In 1910, in Japan, Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai (Japan Recorders Corporation) was established by an American trader named Frederick Whitney Horn. Along with Japanese partners, he released the company's first products: a single disc record and gramophone. The actual brand name 'Denon' was born in the late 1930s.
Hirofumi Ichikawa, President Denon Brand Company says, "Through creative passion and technical brilliance, Denon has delivered groundbreaking firsts. And now, in 2010, we are celebrating 100 years of history and looking forward to the next 100 years. Denon has not only maintained focus through these years, but continues to be a driving force that helps revolutionise our industry.
"Our innovations have led to the development of entirely new product categories, with new ways of enjoying not only music but movies as well, and offering the best solutions for professional applications and quality home entertainment. All of this with one simple and unwavering philosophy: to deliver exactly what the original artist intended, with a superior audio and video experience."
Throughout a century of innovation, Denon has built a strong 'Legacy of Firsts', including the first professional disc recorder (1939), the first sales of stereo records and stereo systems in Japan (1951), and the first PCM recorder invented by Denon in 1970 - the basis of today's CD format. In 1982 Denon introduced the first consumer use CD player (the DCD-2000), another historical 'first'. With the advent of home theatre technologies, Denon became the first company to release a home cinema component supporting Dolby Digital decoding for replaying multi-channel audio content.
For Denon, the creation of products that can deliver the highest quality user experience is a driving passion and the reason the company exists. Today, as digital audio becomes increasingly portable, reproduction quality becomes even more important. Denon is passionate about developing and leveraging advanced audio technologies so that it can deliver the highest sound quality and best possible user experience in any format; whether it's a simple hi-fi mini system, full home theatre system, or a professional audio, broadcast or DJ component.
During the year, Denon will celebrate its 100th anniversary at some of the world's most important exhibitions. The company has launched a special Anniversary website, www.denon100.com. To further enable its customers to participate in its jubilee celebrations, Denon will release some limited anniversary products over the year.
(Jim Evans)
