As a direct result of this, some of the younger and more adventurous staff at the magazine started modifying our own systems, fitting fancy high end Japanese electronic components from the likes of Nichicon and ELNA into our regular amplifiers, CD players and phono stages. It was the first time I'd met him, and I was intrigued. As far back as the early nineteen nineties, I remember him visiting the London office of my first magazine – Hi-Fi World – and telling an assembled audience that there was a huge difference in sound between individual capacitor and resistor brands. That means there was at least some budget for Ken to work his magic. He hinted to me that he'd got some very big offers from some of the most prestigious high-end names, yet still chose to work on these affordable designs.Ĭosting $649 and $1,099 in Australia respectively, the CD11 Tribute and A11 Tribute you see here are cheap, but not quite the cheapest. Ken had an enduring fascination for mainstream, affordable audio. “My greatest high during my career at Marantz is without doubt the Ken Ishiwata Signature CD player series”, he once said. Fascinatingly though, these weren't ultra high-end designs, but entry-level components. Working from his home in Antwerp – doubtless to the dulcet tones of his beloved Marantz Tt-1000II turntable, complete with SME Series V tonearm and custom-made Ikeda moving coil cartridge – he began voicing two new Rotel products. Ken's collaboration with Rotel was kept quiet. He reflected on the hi-fi world in general, telling me that, “I am one of the lucky ones to experience everything in hi-fi, from mono LP, then stereo, the change from tubes to transistors, then CD and SACD to finally no packaged media! I experienced all that – not many people can say that!” Presciently, his parting shot was this: “One thing's for sure, you never know what will happen with your life tomorrow.” Yet as we all now know, Ken was tragically taken from us in November 2019, leaving many loose ends. Ken and Karl-Heinz were great mates, and after the former left Marantz, it was obvious that the two of them were going to collaborate. Packed with EMT turntables, classic vinyl and all sorts of exotic moving coil cartridges, it was a memorable end to a special day. When we got there, KHF hurried the two of us up to an attic room which turned out to be his den. For a good part of that journey – which was German autobahns, mostly – he had his BMW 650 Coupe nailed to the 255km/h speed limiter, giving me the impression that the two cities were closer than they really were. Although the latter is known to the industry as a speaker designer, he's nuts about classic analogue and many other pursuits too.Ī decade or so ago I was fortunate enough to have Ken drive me down to KHF's headquarters in Essen, Germany – after we'd spent a couple of days at Marantz's European head office in Eindhoven, Holland. Soon, he was involved in several ventures, while consolidating his close, long term friendship with Karl-Heinz Fink of Fink Audio. Those who speculated that he might retire didn't know him very well. What we do know, however, is that he was sad to leave an organisation he loved, and the people he'd worked with for many decades. Who knows indeed, because not long after Ken's Ruby anniversary at Marantz in 2018, he found himself out of the company – for reasons best known to the company's top brass. Nobody knows one way or the other I suppose, but I don't think I could have learned as much as I have with Marantz, nor been as successful. Many people have quietly told me that they thought it was a big mistake to let me go. “I sometimes think about the path my life has taken,” Ken Ishiwata told me five years ago, “and it is very difficult to imagine myself working for the first company I joined – Pioneer – now. Rotel CD11 Tribute CD Player / A11 Tribute Integrated AmplifierĪUD $649/NZD $699 and AUD $1099/NZD $1199 respectively
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