There’s no denying that Japan has always been considered a formidable country for foreign company market-entry. Despite the many challenges, quite a few Finnish products have found a foothold.
Japanese and Finnish – who on the surface seem to be very different – share common aesthetics; admiring simplicity and purity in visuals and sound alike.
Founder and Managing Director of Amphion Loudspeakers, Anssi Hyvönen was convinced that his products had a place in Japan. The most crucial point for him was finding passionate and dedicated local partners, which eventually came in the form of Mix Wave, who demonstrated both the capability and enthusiasm which made them the first dealer in Japan, offering the complete list of Amphion’s studio monitors and amplifiers.
Anssi commented: “I believe that choosing a good partner in our business is not only based on matching commercial interests, but also very much on how both parties view and sense sound. I’m convinced that with Mix Wave we found the right partner. As always, timing is everything. Our entry into Japan could not take place at a better time. One era is ending now as spare parts for Yamaha NS-10 are not even available in Japan anymore.”
Recently, Hirokazu Saika, President of Mix Wave was introduced to Amphion studio monitors. For him, this was almost a deja vu moment, as it took him back in time to when he first met another Finnish loudspeaker manufacturer. Later, thanks to Saika’s involvement with this company, it became a major player in Japan audio world.
Hirokazu also provided comments about the partnership: “When I first met Genelec, back in 1980s, they were a modest company with about 10 people working there. Now, when I look at Amphion, I feel akin because it is a company very much alike ours in terms of size and dedication – I see a huge potential. Amphion has a very distinctive style both in terms of design and sound quality. I believe they will fit very well with Japanese simple and clean aesthetics.”
Hirokazu’s words about the potential of Amphion are based both on his own refined ear and the feedback he is already receiving from some chart topping and Grammy-winning engineers, such as Satoshi Hosoi, Goh Hotoda and Yoshi Kumada. By all means Amphion Loudspeakers have already made an appealing entry into the land of the rising sun.
