DENON & MARANTZ SHIRAKAWA AUDIO WORKS Home Entertainment
Inside the secret sound rooms of Denon and Marantz
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These two iconic audio brands have much in common - but there’s plenty that stands them apart. Steve May reports from the Denon & Marantz Shirakawa Audio Works facility, in Japan.
D
enon and Marantz are bounding back into the AV spotlight with a series of high profile home cinema and Hi-Fi launches. 2026 is being painted as a renaissance for the two
brands, and to prove the point, the company threw open the doors of its Shirakawa Audio Works facility, in Japan, to provide an update on Sound United’s recent acquisition by Harman International, and meet with the teams that guide these premium audio brands down slightly different paths.
Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Main text to go here. Lyle Smith serves as President of the Sound United Business unit at Harman. His role is to oversee the integration of
the Sound United portfolio of brands, which extends beyond Denon and Marantz, to Bowers
& Wilkins, Arcam, Definitive Technology, Polk Audio, HEOS, Classé, and Boston Acoustics. He told ERT that the plan is to keep the group distinct from Harman Consumer audio. “When we first announced the acquisition, everyone assumed that it would just get rolled into Harman Consumer,” he said. “We didn’t do that on purpose. We felt that the best way that these brands and categories continue is not to have them be a part of what has become Harman Consumer.”
For Denon and Marantz, that means a
continuing focus on home cinema AV receivers, and premium audio separates. “We
want to
maintain and grow these categories that are so important to us,” he said. It’s all a matter of faith, said Mr Lyle. AV receivers may
Lyle Smith,President of the Sound United Business unit at Harman.
have suffered from the popularity of soundbars, but the category still has much to offer. “Looking forward, there’s more growth to come, and I’ll give you a great example. Record players were killed off in the late 80s / early 90s by CD, but now Gen Z are super interested in buying records again. Now, I grant you, some of them are just for wall art, but you’re also seeing kids buying Bluetooth turntables, wanting to get back into physical media. That’s a great sign!” “When I was a young man, I lived in a small place, and I didn’t have a lot of money, but I always found a way to buy Hi-Fi equipment. I think if it’s something you’re interested in, you find ways to spend money on it, whether that be through the used market or buying something new. I think that’s encouraging that this younger generation is looking at buying older equipment, so you’re seeing that getting refurbished. That’s always been a big, big part of our industry…” This undiluted focus will be well received by fans of the brands.
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