Your Favorite Japanese Audio Equipment?

[musicfirst1]

So many brands, so many truly State of the Art components.

What Japanese brands and components are your personal contenders for best of the best?

Kerry

 

[joaovieira]

Y/S amplifiers. The only SS brand I would ever consider.

 

[Salectric]

Horns and compression drivers made by YL Acoustics (Yoshimura Labs).

 

[caesar]

Kondo. Everything else is second tier in comparison

 

[Mike Lavigne]

CS Port turntables and Electronics. i currently own the LFT1 turntable with linear tracking arm.

Etsuro-Japan, by Excel Sound. makers of phono cartridges. i currently own 2 Etsuro Gold cartridges.

 

[Fishfood]

I love my Sun Audio amplifier with Tamura transformers.

 

[bonzo75]

I love my Sun Audio amplifier with Tamura transformers.

Sun audio is very high value for money

 

[LL21]

For electronics:
- I have been living happily with Zanden (14 years) and Robert Koda (1 year) after hearing many other excellent options, American, Japanese, European.
- I have spent time with but never owned Kondo (Japan), Shindo and TAD but found much to like in each.

 

[shakti]

the best phonostage I know:

Phasemation EA-2000

 

[Pokey77]

TAD. See my sig below. This is heaven for me.

 

[deardorff8x10]

I love my Miyajima and My Sonic Lab cartridges. I think the Japanese make a wonderful range of great cartridges.

 

[BruceD]

MacTone-by far the most pleasing Integrated I've owned since one of my first forays into Audio (circa1960!)when I "knocked" together a Heathkit DIY Amp
The Mac brand flies under the Radar, but much admired by Living Voice UK and good to see Living Stereo in NY taking up the product.
As an aside, compared in house a much lauded -and excellent Shindo product to the MacTone.
The Mac was superior
BruceD

 

[Klonk]

I quite like this CDT by 47 LABORATORY, the PiTracer.

 

[homelessinmetaverse]

Yamamoto, Kondo and all Turntable brands.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Zanden and R koda

 

[djsina2]

Audio Tekne

 

[LL21]

Zanden and R koda

2 for 2! Great minds!...even though I like subs! Hah!

 

[andromedaaudio]

2 for 2! Great minds!...even though I like subs! Hah!

Do yourself a favour get the Rockport Lyras as well

 

[LL21]

Do yourself a favour get the Rockport Lyras as well

Well...once again we agree on Rockport being a phenomenal speaker designer. Long been a fan of the Arrakis as my favorite speaker of all time...I have had 2 opportunities in the past to get it...the first a passive from 10+ years ago which was a great option but someone grabbed it first...and then more recently (2 years ago)...but it was the full active version (which requires 2 sets of cables, 2 sets of interconnects and 2 sets of amps)...and which then also became too much of both a financial and logistical commitment including literally reopening up the floors to get the additional cable into a wider conduit.

The reason I spoke with Rockport about Lyra and custom-designed dual subs was expressly for that consideration. Lyra is ther new flagship, superior according to some in certain ways to the Arrakis, though not in all-out scale which made subs an interesting option to open up the scale of the presentation.

At the time there was pretty much no representation that could enable an audition let along full-on support and service...let alone the custom-design of the subs. So it came off the list. The neck and neck race for me was the XLF which was available, fully supported and available also in as new condition from the factory having been traded in by Transparent Audio when they moved up to the XVX. And so here we are...and I consider myself blessed to be in such a position. (And yes, the future upgrade of the Velodyne DD18+ still remains in the near to medium term plan!)

 

[andromedaaudio]

I d think the Lyra would be a step up from a second hand arrakis , probably not scale wise but a bit more refinement/ definition non the less
I dont see the arrakis mentioned on the site anymore anyway.

Plus with a Lyra you dont need to bi amp i assume ,which can get kinda costly with R KODA