobile app. I took the measurements from the place I usually stand while painting.

Speaking of the app, it’s generally kludgy and glitchy and drops connection with the system. So I use it as needed. The touch controls and the standard remote let you do most things.

As a workaround for the lost internet radio, I’m using an old iPhone to go to stations’ websites, and sending the stream to the Technics over Bluetooth. I am considering maybe subscribing to a streaming service… need to research that. The built-in streaming options are for Tidal, Deezer, Amazon, Spotify, Airplay, Chromecast.

The USB playback sometimes cuts off the ends of songs. Why should this kind of thing be hard to get right in 2023?


So how is the sound compared to the Geneva? I think the bass is better. Not necessarily deeper, but clearer. The room correction does seem to improve the sound a little, in the place I stand. (I haven't played with the normal bass/mid/treble controls yet.) Sometimes highs, such as cymbals could sound a little harsh on the Geneva, but I don't notice that with the Technics.

So everything in life is a trade-off. The Geneva just worked but was limited; I now have a lot more functionality and improved sound, and with that came some setup, workaround, and app headaches. This is not a crucial listening room situation, and it is working fine for what I need. Will report back if I try the other inputs, or discover I missed or forgot something...

Thx for the info - nice specs for the Technics too

Disc Compatibility
Audio CD, CD-R/CD-RW (CD-DA, Discs recorded and finalized on recording devices)

USB-A
iPod/iPhone/iPad
No
Support Codec
WAV
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24, 32 bit)
FLAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24 bit)
DSD
Yes (2.8 MHz, 5.6 MHz, 11.2MHz)
AIFF
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24, 32 bit)
ALAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24 bit)
AAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz / 16-320 kbps)
MP3
Yes (32, 44.1, 48 kHz / 16-320 kbps)

DLNA
WAV
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24, 32 bit)
FLAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24 bit)
DSD
Yes (2.8 MHz, 5.6 MHz, 11.2MHz)
AIFF
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24, 32 bit)
ALAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192, 352.8, 384 kHz / 16, 24 bit)
AAC
Yes (32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz / 16-320 kbps)
MP3
Yes (32, 44.1, 48 kHz / 16-320 kbps)
Ethernet Interface
LAN (100 Base-TX/10 Base-T)
Wi-Fi
IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
2.4 GHz / 5 GHz Band
Chromecast built-in
Yes
Works with Google Assistant
Yes

Nice all in one Mrppv.

How about some pics of your painting? Always curious what people do.

Originally Posted by brad225

How about some pics of your painting? Always curious what people do.

Here's a shot of one corner of the studio. The Technics Ottava can be seen on the white locker cabinets on left:

And a better view of one of the paintings on the wall.

Many of these can be seen at my site Benjamin Long

Thanks Benjamin. That was fun to go through some of your work. I truly enjoy not the normal subject and landscape.

I need to ask if, you have been through tornados?

Brad

Brad - Thanks for taking a look.

I remember tornado warnings, and huddling in the basement, when I was very young and my family lived in Michigan. But I haven't seen a real tornado in person. Closest was a dust devil.

I remember being 4 years old growing up in Saginaw Mi. I clearly remember a crazy dark sky with what seemed like winds from all directions. We all hid in the cold room in the basement.

Closest I came is here in Fl. an EF2 went 4 blocks south of us and tore up a number of houses. They all still stood but it was a mess.

Where in Michigan?

Nice summary. Did you explore any competitors? I'm surprised you kept it with a couple of the features not working. The internet radio is crazy, why put it on there if it doesn't function

My friend wanted something portable and is looking at a piece by Devialet. I forgot the name but it looks like a soccer ball, LOL

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

Nice summary. Did you explore any competitors? I'm surprised you kept it with a couple of the features not working. The internet radio is crazy, why put it on there if it doesn't function

My friend wanted something portable and is looking at a piece by Devialet. I forgot the name but it looks like a soccer ball, LOL

Phantom, same price range but butt ugly compared to the Technics

Originally Posted by brad225

Where in Michigan?

Jackson

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

Nice summary. Did you explore any competitors? I'm surprised you kept it with a couple of the features not working. The internet radio is crazy, why put it on there if it doesn't function

Thanks... Did read about a few others; not too many seem to have CD players. I guess Technics is having some kind of licensing issue with vTuner. Would be nice if that was made obvious before purchasing. The USB format thing is just bizarre and I hadn't researched deeply enough to know about it.

Knowing what I know now, I probably would have held off. But it's working out, albeit less elegantly than hoped.

This morning, I found myself drawn back to going through your paintings again. Enjoyed it as much the second time.

I wasn't surprised that you have Vivid speakers. It's the shape that could be in your paintings.

Brad

Beautiful artwork btw. I always admire people with talent. If I did artwork, the proper place for it would be on the fridge held up by a magnet.

Originally Posted by brad225

This morning, I found myself drawn back to going through your paintings again. Enjoyed it as much the second time.

I wasn't surprised that you have Vivid speakers. It's the shape that could be in your paintings.

Brad

Thanks again; glad you found them engaging. I need to do an update and add some recent work.

As for the Vivids, yes the shape is certainly part of the appeal, and it will be unsurprising that I have a pair of these:




Original Blueroom Minipods... these are the seamless early ones. Also designed by Lawrence Dickie of Vivid, I believe.

The "snowman" stacked-shape is something that I keep coming back to.

Originally Posted by Phil A

Beautiful artwork btw. I always admire people with talent. If I did artwork, the proper place for it would be on the fridge held up by a magnet.

Thank you!

I had the same issue with my iMac not supporting NTFS. I purchased an app I believe from Paragon Software that allowed me to format drives on my iMac using NTFS.

^ Yes, that's the app I bought.