ROTEL HONOURS KEN ISHIWATA

Rotel has released ‘tribute’ versions of its A11 integrated amplifier and CD11 CD player in honour of the late Ken Ishiwata, who was elemental in the design and production of Marantz products for more than forty years.

After leaving Marantz, Ishiwata joined Rotel and, with its engineering team, started the process of designing upgraded versions of the A11 and CD11. “Ken had approved the first prototypes of these two models but sadly passed away in November 2019, before the project could be completed,” said Daren Orth, of Rotel. “Rotel then continued the work in order to complete the project to fulfil Ken’s original vision in his memory.”

“Ishiwata was widely admired in the hi-fi industry for his unique ability to identify the most ideal products for modification and take these products’ performance to new levels”, said Sam Encel, of Interdyn, which distributes Rotel in Australia.

“The design modifications Ken made to the A11 and CD11 although small, have resulted in increases in both resolution and detail, and the delivery of a more musical presentation with improved rhythm and timing. Available now, the Rotel A11 Tribute and CD11 Tribute are specially badged in honour of the man whose total passion for music was the impetus that inspired their creation.”

Orth said that the changes Ishiwata made to the A11 involved upgrading around 50 per cent of the components in the signal path and adding damping materials to the chassis. “The changes Ken specified for the CD11 included eight capacitor changes and one resistor change in the DAC stage, nine capacitor changes in the power supply as well as alterations to the mechanical and electrical grounding systems, along with the addition of custom damping materials to the top cover,” he said.

Available now in black and silver finishes, the Rotel A11 Tribute sells for $1,099 (RRP) and the CD11 Tribute for $649 (RRP).

For more information, contact Interdyn on (03) 9426 3600 or at www.interdyn.com.au