Denon (株式会社デノン, Kabushiki Gaisha Denon) is a Japanese electronics company started in 1910 by Frederick Whitney Horn, an American entrepreneur. Denon produced the first cylinder audio media in Japan and players to play them. Decades later, Denon was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. Denon made Japan's first professional disc recorder and used it to record the Hirohito surrender broadcast. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon Columbia record label. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. In 2001, Denon was spun off as a separate company with 98% held by Ripplewood Holdings and 2% by Hitachi. In 2002, Denon merged with Marantz to form D&M Holdings. On March 1, 2017, Sound United LLC completed the acquisition of D+M Holdings.
The company was initially named Nippon Denki Onkyō Kabushikigaisha (日本電氣音響株式會社, Japan Electric Sound Company), which was shortened to Denon. The company is actively involved with sound systems and electric appliance production. Later the company merged with other related companies and as a result of this the company name became Denon.
There followed a number of mergers and tie-ins over the next few decades as firstly the company merged with Japan-US Recorders Manufacturing in 1912, and then in 1928 the brand "Columbia" was introduced when the company became Japan Columbia Recorders. A further change of name occurred in 1946 when the company renamed itself Nippon Columbia.[1]
The Denon brand was first established in 1947 when Nippon Columbia merged with Japan Denki Onkyo.[2]D&M Holdings Inc. was created in May 2002 when Denon Ltd and Marantz Japan Inc. merged. On March 1, 2017, Sound United LLC completed the acquisition of D+M Holdings.[3]
Today, the company specializes in professional and consumer home cinema and audio equipment including A/V receivers, Blu-ray players, tuners, headphones, and wireless music systems. Denon is also known for high-end AV receivers and moving coil phonograph cartridges. Two M-series models, the Denon M31 and M30, were the most successful radio hi-fi's in the mid-2000s.[citation needed] Since being released to the micro hi-fi DAB market, they have received several awards in Europe.[citation needed]
1988 Introduced range of AV amplifiers to product range.
1990 Awarded three component awards at Paris hi-fi show. Introduced lineup of Headphones.
1993 Developed the twin deck DJ CD player DN-2000F.[5] Other early models are the DN1000F, DN2000F and the DN2500F. Denon also made the world's only twin MiniDisc player designed for DJ use.[6]
1994 Awarded European Audio Innovation of the Year.
1999 World's first THX-EX home theater system (THX Extended to provide fuller surround sound).[7]
Denon AV (High End Munich, 2009)
2001 Produced first Mini system with 5.1 surround sound.
2002 Denon link technology developed for improved digital connectivity.[8]
2004 Launch of world's first consumer product featuring HQV (Hollywood Quality Video).[9]
2006 Denon introduces the 1.5m long AK-DL1 CAT5Ethernet cable. It was not until mid-2008 that it caused controversy because of its high price ($499) and the company's claims that the cable is "designed for the audio enthusiast," and would "bring out all the nuances" in digital audio signals transmitted over it, despite the fact that even the most poorly made ethernet cable would deliver identical quality for digital audio over a similar length.[10][11]
2007 Denon releases the AVP-A1HDCI Pre-Amplifier and matching POA-A1HDCI Power Amplifier set which marks the company's first additions to a new line of high-performance custom-focused components.[12]
2008 Denon announces the world's first Universal Blu-ray player capable of DVD-Audio and SA-CD playback.[13]
2012 Denon introduces new headphone line with iOS lifestyle apps. Headphones are separated into different lifestyle groups as follows: Exercise Freak headphones (for sports/fitness use), Globe Cruiser headphones (for travel), Music Maniac Headphones (featuring a Flat EQ) and Urban Raver Headphones (providing enhanced bass performance).[14]
2014 Denon has ventured into wireless multi-room sound systems. Recently it has launched its new set of wireless speakers named as HEOS by Denon. These have been launched as HEOS 3, HEOS 5, and HEOS 7 speakers.[15]
2015 HEOS by Denon added on to their wireless multi-room sound system by launching the HEOS 1 and HEOS Go Pack, along with the HEOS HomeCinema
2016 Denon Introduced HEOS into the Higher X-Series Models. For HEOS by Denon series 2 for all the speakers have launched now they feature Bluetooth and High Resolution Audio.
2017 Denon Introduced HEOS into the S-Series (AVR-S730H/AVR-S930H) and all the X-Series Models now have HEOS. HEOS by Denon launched the HEOS Soundbar, HEOS Subwoofer and the HEOS AVR.
2018 Denon introduced the world's first 13.2 channel audio/video receiver with the introduction of the AVR-X8500H / AVC-X8500H at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2020 Denon introduced the first 8K HDMI 2.1 compliant channel audio/video receivers with their AVR-X line starting from AVR-x2700h, AVR-x3700h, AVR-x4700h, and AVR-x6700h. Denon has also announced that they will allow hardware upgrades for AVR-x8500h for 8K features.
Nakamichi Corp., Ltd. is a Japanese consumer electronics brand that originated in Japan and gained a name from the 1970s onwards for innovative and high quality audio cassette decks. Nakamichi is a subsidiary of Chinese holding company Nimble Holdings.
In digital recording, an audio or video signal is converted into a stream of discrete numbers representing the changes over time in air pressure for audio, or chroma and luminance values for video. This number stream is saved to a storage device. To play back a digital recording, the numbers are retrieved and converted back into their original analog audio or video forms so that they can be heard or seen.
The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output capability the Extreme lacks. The AirPort Express was the first AirPlay device to receive streamed audio from a computer running iTunes on the local network. AirPort Express outperforms the stringent requirements of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Small Network Equipment (SNE) Version 1.0.
Pioneer Corporation commonly referred to as Pioneer, is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Tokyo, that specializes in digital entertainment products. The company was founded by Nozomu Matsumoto in January 1, 1938 in Tokyo as a radio and speaker repair shop. Its current president is Susumu Kotani.
Sansui Electric Co., Ltd. was a Japanese manufacturer of audio and video equipment. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, it was part of the Bermuda conglomerate.
Marantz is a company that develops and sells high-end audio products. The company was founded in New York, but is now based in Japan.
Harman Kardon is a division of US-based Harman International Industries, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, and manufactures home and car audio equipment.
An Internet radio device, also called network music player is a hardware device that is capable of receiving and playing streamed media from either Internet radio stations or a home network.
Audio-Technica Corporation is a Japanese company that designs and manufactures professional microphones, headphones, turntables, phonographic magnetic cartridges, and other audio equipment.
Boston Acoustics was an American manufacturer of home and mobile audio equipment founded in 1979. The company produced speakers for home, custom/architectural, and car audio.
Foster Denki KK is an electronics company that manufactures loudspeakers and audio equipment for other companies or sells them under the trade name Fostex. It is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
Dokorder was a brand of tape recorder from Japanese electronics company Denki Onkyo, located in Ōta, Tokyo that included a four-reel transport system called "Dub-A-Tape" capable of feeding two different tapes through the same tape head assembly and, in the process, recording a duplicate of a tape. (The master and blank tapes passed through the same capstan, but through different tape head areas, yielding a Y-shaped tape path reflected in the slots built into the head assembly. Denki Onkyo also supplied a consumer and semi-pro line of reel to reel recorders that competed with Tascam/Teac and Sony but ultimately its products were found to be less durable than the competition.
Technics is a Japanese brand name of the Panasonic Corporation for audio equipment. Since 1965 under the brand name, Panasonic has produced a variety of hi-fi products, such as turntables, amplifiers, receivers, tape decks, CD players and speakers for sale in various countries. It was conceived as a line of high-end audio equipment to compete against brands such as Nakamichi.
Onkyo Corporation is a Japanese consumer electronics company, specializing in premium home cinema and audio equipment, including AV receivers, surround sound speakers and portable devices. The word Onkyo translates as "sound resonance". On (音) is from Chinese pronunciation, with traditional Japanese pronunciation as Oto, meaning "the sound". Kyo (響) is also from Chinese pronunciation, pronounced as Hibiki (noun) or Hibiku (verb) in traditional Japanese, meaning "resound, sound, or echo". The company started under the name of Osaka Denki Onkyo K.K. in 1946. The current Onkyo Corporation umbrella includes the Integra and Integra Research divisions as well as the main Onkyo brand.
Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels, allowing sounds to be interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horizontal nor vertical limitation. Following the release of Atmos for the cinema market, a variety of consumer technologies has been released under the Atmos brand, using in-ceiling and up-firing speakers.
OPPO Digital is an overseas division of Chinese multinational conglomerate BBK Electronics, sharing the brand name OPPO with the better known consumer electronics company Oppo, also owned by BBK. Established in 2004 in Menlo Park, California, US, it conducted all of its sales online. OPPO Digital designed and marketed audio and video equipment, including Blu-ray Disc players and personal audio products such as headphones and headphone amplifiers, mainly targeting markets in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and India.
DEI Holdings is the US parent company of several brands of consumer audio electronics and vehicle security/remote start systems. DEI Holdings is owned by New York City and Boston-based private equity firm Charlesbank Capital Partners.
Definitive Technology is an American unit based in Vista, California, of the Sound United division of electronics company DEI Holdings, that designs, develops and sells home theater audio systems, soundbars and headphones.
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