Luxman
| Luxman | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Kabushiki kaisha (joint stock company) |
| founding | 1925 |
| Seat | Yokohama , Japan |
| management | Kazuyuki Doi (President) |
| Branch | Audio technology |
| Website | www.luxman.co.jp |
Luxman KK ( Japanese ラ ッ ク ス マ ン 株式会社 , Rakkusuman Kabushiki kaisha , English Luxman Corporation ) is a Japanese manufacturer of hi-fi and high-end equipment, for example amplifiers , radios , turntables , CD players and tape decks . The company's claim is Ultimate Fidelity since 1925 .
history
The company was founded in June 1925 by T. Hayakawa and his brother K. Yoshikawa. They opened a department for radios and accessories in the "Kinsuidō picture frame store" ( 錦 水 堂 額 縁 店 , Kinsuidō gakubuchiten ) in Osaka (he sold imported picture frames). Later in 1925 the first radio broadcast was broadcast in Japan. The import of radio sets was a new type of business at the time. Many passers-by saw or heard a radio set for the first time in their lives at the later Luxman. From 1926 the brand name Lux was used. In 1935 the company was restructured as a joint stock company KK Kinsuidō ( 株式会社 錦 水 堂 ), which in 1943 was renamed Kinsui Denki Kōgyō KK ( 錦 水電 気 工業 株式会社 , "Kinsui-Elektrotechnik AG") and in 1961 to Lux KK ( ラ ッ ク ス 株式会社 ). The company adopted its current name in 2000.
In addition to selling imported goods, the Lux Corporation decided to also build electronic components and devices itself. Luxman, for example, became known for the quality of its transformers and switches and is now one of the oldest manufacturers of electronic components.
HiFi devices became a rapidly growing market in the mid-1970s. The Japanese economy grew strongly; technical devices from Japan (e.g. cameras, cars) became export hits. Luxman became famous with hi-fi friends and enthusiasts worldwide for the sound quality of its devices, especially for that of its high-priced tube amplifiers. Pre-power amplifier combinations (pre-amplifier and power amplifier each in a housing with its own power supply) gained market share at the expense of the integrated amplifier. The design of the devices was received as special and aesthetic (they had and still have aluminum fronts in a shade that could be described as champagne-colored or “light gold cast”). The devices were particularly solidly built; many amplifiers used Class A technology. As Luxman did not produce its own turntables , the company had them developed and manufactured as OEM devices by Micro Seiki .
In 1984 Alpine Electronics , also a Japanese electronics company (and at that time known in Europe as a car radio manufacturer), bought Luxman. Alpine hoped to generate synergies by merging departments and production. Shortly after the purchase, they began a battle for market share with Yamaha (which at that time also had a high market share in many segments of the hi-fi market); they changed their distribution policy. Until then, Luxman products had been sold in independent hi-fi studios (that is, through specialist dealers ); now they were also available in stores like Costco (USA) and Richer Sounds ( UK ). The new brand name Alpine / Luxman was introduced ( co-branding ). The concept failed. The company withdrew from all foreign markets and only operated in Japan, where a phase of economic stagnation had begun after the economic boom, which continues to this day (2012).
In 2000 Alpine closed its last 'Home HiFi' factory (in Hong Kong). Alpine sold Luxman in the early 2000s.
In 2009 the Luxman Corporation was taken over by the International Audio Group Ltd. (IAG) bought.
Today Luxman mainly sells its products in Japan, parts of Asia, the USA, Great Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, France, Poland, Italy, Romania, Denmark and Sweden.
Individual evidence
- ^ Airtight Company history
- ↑ Micro Seiki OEM List , accessed March 25, 2020